Editing Balaguer

{{other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Balaguer
| native_name        = 
| settlement_type    = [[Municipalities of Catalonia|Municipality]]
| image_skyline      = Santa Maria de Balaguer.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = Church of St. Mary.
| image_flag         = Flag of Balaguer.svg
| flag_size          = 
| flag_alt           = 
| image_shield       = Coat of Arms of Balaguer.svg
| shield_size        = 
| shield_alt         = 
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| pushpin_map        = Spain Province of Lleida#Spain Catalonia#Spain
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Spain
| coordinates        = {{coord|41.790|0.805|region:ES-CT_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{ESP}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Community]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Catalonia}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[province of Lleida|Lleida]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Comarques of Catalonia|Comarca]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Noguera (comarca)|La Noguera]]
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = Mayoress
| leader_name        = Lorena González Dios (2023- )
| area_footnotes     = <ref name=idescat>{{cite web|url=http://www.idescat.cat/emex/?lang=en&id=250404|title=El municipi en xifres: Balaguer|publisher=[[Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya|Statistical Institute of Catalonia]]|access-date=2015-11-23}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 57.3
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 233
| population_as_of   = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| population_total   = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonyms = Balaguerí, balaguerina
| population_note    = 
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = 
| blank_name         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info         = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]
| website            = {{url|www.balaguer.cat}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Balaguer''' ({{IPA|ca|balaˈɣe}}) is the capital of the ''[[Catalonia/Comarques|comarca]]'' of [[Noguera (comarca)|Noguera]], in the province of [[Lleida (province)|Lleida]], [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]]. It is located by the [[river Segre]], a tributary to the [[Ebro]]. The municipality includes an [[exclave]] to the east. Balaguer also has a sister city in the western United States, [[Pacifica, California]].

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.

A [[Jewish]] community existed in Balaguer from the 11th century to the [[expulsion of the Jews from Spain|expulsion of the Jews]] in 1492.<ref>{{cite web |title=Balaguer, Spain |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/balaguer |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>

The town has a [[Goths|Gothic]] bridge, the "Pont de Sant Miquel", over the Segre river. This bridge was destroyed during the [[Spanish Civil War]] in the battle of "Cap de Pont" when [[Francisco Franco]]'s forces first entered Catalonia from Aragon in 1938 through Balaguer's bridgehead. The historic town is on the right bank of the Segre but, following the war, construction began on a modern bridge, which initiated development of a modern extension of the town on the left bank.

Another Gothic building is the Santa Maria Church, in the heights above the city, in line with a quite finely conserved wall dating to the 15th century AD.

The historic mansion [[Palauet de la muralla de Balaguer]], converted to a hotel, is located in the city center and part of the old city wall forms the back of the building.

==Culture==
{{expand section|date=April 2023}}

===Music===
*[[Hot Numbers]] (1996), a musical fusion band

==Notable natives==
*Josep Ivan Argelaga, performance artists "dogman"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/11/naked-man-pretending-dogs-sniffing-people_n_7971240.html|title=There's A Naked Guy Crawling Around Barcelona Pretending To Be A Dog|date=11 August 2015|website=HuffPost UK|accessdate=26 February 2024}}</ref>
*[[Gaspar de Portolà]], founder of [[San Diego]] (United States) and [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] (United States).
*[[Peter IV of Aragon]], King of the [[Crown of Aragon]].
*[[Antoni Torres García]], footballer
*Xavier Sánchez Bernat, basketball player
*[[Roberto Martínez]], former footballer and football manager of the [[Portugal national football team|Portuguese national football team]]
*[[Teresa Pàmies]], writer, political activist and mother of [[Sergi Pàmies]].
*[[Felipe Cardeña]], artist
* Josep Pàmies, pagès, entrepreneur and activist<ref>{{cite web | title=Josep Pàmies Story | website=Slow Food | date=2 July 2007 | url=https://www.slowfood.com/blog-and-news/josep-pamies-story/ | access-date=26 February 2024}}</ref>
*[[James II, Count of Urgell]], royal Count

==See also==
*[[Lord of Balaguer]]
*[[Balaguer Offensive]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*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. {{in lang|es}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Balaguer}}
*[http://www.balaguer.cat/ Official municipal web site] {{in lang|ca}}
* [http://aplicacions.municat.gencat.cat/index.php?page=consulta&mostraEns=2504040003 Government data pages] {{in lang|ca}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Balaguer
|N  = [[Os de Balaguer]]
|NE = [[Camarasa]]<br>[[Cubells]]
|E  = [[La Sentiu de Sió]]<br>[[Bellcaire d'Urgell]]
|SE = [[Vallfogona de Balaguer]]
|S  = [[Térmens]]
|SW = [[Menàrguens]]
|W  = [[Castelló de Farfanya]]
|NW = 
}}
{{Noguera}}
{{Municipalities in Lleida|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Municipalities in Noguera (comarca)]]
[[Category:Populated places in Noguera (comarca)]]


{{Lleida-geo-stub}}