Panoramic view of the town of Llívia
In the middle of the Pyrenees, at an altitude of 1,223 meters, we find this small town that seems to have successfully resisted the irreducible Gauls. Llivia it is a Spanish, Catalan and Girona enclave completely surrounded by French territory.
It is located in Lower Cerdanya, on the slopes of Pic Carlit, and joined to Spain by the spandrel N-154 , Spanish-owned road. This narrow road, responsible for linking Puigcerdà with the town, was the protagonist of known as the 'War of the Stops' during the 1980s.
Llívia enjoys the typical beauty of the Pyrenean villages. Stone, wood and slate houses They are distributed through its streets, which rest peacefully on the plain. plain surrounded by vast green meadows that the omnipresent segre river It takes care of watering generously.
stone, wood and slate houses; vast green meadows and an omnipresent river
However, we must confess something unconfessable. The best thing about being in this enclave is simply that. Be in the. Well, we must be aware that it will not always be possible sleep in Spain while in France.
It is difficult to deny that the curiosity for this type of 'out of place' places –excuse the redundancy- is part of the necessary fuel to get closer to Llívia. This visit is especially suitable for all those who, without really knowing why, they feel the impulse to travel to border places, micro-states or tiny islets.
As we have said, for this escapade it is necessary a certain dose of curiosity, but we can also ensure that the trip will not be in vain. In a few kilometers around we find several dozen ski resorts, as well as countless hiking trails to walk without rest.
Obviously, due to its location, nature is the main attraction of this picturesque enclave. However, within the municipality of Llívia, we can also enjoy some other walk through its historic center, have a coffee in the main square or see some of its most important buildings.
Esteve Pharmacy
Among the most outstanding places to visit, it is essential to go to the ** Municipal Museum ,** where the remains of the famous Esteve pharmacy. It is said that the first documents found referring to this old apothecary They date from the year 1594. This was enough for the town itself to grant him the title of “oldest pharmacy in Europe”.
While is true that Not all researchers agree on this point, the visit is more than recommended, because there are exposed the precious ceramic pottery that had contained the healing substances. Some of these boats, usually the smaller ones, they were kept inside a cordialer, a kind of wonderfully decorated wooden cabinet with shelves that we can also see.
In addition, we will find some delicate polychrome boxes that stored the different types of herbs and that stand out for their enormous beauty and color.
Leaving aside the famous pharmacy, it is worth visiting the Church of Our Lady of the Angels and the Tower of Bernat de So , which once served as a prison, town hall and even housed the remains of the Esteve pharmacy itself until the creation of the Municipal Museum.
On the outskirts of the urban nucleus, whoever wants to know the origins of Llívia will have to approach the castle. This fortress enjoyed a certain importance due to its strategic location, that allowed to control the possible movements of troops around him.
Tower of Bernat de So
Until the 13th century this was the only inhabited point. It was not until then that James I he appealed to the inhabitants to settle on the plain. This is how the population that we know today began to flourish.
Years later, the castle was destroyed during a war, but Llívia continued to be considered a royal villa In this title lies 'the key to the enclave'.
And it is that when signing and l Treaty of the Pyrenees, in 1659, Spain was forced to cede 33 towns to France that belonged to what is now known as 'Catalunya Nord'. This was how all the towns in the regions of the Vallespir, Roussillon, Conflent, Capcir and Alta Cerdanya.
Llívia was spared from being transferred precisely because of its title as a royal town and not as a town. This is how this enclave arose that allows us to rest in France, in Spain.
Only here you can be in Spain while in France