Berga

For other uses, see Berga (disambiguation).

Berga
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms of Berga Coat of arms
Berga Location in Catalonia
Coordinates:
Province	Barcelona
Comarca	Berguedà
Government
• Mayor	Montse Venturós Villalba (2015) (CUP)
Area
• Total	22.6 km2 (8.7 sq mi)
Elevation	704 m (2,310 ft)
Population (2014)
• Total	16,456
• Density	730/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Berguedà
Website	ajberga.cat

Berga (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈbeɾɣə]) is the capital of the comarca (county) of Berguedà, in Catalonia, northeast Spain.

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.

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.

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.

Sister cities

• Guernica, Spain
• Tarascon-sur-Ariège, France
• Högsby, Sweden

See also

• La Guita Xica