Girona has a long and distinguished history. Owing to its strategic importance, it has been fought over in almost every century since its foundation, and its nickname is “the city of a thousand sieges”. The remains of Iberian walls can still be seen. The Romans named it Gerunda and established it as an important stopping point on the Via Augusta, linking Iberia with Rome. Following the Moorish conquest, Girona was an Arab town for over three generations, and there was a continuous Jewish presence here for over six hundred years. In 1809 it survived a seven-month assault by 35,000-French soldiers, thus earning the sobriquet of “Immortal”.
The bulk of the post-medieval city lies on the south side of the river, but most visitors, having parked there, spend nearly all their time in the fascinating old quarter on the other side.