Bourg-Madame (French pronunciation: [buʁ madam] ; Catalan: La Guingueta d'Ix) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.[3]

Bourg-Madame
La Guingueta d'Ix
The town hall in Bourg-Madame
The town hall in Bourg-Madame
Coat of arms of Bourg-Madame
Location of Bourg-Madame
Map
Bourg-Madame is located in France
Bourg-Madame
Bourg-Madame
Bourg-Madame is located in Occitanie
Bourg-Madame
Bourg-Madame
Coordinates: 42°26′07″N 1°56′41″E / 42.4353°N 1.9447°E / 42.4353; 1.9447
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentPyrénées-Orientales
ArrondissementPrades
CantonLes Pyrénées catalanes
IntercommunalityPyrénées Cerdagne
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Daniel Armisen[1]
Area
1
7.85 km2 (3.03 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,204
 • Density150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
66025 /66760
Elevation1,130–1,235 m (3,707–4,052 ft)
(avg. 1,130 m or 3,710 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Localisation

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Bourg-Madame is located in the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes and in the arrondissement of Prades. It lies right on the border with Spain. It abuts directly onto the Spanish town of Puigcerdà, and is near the Spanish exclave of Llívia.

 
Map of Bourg-Madame and its surrounding communes

Toponymy

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The town used to be known in French as Les Guinguettes,[4] until 1815 when it was renamed Bourg-Madame in honour of the wife of the Duke of Angoulême. The Catalan name for the town is still the traditional one.

History

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In the 20th century, Bourg-Madame was the site of a camp housing Republican escapees from Spain at the end of the Spanish Civil War.[5]

Government and politics

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Mayors

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Mayor Term start Term end
Thomas Casals[6] 1930 ?
Jean Salvat[7] 1945 1965
Joseph Calvet 1965 1995
Jean-Jacques Fortuny 1995 2020
Daniel Armisen 2020 incumbent

Transport

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Roads

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The following major roads lead to Bourg-Madame:

Railways

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Bourg-Madame is located at a key point of intersection for railways that link Toulouse, Barcelona, and Valencia (as well as Perpignan to the east via the Yellow Train).

The railway station is located in the Arena district.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 821—    
1975 1,120+4.54%
1982 1,257+1.66%
1990 1,238−0.19%
1999 1,166−0.66%
2007 1,255+0.92%
2012 1,266+0.17%
2017 1,224−0.67%
Source: INSEE[8]

International relations

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The commune is twinned with:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ INSEE commune file
  4. ^ Jtosti.com
  5. ^ Beevor, Antony (2001). The Spanish Civil War. London: Cassell Military Paperbacks. p. 394. ISBN 0-304-35840-1.
  6. ^ (in French) Fabricio Cardenas, Vieux papiers des Pyrénées-Orientales, Bombardement collatéral en Cerdagne, janvier 1938, 23 december 2014
  7. ^ (in French) L'Indépendant, La parole aux deux nouveaux sénateurs, 5 october 2011
  8. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE