La Jonquera () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the '' comarca'' of l'Alt Empordà, in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

, Spain. It is situated next to the border with Northern Catalonia, nowadays

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, opposite the municipality of

Le Perthus Le Perthus (, ca, El Pertús, ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Natives of Le Pertus are called ''Perthusiens'' and, in 2016, there were 586 inhabitants. Le Perthus is also one of French territories on t ...

History

The area has always been an important

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits *Mountain pass, a lower place in a mounta ...

through the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

. A contemporary motorway runs not far from the ancient Roman road, the '' Via Augusta''. Not far from there is an altar erected by

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

at the

Coll de Panissars Coll (; gd, Cola; sco, Coll)Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for ...

. La Jonquera was the site of a conflict involving the retreating French crusaders in 1285 that ended in their defeat.

Geography

Civil parishes

La Jonquera (2,888 inhabitants in the village) has 4 civil parishes (''poblaciones''). The village of

Els Límits Els Límits () is a Spanish village, a civil parish of the municipality of La Jonquera, situated in the province of Girona, Catalonia, in Spain. As of 2005 its population was of 115. Its Spanish name is Los Límites. History The origins of th ...

is situated on the French-Spanish border, contiguous to its French twin town,

Interesting places

* Church of Santa Maria. * Ruins of Santa Maria de Panissars (mediaeval Benedictine monastery), in the coll de Panissars. * Ruins of the castell de Rocabertí. * Castell de Canadal, with the church of Santa Cristina or Sant Jaume de Canadal (c. IX). * Romanesque churches (Sant Pere del Pla de l'Arca and

Sant Martí del Forn del Vidre Sant may refer to: People * Alfred Sant (born 1948), Maltese politician * Andrew Sant (born 1950), English-born Australian poet * David Sant (born 1968), Catalan director, actor and writer * Indira Sant (1914–2000), Indian poet * James Sant ...

(10th century), and Santa Llúcia, Sant Miquel de Solans and Sant Julià dels Torts (12th century). * Porta Catalana (work of Josep Lluís Sert), in the border. * Several megalithic monuments ( dolmens and menhirs).

Prostitution

The New York Times reported that one of Europe's largest brothels opened in La Jonquera in 2010, taking advantage of Europe's open borders and "lax laws". Many of its clients reportedly come from France, where

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

was made illegal in April 2016. According to the paper, "Advocates and police officials say that most of the women are controlled by illegal networks — they are modern-day slaves."

Forest fires

The area around La Jonquera was seriously affected by fatal wildfires that devastated large swathes of forestry in northern Catalonia in July 2012.

Demography

References

* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan).

External links

Ajuntament de La Jonquera

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonquera, La Municipalities in Alt Empordà Populated places in Alt Empordà