Prades ( or,éné simply, Prada) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It was the capital of the historic Catalan comarque of Conflent.
It is a subprefecture in the department and the capital of the Prades arrondissement.
Name of the city
In Catalan, the name of the commune is Prada, a word that comes from the Latin word prata ("prairie").
Geography
Prades is the main ciy of the Conflent, a natural region of the Pyrénées-Orientales; it is at the foothill of the Canigou mountain, to the west of Perpignan. The Têt river flows through the city.
It has an area of and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .
The commune is at from Perpignan. It is surrounded by the communes Catllar, Eus, Los Masos, Clara, Taurinya, Codalet, Ria-Sirach.
Climate
The climate in Prades in the Köppen climate classification is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.
Population
The inhabitants of Prades city are known, in French, as Pradéens (women: Pradéennes); Pradencs and Pradenques in Catalan.
With a population in 2014 of 5,927, Prades has a population density of inhabitants/km2.
Evolution of the population in Prades
Administration
Prades is a subprefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department since 1790. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Prades and the administrative centre () of the canton Les Pyrénées catalanes with 62 communes and 26,765 inhabitants in 2014.
It is part of the intercommunality Conflent Canigó ().
Twinned and partner towns
Prades is twinned with: Ripoll, Spain, from 1969 Kitzingen, Germany, from 1984 Lousã, Portugal, from 1991
Sites of interest
Some places of interest in or around Prades are: Saint-Peter church with its bell-tower Saint-Martin de Canoha (Sant Marti de Canoa) chapel Jacomet House, dating back from the XVth century
People from or related to Prades
Pierre Nicolas Camille Jacquelin du Val (1828-1862), entomologist born in Prades. Thomas Merton (1915–1968), trappist monk born in Prades.
Prades was also the adopted home of cellist Pablo Casals and grammarian Pompeu Fabra during their exile from the Spanish Civil War. A small museum in Prades commemorates Casals.
Gallery
Related pages
Arrondissement of Prades
Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department
References
Other websites
Mairie de Prades website
Prades tourist information office
Universitat Catalana d'Estiu (Catalan Summer University)