Villefranche-de-Conflent

Villefranche-de-Conflent (French pronunciation: [vilfʁɑ̃ʃ də kɔ̃flɑ̃] ^ⓘ; Catalan: Vilafranca de Conflent) is historically a town in the Conflent region of Catalonia, and now a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.^[3] It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.

Villefranche-de-Conflent Vilafranca de Conflent
Commune
A view of Villefranche
Coat of arms
Location of Villefranche-de-Conflent
Villefranche-de-Conflent Show map of France Villefranche-de-Conflent Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 42°35′13″N 2°22′01″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Pyrénées-Orientales
Arrondissement	Prades
Canton	Les Pyrénées catalanes
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Patrick Lecroq[1]
Area 1	4.46 km2 (1.72 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	205
• Density	46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	66223 /66500
Elevation	390–1,395 m (1,280–4,577 ft) (avg. 432 m or 1,417 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Villefranche-de-Conflent is located in the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes and in the arrondissement of Prades.^[3]

Map of Villefranche-de-Conflent and its surrounding communes

The town's confined site, at about 440 m above sea level, is relatively level ground surrounded by

• the northeast-flowing river Têt (on the town's west and north),
• the Cady, which flows north to empty into the Têt (on the east), and
• a peak (at nearly 800 m), less than 800 m away (on the south).

Transport

Roads

The N116 from Perpignan on the Mediterranean passes, as a two-lane highway, between the southern town wall and an embankment cut into the high ground to the south; this route continues west into the adjacent Cerdagne region.

Train

The town's train station starts and ends the route of the scenic Yellow train.

History

The town's access to the French Cerdagne makes it an important strategic location. It was already occupied by Celtic tribes, and then by Romans, Visigoths, Muslim Moors, and then the Spanish. Fortifications around the town were built by the counts of Conflent at the end of the 9th century;^[4] in 1374, Villefranche resisted the siege of Jaume III the son of last king of Majorca.^{[citation needed]} In the mid-1400s, when it was a Spanish possession, parts were adapted to allow for firearms.^[4] In July 1654, the French captured the city after eight days, and the troops of Louis XIV took Puigcerda from the Spaniards.^{[citation needed]} When the territory was ceded to the French after the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659), the town became an important French defense against possible Spanish incursions. The town was part of the program of construction and improvement of outlying French defenses, which included building the Fort Libéria on a hill above the village by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the military engineer of Louis XIV,^[4] and as such was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008.^[5]

The defensive walls of the town remain.

Villefranche-de-Conflent, viewed from the north

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	507	—
1975	435	−2.16%
1982	294	−5.44%
1990	261	−1.48%
1999	225	−1.64%
2007	235	+0.55%
2012	229	−0.52%
2017	213	−1.44%
Source: INSEE[6]

See also

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department
• Les Plus Beaux Villages de France