Perpignan (Catalan Perpinyà; alt. 24 m/80ft; pop. 105,096), the old capital of Roussillon, from 1278 to 1344 capital of the kingdom of Majorca (which included the Balearics, Roussillon, Cerdagne and the coastal region extending east to Montpellier) and now the chief town of the département of Pyrénées- Orientales and the see of a bishop, lies
near the Spanish frontier at the foot of the Pyrenees, at the junction of the rivers Têt and Basse, some 10km/6mi from the Mediterranean.
The history of Perpignan was closely bound up with that of the county of Roussillon. Like many other towns, it was surrounded by fortifications designed by Vauban which were pulled down around 1900 to allow the town to expand.
The central feature of the old town is the Place de la République, with the Theater. On the north side of the old town is the Castillet, a fortified town gate (1367) built of red brick (fine view from tower) which is the town's principal landmark and emblem. It houses the Casa Pairal, a museum of Catalonian folk art and traditions.
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