Cervera

La etimología de la palabra no tiene nada que ver con el perro Cerbero, guardián de los Infiernos en la mitología griega. Dada la antigüedad del nombre, cabe suponerle un origen prelatino, y relacionarlo con la raíz pre-indoeuropea kar, ker (peña), seguida de la raíz ibero-vasca -erri (lugar). El nombre de Cervera designaría pues un lugar en la peña, que encaja perfectamente con la descripción del municipio. Lo más probable es que venga de "lugar de ciervos", lo que avala el escudo de la localidad, con dos ciervos.

The town and its medieval origins:

In the year 1026, three peasant families built the first settlement in the comarca of Segarra, as in those days it was uninhabited. Later on, the Barcelona counts committed ownership of those lands to those people. By this, the counts wanted to establish their power in the area, as the Segarra was at that time the border between Christian and Muslim territories, thereby establishing the first fortress (castrum Cervarie).

When the Western border was established at Lleida at the year 1149, Cervera grew up into terraced houses on the other side of the border. The inhabitants were freed from the feudal lord's abuses and with the royal privileges, the town gradually became established first as a Confraria (1182), then Consolat (municipal organ) (1202), and from 1267 up to the present, as a Paeria.

The most significant episode was the signature, in 1452, of the nuptial agreement between Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile (the Spanish Catholic Monarchs).

Historically, there was a prosperous Jewish community in Cervera, dating from the 12th century to the expulsion of the Jews in the 15th century.

In 1702, the town got the title of city from the king Philip V, for which the townspeople thanked the king. The king bestowed this title because in a small way during the war, and then more strongly after the war, the local people had demonstrated support for the king's politics.

The university:

Charles II, the last Spanish king from the house of Austria, died in 1700, and in his will he designated Philip V as his heir. The new king, with the name of Philip V, was accepted in the kingdom of Castile, as well as in Crown of Aragon.

England, which was at the head of the opposing nations proposed Charles VI as the heir of the Spanish throne and in 1702 a European war started (the War of the Spanish Succession). An appropriate diplomatic intervention could make the Crown of Aragon finally give support to Charles VI. In Cervera, there were people in favour of both sides.

When the war was finished, Cervera, which had been destroyed, decided to give support to the ones who were governing (the Bourbons) and sent two ambassadors to the Courts with the mission to persuade the ministers of Philip V of his absolute support, with the goal to obtain some logical compensation and in one of their 30 requests, they requested one university like the one in the city of Lleida. Philip V, then, built the University of Cervera and closed the rest (the Nueva Planta decrees). The creation of the university gave an economic boost to the town, basically (among other reasons) because students lodged in the town.

Decay and prosperity:

In 1842 the university was relocated to Barcelona, which portended an important economic loss.

However, when train service arrived in the town in 1860 along with improvements to some public services (such as the water supply) and as the establishment of some industries and an important wine trade, there was an improvement in the local economy.

When the Phylloxera arrived, this caused a lot of people with vineyards to go bankrupt, due to a major crisis with the Cervera wine trade, which recovered somewhat with the creation of the Sindicat Agrícola (1919).

•Monument a la Generalitat de Catalunya

•Monument Cervera Ciutat Gegantera 2014

•Castell de Cervera

•Tossal de les Forques

•Molí de Vent de la Serra de Montserè

•Museu Comarcal de Cervera

•Mirador de Toni Nadal

Patrimonio:

Porticada de la plaza Mayor

Ayuntamiento (Paeria), de estilo barroco

Iglesia de Santa María, siglos XIV-XV, de estilo gótico

Antigua Universidad de Cervera, de estilo neoclásico

Iglesia románica de San Pedro el Grande, de planta circular, en las afueras de la ciudad

Museo del Blat i la Pagesia

Museu Duran i Sanpere, arqueológico y de historia local

Monumento a la Generalidad de Cataluña

Carreró de les Bruixes

En Vergós

Castillo

Iglesia de la Magdalena

Iglesia de Santa María

Fiestas de interés:

San Antonio Abad, 17 de enero

Cantada de Completes, 5 de febrero

Fiesta mayor del Santísimo Misterio, 6 y 7 de febrero

La Pasión, meses de marzo y abril

Fiesta de San Isidro Labrador, 15 de mayo

San Magín, 18 y 19 de agosto

Fiesta del Aquelarre, último fin de semana del mes de agosto

Fiesta mayor del Santo Cristo, 4.º fin de semana de septiembre

•Del Santuari de Pinós als Ports (GR 171, 276 km)

•Camí de Sant Jaume (l'Hospitalet - Tàrrega)

•Cervera Nord (PR-C 140, 16.380 km)

•Cervera Sud (PR-C 141, 13.290 km)

•Camí Ignasià Català 4: Verdú - Cervera (17 km)

•Camí Ignasià Català 5: Cervera - Igualada (38.6 km)

•Camí Ral de la Segarra

•El Camí IT2TR2 El Camí de Ponent: de Balaguer a Montserrat (CC-C)

•El Camí IT2TR3 El Camí de Ponent: de Balaguer a Montserrat (CC-C)

•Senders del 1714 - Etapa 22 (s1714e22)

•Senders del 1714 - Etapa 23 (s1714e23)

•Marc Márquez, piloto de motociclismo español

•Álex Márquez, Piloto de motociclismo español

•Alonso de Aragón, arzobispo de Zaragoza y Valencia, hijo natural de Fernando II de Aragón

•Anna Maria Janer i Anglarill, Religiosa española, declarada beata en 2011, fundadora de la orden Hermanas de la Sagrada Familia de Urgell.

•Juan Comorera y Solé, político español

•Josep Benet, político, historiador y editor español

Alcaldía: Jan Pomés

Web oficial: https://www.cervera.cat

8 paradas de autobús en el municipio:

•Vergós (N-IIa, pk 521,380) (D)

•2- Sant Magí

•3- Hostal La Savina

•2- Costa de Sant Francesc

•1- Bonavista

•Estació d'autobusos de Cervera

•Vergós (N-IIa, pk 521,380) (A)

•Vergós (plaça Major)

•Farmacia Farmàcia Martorell Solé, Neus — Carrer de Santa Anna 4

•Farmacia Farmàcia Antonijuan Mateu, Ramona — Avinguda d'Agramunt 13

•Farmacia Farmàcia Goma Balcells, Mercè — Avinguda de Catalunya 13

•Farmacia Farmàcia Nova — Avinguda del President Macià 42

•Centre d'Atenció Primària Cervera — Avinguda de Duran i Sanpere 45