Balaguer

infobox catalan city
title=Balaguer

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image_skyline_size=200px


arms=Escut de Balaguer.svg
location_

province=Lleida
comarca=Noguera
population=15,781
population_year=2007
area=57.32
population_density=275.31
elevation=233
demonym=Balaguerí, balaguerina
mayor=Miquel Aguilà Barril

Balaguer is the capital of the "comarca" of Noguera, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.It is located at 233 metres above the sea, by the river Segre, a tributary to the Ebre.The population is 15,281 (2005).

Balaguer was conquered from the Moors by Ermengol VI of Urgell in 1106; he made it his new capital, and it remained so for subsequent counts of Urgell.

The town has a Gothic bridge, the "Pont de Sant Miquel", over the Segre river. This bridge, destroyed during the battle of "Cap de Pont" (Bridgehead battle in 1938), was rebuilt after the war.

Another Gothic building is the Santa Maria Church, in the heights above the city, in line with a quite finely conserved wall dating 1,400 after Christ.

The historic town is on the right bank of the Segre but, following the Spanish Civil War, construction began on a modern bridge, which initiated development of a modern extension of the town on the left bank.

General Franco's forces first entered Catalunya from Aragon in 1938 throughout the Balaguer's bridgehead.

Notable natives

*Gaspar de Portolà, founder of San Diego and Monterrey.
*Peter IV of Aragon, King of the Crown of Aragon.
*Antoni Torres, ex-FC Barcelona and Spanish team player.
*Xavier Sánchez Bernat, played more than 250 matches in the ACB.
*Roberto Martinez, ex-Wigan Athletic player and current Swansea City manager.

External links

* [http://www.balaguer.cat/ Official municipal web site] ca
* [http://www.municat.net:8000/omunicat/owa/mun_p01.dad_ens?via=1&cod=2504040003 Information about Balaguer from the Generalitat de Catalunya] ca
* [http://www.idescat.net/territ/BasicTerr?TC=3&V0=1&PDF=FALSE&V1=25040 Statistical information] - ("Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya") ca
*Palomero, Aaron Gutiérrez, [http://www.ub.es/geocrit/sn/sn-146(025).htm "Planificación urbana y vivienda obrera en Balaguer (1939 – 1962). Ocupación del margen izquierdo"] "Scripta Nova: Revista Electrónica de Geografía y Ciencias Sociales", Vol. VII, núm. 146(025), 1 de agosto de 2003. es