Gandesa

Gandesa
Municipality
Church door, Gandesa
Coat of arms
Gandesa Location in Catalonia
Coordinates: 41°03′19″N 0°26′23″E / 41.05528°N 0.43972°ECoordinates: 41°03′19″N 0°26′23″E / 41.05528°N 0.43972°E
Country	Spain
Community	Catalonia
Province	Tarragona
Comarca	Terra Alta
Government
• mayor	Carles Luz Muñoz (2015)[1]
Area[2]
• Total	71.2 km^2 (27.5 sq mi)
Elevation	368 m (1,207 ft)
Population (2014)[1]
• Total	3,091
• Density	43/km^2 (110/sq mi)
Website	www.gandesa.altanet.org

Gandesa (Catalan pronunciation: [ɡənˈdɛzə], locally: [ɡanˈdezɛ]) is the capital of the comarca of Terra Alta, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.

History

In the place known as Coll del Moro there is an ancient Iberian archaeological site belonging to the Ilercavones tribe that lived in this area before Roman times.

Gandesa has a church with unusual and interesting sculptures on the Romanesque porch.^[3]

The old winery of Gandesa, also known in Catalonia as one of the Wine Cathedrals, is from Modernisme and Noucentisme style and was designed by the architect Cèsar Martinell in 1919.

Gandesa was at the center of fighting during the Battle of the Ebro in the Spanish Civil War. In the Summer of 1938 Republican forces crossed the Ebro in an attempt to throw back the Nationalist armies of General Franco. This is mentioned in the ballad "Jamie Foyers" and Si me quieres escribir, also known as El Frente de Gandesa.^[4] Now there is a museum devoted to the Battle of the Ebro in Gandesa.^[5]

On December 23, 1948 an Iberia Airlines Douglas DC-3 crashed in bad weather near Gandesa killing all 27 occupants.

References

1. "Ajuntament de Gandesa". Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
2. "El municipi en xifres: Gandesa". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
3. Gandesa – A Church in New Catalonia
4. Si me quieres escribir - Ya sabes mi paradero - El Frente de Gandesa - Los emboscados
5. Museo de Gandesa - CEBE - Centre d'Estudis de la batalla de l'Ebre

External links

• Gandesa official site