Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida.

Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as well as the largest city in the province. It had 137,387 inhabitants as of 2010, including the contiguous towns of Raimat and Sucs.

Lleida is one of the oldest towns in Catalonia, with recorded settlements dating back to the Bronze Age period. Until the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the area served as a settlement for an Iberian people, the Ilergetes. The town became a municipality, named Ilerda, under the reign of Augustus. It was ruled by the Moors from the 8th century, and reconquered in 1149. In 1297, the University of Lleida was founded, becoming the third oldest in the whole of Spain. During the following centuries, the town was damaged by several wars such as the Reapers’ War in the 17th century and the Spanish Civil War in the 20th century. Since then, the city has been in constant urban, commercial and demographic growth.

Main sights

• Seu Vella, a cathedral built in a blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles over time, and made a military fortress in the 18th century. There is also an older, and mostly destroyed Palau de la Suda, built during Arab rule and later used as a royal residence by the counts of Barcelona and kings of Aragon. Both medieval buildings are situated over the so-called Turó de la Seu, a medium-sized hill that overlooks the town.
• Seu Nova, the baroque cathedral, in use since Bourbon rule. It was burnt during the Spanish Civil War by the anarchists commanded by Durruti.
• Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs, used to be a hospital (Antic Hospital de Santa Maria) built in Gothic style, but today is a historical museum and research centre open to visitors, with historically significant artworks and artefacts from the Iberian, Roman, Arab, medieval and modern times, as well as an exhibit area usually showcasing contemporary local artists.
• La Paeria, the city council and also a historical site with remains and artefacts from Roman times through to the Moorish rule, Mediaeval and Modern times, including old prison cells.
• Gardeny is a hill hosting a fortress built between the 12th and 13th centuries. Used by the Knights Templar in the Middle Ages after the area (a fifth of the town) had been granted to them by King Ramon Berenguer IV.
• The gardens known as Camps Elisis, already used by the Romans. The Mermaid Fountain is a nice piece.
• La Mitjana, a park at the edge of town with wilderness areas adjacent to an old dam on the river Segre.
• Les Basses d’Alpicat, a park. It is currently closed, awaiting reforms.
• Church of Sant Llorenç, a 12th-century Romanesque church with 15th-century Gothic additions. The interior is well preserved.
• Church of Sant Martí, a 12th-century Romanesque church.
• The bishop of Lleida’s Palace on Rambla d’Aragó, which also serves as an art museum displaying pieces spanning from Romanesque to Baroque times.
• El Roser, a 13th-century convent built by the Dominican Order. It hosted a fine arts academy of the same name and has recently been controversially reformed and turned into a parador (a luxury hotel using a historical location).
• Lleida Public Library, on Rambla d’Aragó, in the building previously known as La Maternitat, a mid-19th century orphanage.
• Museum of Lleida, opened in 2008, and owned by the Diocese of Lleida focusing on the town’s history. Some of the artefacts it contains, which come from areas historically belonging to the diocese but not currently part of the province of Lleida‘s territory and jurisdiction, have been the object of contention with the neighbouring dioceses and the government of the autonomous community of Aragon.
• Sala Cristòfol, a museum devoted to the works of the avant-garde sculptor Leandre Cristòfol.
• Sala Mercat del Pla, an art gallery.
• Museu d’Art Jaume Morera, an art museum displaying art from the 20th and 21st centuries in a modernist building.
• Centre d’Art de la Panera, a small contemporary art institution.
• Museu de l’Aigua, in the Parc de l’aigua.
• Auditori Enric Granados, Lleida’s foremost concert hall. Next to its basement and on public display are some ancient ruins.
• La Llotja de Lleida, a concert hall, theatre, opera and congress hall opened in 2010.
• Parc de l’aigua, urban park in the southern neighborhoods.