Berga

Berga (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈbeɾɣə]) is the capital of the comarca (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu.

For other uses, see Berga (disambiguation).
Berga
Municipality
Coat of arms
Berga
Location in Catalonia
Berga
Berga (Spain)
Coordinates: 42°06′04″N 1°50′38″E
CountrySpain
Autonomous communityCatalonia
ProvinceBarcelona
ComarcaBerguedà
Government
 • MayorMontse Venturós Villalba (2015)[1] (CUP)
Area
 • Total22.6 km2 (8.7 sq mi)
Elevation
704 m (2,310 ft)
Population
 (2018)[3]
 • Total16,199
 • Density720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Berguedà
ClimateCfb
Websiteajberga.cat

History

Berga derives its name from the Bergistani, an Iberian tribe which lived in the area before the Roman conquest. The Bergistani were first subdued by Hannibal in 218 BC. They rebelled twice against the Romans and were twice defeated; after their second uprising, much of the tribe was sold into slavery. Livy mentions their principal town, Castrum Bergium, which was probably the precursor of the present-day town of Berga.[4]

Berga was ruled by viscounts in the Early Middle Ages and had its own counts from 988.

Berga was sold to king Peter II of Aragon in 1199.

In May 2012, the town council passed a motion declaring King Juan Carlos 'persona non grata' following a series of scandals involving the royal family, most notably the king's recent elephant hunting trip to Africa in the middle of Spain's deepening recession.[5]

La Patum

Berga is perhaps most famous for its traditional festival of "La Patum", a celebration which occurs every Corpus Christi, lasting for five days.

Free Software Street

On July 3, 2010 the world's first Free Software Street was inaugurated in Berga, during a ceremony attended by Richard Stallman.[6]

Sister cities

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Ajuntament de Berga". Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  2. "El municipi en xifres: Berga". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  3. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  4. Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana vol. III, p. 466. Edicions 62. Barcelona, 1971
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-05-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Berga inaugura el primer carrer del món dedicat al programari lliure" (in Catalan). 324. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  7. Vänorter Archived August 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine


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