Girona

Girona is a lovely river city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain, at the fork of the rivers Ter and Onyar. It is the capital of the Spanish province that shares the same name. Girona is home to almost 100,000 residents.

Girona's once-formidable fortifications stands on the steep hill of the Capuchins, while the more modern section is in the flat areas (yes, the plain in Spain) and stretches beyond the river. The bastions of the walls which have withstood so many sieges are still standing strong against the elements.

Girona's ancient mosque, was replaced first by an ancient cathedral and is now the location of the cathedral seen as one of the finest specimens of Gothic architecture in Spain. Among its interior decorations is a retable which is the work of the Valencian silversmith Pere Bernec. Sadly, a gold and silver altar-frontal was carried off by the French in 1809.

The Collegiate Church of Sant Feliu will abeal to also architecture fans. Built in fourteenth-century Gothic style, the façade dates from the 1700's. This church is one of the few Spanish churches with a genuine spire.

Most traces of Girona's rich Jewish history were wiped out when the Jews were expelled from Spain. On Carrer de Sant Llorenc, the doorway of an old building has a rectangular indentation which once held a mezuzah. Further along is the Centre Bonastruc ça Porta and the Catalan Jewish Museum. The Bonastruc ça Porta project started in the 1970s, when it became profitable to renovate properties in the old town.

The city has a number of relevant Art Nouveau buildings including the Farinera Teixidor by Rafael Masó.