Overview
Lleida is situated in the western part of Catalonia in Spain and the population of this town in the year 2009 was 136,000. This town was originally a settlement of Ilergetes who were Iberian tribe. The Lleida university was founded in the year 1297 and is the third oldest in Spain. The economy of this city is mainly dependent on services and commerce and agriculture plays an important role.
Originally this city was named Iltrida and the kings – Indíbil and Mandoni defended this city from Roman invasion. This city gained strategic importance under Roman rule and was flourishing. In this period, this city had its own coins. During the Spanish Civil War, Leida was a key point of defense for Barcelona.
Climate
The maximum and minimum average temperatures in this city are 32 °C in July-August and 1 °C in January.
The following museums are popular in Lleida:
Diocesan and District Museum – has items presented by Institute of Lleida Studies, old diocesan museum and Cathedral Chapter. In this museum, Bronze Age items also are exhibited.
Paeria Museum – is housed in the Paeria Palace that is one of the Romanesque buildings and it has archaeological excavations and the ruins of monuments from 5th-18th centuries.
The Lleida Studies Institute Archaeological Museum – this was created in the year 1942 and is housed in the Santa Maria hospital – old – and is representative of civil architecture of Gothic era.
The following monuments are important ones in Lleida:
Old Lleida Cathedral – This was built in the period 13th to 15th centuries and was dedicated to Santa María.
Castillo de la Zuda – this was originally built by Arabs and rebuilt by Christian kings.
Some of the important buildings are – Seu Nova, Santa Maria Hospital, Casino Principal and Sant Llorenc Church.
Cuisine
The following food items/ ingredients are popular in this region:
1.Snails
2.Duck and turnip
3.Stew made from meat and vegetables
4.Trout
5.Sausages from pork
6.Olive oil
The soil in this city is highly fertile and the fruits produced here are excellent and these are used in desserts, cakes, pastries, chocolate, etc.
Some of the best skiing resorts – Boí-Taüll, Baqueira-Beret, Port-Ainé, Espot-Esqui and Port del Comte are in the mountain range in this city.
The national park – Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici has good ecological value and also a rich architectural heritage because it houses the Romanesque churches that are declared as world heritage sites.
Photo Credit: Pixabay