Prades (Pyrénées-Orientales)

commune in Pyrénées-Orientales, France

Prades (Catalan: Prada de Conflent or, simply, Prada) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It was the capital of the historic Catalan comarque of Conflent.

Prades
View of Prades
View of Prades
Coat of arms of Prades
Location of Prades
Map
Prades is located in France
Prades
Prades
Prades is located in Occitanie
Prades
Prades
Coordinates: 42°37′05″N 2°25′22″E / 42.6181°N 2.4228°E / 42.6181; 2.4228
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentPyrénées-Orientales
ArrondissementPrades
CantonLes Pyrénées catalanes
IntercommunalityConflent-Canigó
Government
 • Mayor (2014 - 2020) Jean Castex (UMP)
Area
1
10.87 km2 (4.20 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
5,927
 • Density550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
DemonymPradéens
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
66149 /66500
Elevation300–745 m (984–2,444 ft)
(avg. 523 m or 1,716 ft)
WebsiteOfficial website
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is a subprefecture in the department and the capital of the Prades arrondissement.

Name of the city

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In Catalan, the name of the commune is Prada,[1] a word that comes from the Latin word prata ("prairie").

Geography

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Prades is the main ciy of the Conflent, a natural region of the Pyrénées-Orientales; it is at the foothill of the Canigou mountain, to the west of Perpignan. The Têt river flows through the city.

It has an area of 10.87 km2 (4.20 sq mi) and its average altitude is 523 m (1,716 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 356 m (1,168 ft).[2]

Prades and its neighboring communes
 

The commune is at 44 km (27 mi) from Perpignan. It is surrounded by the communes Catllar, Eus, Los Masos, Clara, Taurinya, Codalet, Ria-Sirach.

Climate

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The climate in Prades in the Köppen climate classification is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.

Population

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The inhabitants of Prades city are known, in French, as Pradéens (women: Pradéennes); Pradencs and Pradenques in Catalan.[3]

With a population in 2014 of 5,927,[4] Prades has a population density of 545 inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Prades

Administration

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Prades is a subprefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department since 1790. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Prades and the administrative centre (French: chef-lieu) of the canton Les Pyrénées catalanes with 62 communes and 26,765 inhabitants in 2014.

It is part of the intercommunality Conflent Canigó (French: Communauté de communes Conflent Canigó).

Twinned and partner towns

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Prades is twinned with:[5]

Sites of interest

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Some places of interest in or around Prades are:

  • Saint-Peter church with its bell-tower
  • Saint-Martin de Canoha (Sant Marti de Canoa) chapel
  • Jacomet House, dating back from the XVth century
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Prades was also the adopted home of cellist Pablo Casals and grammarian Pompeu Fabra during their exile from the Spanish Civil War. A small museum in Prades commemorates Casals.

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References

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  1. Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Université de Perpignan (2007). Nomenclàtor toponímic de la Catalunya del Nord (PDF) (in Catalan and French) (1st ed.). Barcelona. p. 58. Retrieved 4 June 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. "Prades". Map-France.com. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  3. "Prades" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  4. "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  5. "Nos Jumelages" (in French). Mairie de Prades. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2014.

Other websites

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