Girona

Girona, Spain

Girona, Spanish Gerona, city, capital of Girona provincia (province), in the Catalonia comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northeastern Spain. It lies on the Oñar River in the foothills of the Los Ángeles Mountains, a short distance inland from a Mediterranean coastal resort area known as the Costa Brava. The city comprises three zones: the interior, which includes the old quarter; the modern section; and a residential area.

Because of its position on the coastal route from Gaul to the Iberian Peninsula, Girona was a fortified site of the Iberians (whose ruined walls dating from the 4th and 5th centuries bc remain) and of the Romans, who knew the city as Oppidum Gerunda. It passed to the Visigoths and was conquered in 714 by the Muslims, who called it Jerunda. Retaken in 785 by the Franks under Charlemagne, the city was lost again in 793 and recaptured by Louis of Aquitaine in 797. It was later incorporated into the kingdom of Aragon. Until the expulsion of Jews in 1492, the city had a thriving Jewish quarter. Girona took an active part in the 17th–18th-century wars between Spain and France and was besieged several times by both sides.

Historic landmarks include the Gothic cathedral (begun c. 1292), with one of the world’s widest (74 feet [23 metres]) aisleless naves. Girona is the site of the Provincial Archaeological Museum and of a university founded by Alfonso V in 1446.

Industrially, the city is important. Milk pasteurization, filtering, freezing, and preserving are based at the municipal central dairy. There are lumber and flour mills, distilleries, and biscuit, confectionery, and soft drink factories. Textile production is considerable. The city has a paper mill, publishing house, several chemical factories, and soapworks. Heavy machinery is also manufactured. Finance and service industries dominate the economy. Pop. (2006 est.) 85,742.