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19-498: The city of Figueres , an important urban and economic center of the Empordà, was designated the capital of Alt Empordà , while La Bisbal d'Empordà , following a more geographic and historical criteria, became the capital of Baix Empordà. Empordà has been the cradle for many pictoric schools, with surrealism standing out, including artists such as Salvador Dalí , Angel Planells , Joan Massanet and Evarist Vallès . The name Empordà

38-466: A process of transformation was initiated that changed the occupational system and the economic exploitation of the territory, which led to the abandonment of Ullastret in the 2nd century BC. The Baix Empordà was Romanized like all other places of the Roman Empire but that was followed by barbaric invasions in the 3rd and 5th centuries that notably impoverished the region and reduced their urban centers to

57-600: Is a derivative of Empúries ( Empòrion in Old Greek or Emporiae in Latin), which means "the markets". The name Empordà comes from a succession of phonetic derivatives of County of Empúries , a county which had its capital first in Sant Martí d'Empúries and then in Castelló d'Empúries the capital of medieval Empordà during the period of political splendor of this county. This was one of

76-506: Is a good example of medieval remains. The castle was constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries. The municipality of Begur also includes Esclanyà (with a Romanesque old part), Aiguafreda, Sa Riera, Sa Tuna, Aiguablava and Fornells. Some of the most prestigious beaches of the Costa Brava can be found here: Sa Riera, Aiguafreda, sa Tuna, Platja Fonda (although it has been almost completely destroyed by storms), Fornells and Aiguablava. The latter

95-656: Is a large shipyard that carries out ship construction and repair. It has been in operation since 1969. Among other vessel types, the ship produces large wind farm service vessels and in recent years has also built electric ferries. Figueres is twinned with: Begur, Spain Begur ( Catalan pronunciation: [bəˈɣu] ) is a village and municipality in the comarca of Baix Empordà and province of Girona in Catalonia , Spain. The village itself lies some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from, and 200 metres (660 ft) above,

114-555: Is also home to a Parador Hotel. The annual festival to celebrate St. Tania takes places each November. The village of Begur is a staging point on the GR 92 long distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Stage 7, to the north, takes an inland route via Pals , Palau-sator , Fontanilles and Gualta to the next staging point at Torroella de Montgrí , a distance of 21.3 kilometres (13.2 mi). Stage 8, to

133-525: Is also served by its own railway station just east of the old town center. Figueres has been connected since December 2010 to the high-speed rail network with the start of services connecting Figueres to Perpignan via LGV , allowing direct TGV services to Paris in 5 h 27 min. Connections to Madrid-Barcelona via AVE began on 8 January 2013 and the trip takes 53 min to Barcelona Sants (12 min to Girona). The Gondán Shipyard in Figueres

152-513: Is the capital city of Alt Empordà county, in the Girona region , Catalonia , Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí , and houses the Dalí Theatre and Museum , a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors. It is also the birthplace of Narcís Monturiol , inventor of the first successful machine-powered submarine . Also born here was Mónica Naranjo , one of

171-619: The Carolingian Empire divided the conquered Catalan territory in counties. While the north of the county and the current Alt Empordà was organised around the county of Empúries , the rest were regions or sub-regions of the Bishop of Girona , owner of extensive lands—especially in the Baix Empordà-, or baronies from branches of the Cardona vinculated to the county, to then be the maritime center of

190-812: The Gavarres and the Montgrí , and that name is still used today to refer to the Baix Empordà. The region was already inhabited in the prehistory. There are a number of caves that served as a shelter for paleolithic men in the Montgrí Massif ; the most famous ones share the same name: "Cau Del Duc", one in Torroella and the other in Ullà . We also find important megalithic structures in Massís de les Gavarres or Massís de Cadiretes , as well as

209-648: The dolmens in Fitor . The Greeks established themselves very close to the actual region, in Roses (possibly a colony of Rhodes , though this is uncertain) in the 8th century BC and in Empúries at the beginning of the 6th century BC. The Iberians built one of their main cities in Ullastret in the 6th century BC; the name of the tribe was Indigetes . But with the arrival of the Romans,

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228-889: The Spaniards in 1811, and retaken by the French in the same year. During the Spanish Civil War , it remained loyal to the Republican government , and was repeatedly bombed by the Nazi and Fascist Italian aviation. It was one of the most heavily bombed Catalan cities during the Civil War, in 1938 , and, especially, at the beginning of 1939 , when thousands of people passed through the town on their way into exile. The number of bombing victims cannot be known with certainty, but could be close to 400. Spain's Republican government held its final meeting of

247-476: The best selling Spanish singers of the 1990s and 2000s. The town's name derives from that of Ficaris , of Visigoth origin. In 1267 , King James I of Aragon conceded it fuero rights, but four years later Count Ponç IV of Empúries set the town on fire. In 1794 Figueras was surrendered to France, but it was regained in 1795. During the Peninsular War it was taken by the French in 1808, recaptured by

266-615: The civil war (on 1 February 1939) in the dungeons of its Sant Ferran Castle . Figueres recovered starting from the 1950s, consolidating its economy around the tourism industry. Figueres was once home to a Jewish community prior to the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, and a small Jewish quarter remains. Situated in the northeast corner of Catalonia, Figueres is about 40 km (25 miles) from Girona , 140 km (87 miles) from Barcelona , 60 km (37 miles) from Perpignan , and 50 km (31 miles) from Girona-Costa Brava Airport . It

285-533: The coastline of the Costa Brava , but the municipality includes several seaside resorts. The municipality of Begur has 3,986 inhabitants (according to the census of 2005). It is an important tourist attraction in the Baix Empordà . During the summer, the population can exceed 40,000 people. Despite its tourist character, the village has important historical remnants that go back in early history. The castle of Begur

304-506: The county of Girona, from Begur to Sant Feliu de Guíxols . The first " drassanes " or shipyards where found in Empordà in the 10th century, as well as in Tortosa in 945, then ruled by Abd al-Rahman III . 42°04′55″N 3°04′19″E  /  42.08194°N 3.07194°E  / 42.08194; 3.07194 Figueres Figueres ( Catalan: [fiˈɣeɾəs] ; Spanish : Figueras [fiˈɣeɾas] )

323-662: The minimum expression. There are many traces of the Romanization, but it is hard to envision the print of the Visigoths and the Arabs , because the proximity of the Kingdom of the Franks caused the creation of independent counties ruled by feudal lords. The Muslim invasion actually lasted less than sixty years (714–785) and the old Hispano-Gothic population came back. The administrative division of

342-551: The most insurgent toward royal power and one of the last ones to join the Crown of Aragon , which led to a few odd episodes such as the deviation of the Ter (river) or the unfinished build of the Montgrí Castle on top of the Montgrí Massif . The Baix Empordà born writer Josep Pla used to refer to the surroundings of his native Palafrugell as Empordanet, or the region that goes in between

361-417: The south, heads to Sa Tuna  [ ca ] and Fornells de Mar before following the coast further south through Tamariu , Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell to the next staging point at Palamós , a distance of 23.0 kilometres (14.3 mi). Besides the village of Begur itself, the municipality includes the following populated places: This Province of Girona location article

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