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The museum houses collections representative of the art and the culture of the entire department, dating from the 13th century to the present day. Catalan lustre ceramics, Catalan Gothic altarpieces, the works of Hyacinthe Rigaud, Maillol, Dufy, Picasso, Clavé Grau-Garriga, Miro and Dali. There is also a unique collection of 210 contemporary artists' works.

The work of the architect Petersen, "La Villa des Tilleuls" houses a museum, the only one of its kind in France, which possesses ac number of collections of new and old coins including an exceptional series of Catalan and Roussillon coins. The visitor can also consult the works of the specialist library. It also houses the Documentation and Catalan Cultural Animation Centre.

Today, Perpignan is a major venue in the world of photojournalism with Visa pour l'Image. Throughout the whole year, the city is the focal point of numerous events such as Les Estivales (Summer Events) or Les Jeudis de Perpignan (held every Thursday)...

The Perpignan Carnival is a festive occasion, deeply-rooted in the mists of time. This multifaceted celebration continues to captivate and enthral. Traditional customs give each city a special atmosphere (Tio-Tio). Whatever its mode of expression, the soul of the Carnival does not so much lie in the sequins and the special effects as in the ability of the city to put on a show, encouraging everyone to follow in its wake...

The Festival of Saint-Jean marks one of the high-points of the year in Perpignan. For several days and nights, the former capital of the Kingdom of Majorca decks itself out in all its finery and puts on a number of lavish and varied events that express an age-old yearning for festivity. A Catalan tradition that is upheld all over France and the rest of Europe, the Festival of Saint-Jean is, in actual fact, a thousand year old tradition that has its roots in the summer solstice. Having descended the Canigou, the flame of Saint-Jean, the great symbol of peace and fraternity lights up the whole of Perpignan on the evening of June 23, setting it ablaze with a thousand fireworks, both in the city centre and in the various districts.

Rigaud Museum
Its collection comprises a certain number of very interesting works, notably the primitives of the Catalan and Spanish schools of the 14th - 16th centuries. To justify its name, it holds a few of the best paintings of Rigaud, an artist from Perpignan who was one of the greatest portraitist of the 17th century and the official painter of the court of Louis XIV.
The museum also presents works of Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Ingres, Gιricault, Le Tintoret, Greuze, etc ....
Tel : 04 68 35 43 40

Museum of Natural History
Installed in the old Hotel de Cagarriga (XVI- XVII centuries). Rich collection dedicated especially to the fauna and flora of the South of France.
Tel : 04 68 35 50 87

Cabinet Numismatique Joseph Puig
Nice collection of ancient Roman, Egyptian, and Spanish as well as Feudal and National French coins including the greater part of Western nations. Outstanding collection also from Roussillon and Catalogne.
Tel : 04 68 34 11 70

Museum of French Algeria
Opened upon reservation. Tel : 04 68 80 41 54

Museum of Aviation
Route d'Elne. Opened from June- Sept. Tel : 04 68 54 08 79

An ancient Roman villa around Ruscino, is most probably the origin of Perpignan.

The Counts of Roussillon, by settling at Perpinyΰ in the last years of the 10th century made it the political capital of the county.

In 1258, Saint Louis renounces his rights of sovereignty to the benefit of Jack I the Conquerer. This act made, for several centuries, Perpignan and Roussillon belong to the kingdom of Catalan-Aragonais.

The city of Perpignan was at its peak between 1276 and 1344. A period during which it becomes the continental capital of the new "Kingdom of Majorca". It was instituted by Jack I the Conquerer, including the Baleares islands, Roussillon, Cerdagne and the seigniory of Montpellier.

It is from then on that the Royal Castle of Perpignan was instituted, where resided successively Jacques I (1276-1311), Sanche (1311-1324) and Jacques II (1324-1344), king of the short-lived Kingdom of Majorca.
Perpignan, during this period enjoyed a considerable commercial and industrial boom.

Occupied by Louis XI in 1463, Perpignan rose up against the French in 1473 and was recaptured in 1474, after a terrible siege. The repression was hard, but in 1493 Charles VIII, wishing to have a free hand in Italy, restored Roussillon and Cerdagne to the Catholic Kings.

The French-Spanish rivalry and the conflicts which follow, quickens the economic downfall of Perpignan.

Following the Catalane revolt of 1640 ( the Catalans revolted against the government of Madrid), Perpignan experienced again a memorable siege, in which Louis XIII and the Cardinal of Richelieu participated.

The gigantic works of Vauban must have made Perpignan a fortified city and yet, today, remains almost nothing of the work of the great engineer. The need for expansion caused the city to break down the surrounding walls which constricted her (around 1900).

Since then, the new city has grown considerably and has a series of beautiful squares and avenues shaded by plane, mimosa and palm trees. It keeps a strictly Southern colour and flavour which gives it the added value of a leisure city where one spends a pleasant and enjoyable stay.