2006 AD: Girona, Spain
La via Augusta is the 1,600 km long Roman trade route through Andalucía, València and Catalonia in the Iberian Peninsula, running from the southern Hispanic city of Cádiz and linking up with La via Domitia in Gaul, present-day France. The northern-most fortified post along this route before it negotiates the Pyrenees was called Gerunda and is the modern day city of Girona in Catalunya, respectively spelled Catalonia and Gerona in Castilian. Sitting in a valley at the confluence of the Riu Ter and Onyar against the hill of the Capuchins, it has been faught for and changed hands many times. The Visigoths ruled after Roman influence waned and it was occupied for some time by the Moors. At the end of the eight century it was taken back from the Muslims by the Visigoths now under sway by Charles the Great, King of the Franks and Emperor-to-be of the Holy Roman Empire. It was made a county of the Marca Hispanica, which then formed a buffer zone between the Kingdom of the Franks and Al Andalus, the latter ruled by the Moorish Caliphate of Córdoba in the south.
The remainder of medieval times brought Girona some political stability in conjunction with the County of Barcelona and the city was granted city rights in the 11th century and made a Duchy in 1351. Increasing in size and importance the city walls and gates were replaced many times and fortesses and military barracks were added. Its wealth led to many outstanding examples of Romanesque and Gothic building styles. Built in the flourishing Jewish quarter of the city the Kabbalistic University came to wide international prominence through its Kabbalah teachings until in 1492 the Jews were expelled from the city and the whole of Spain by a decree of the Spanish King. Girona was besieged by the royal French armies in 1653, 1684 and twice in 1694. In 1809 Napoleon's troops lay siege for eight months before ransacking the city and taking down its walls, which eventually were to be rebuilt.
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Published on 15.11.2006 by Sjaak van der Sar – Leave critique or other comments
