Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda

Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda ; Els Banys i Palaldà
region	Occitania
Department	Pyrénées-Orientales
Arrondissement	Ceret
Canton	Le Canigou (main town)
Community association	Haut Vallespir
Coordinates	42 ° 29 ′ N , 2 ° 40 ′ E Coordinates: 42 ° 29 ′ N , 2 ° 40 ′ E
height	176-1,450 m
surface	29.43 km 2
Residents	3,460 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	118 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	66110
INSEE code	66003
Website	http://www.amelie-les-bains.com/
	; View of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda

Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda ( Catalan Els Banys i Palaldà ) is a French commune with 3460 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in the Occitania region . It belongs to the Arrondissement of Céret and the canton of Le Canigou .

history

The first thermal baths were built around the year 633 by the Romans in the area of the municipality; at that time the place was called Arulae . The name Els Banys ( Les Bains ) has been handed down since the Middle Ages because of the hot springs . The name Amélie les Bains was not given to the community until April 7, 1840, by King Louis-Philippe , at the suggestion of Boniface de Castellane , the military commander of Roussillon, who thus honored Queen Amélie, the king's wife.

The community is recognized as a French climatic health resort and has two medicinal thermal baths ( Les Thermes romains and Les Thermes du Mondony ), which are advertised in particular for rheumatism sufferers and for respiratory diseases and offer extensive cures .

geography

Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda is located in the valley of the Tech , about 35 kilometers southwest of Perpignan . The municipality extends in the south to the ridge of the eastern Pyrenees , which forms the border with Spain. Here lies the Roc de France at 1450 m above sea level, the highest point in the municipality.

The districts of Super Amélie, Palalda and Montalbà belong to Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda . Neighboring municipalities of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda are Reynès in the north and east, Maçanet de Cabrenys (Spain) in the south, Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans in the south-west, Arles-sur-Tech in the west and Montbolo in the north-west.