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Roses | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Roses Location in Catalonia Show map of Province of Girona Roses Roses (Spain) Show map of Spain | |
| Coordinates:42°15′47″N3°10′59″E / 42.26306°N 3.18306°E /42.26306; 3.18306 | |
| Country | Spain |
| Community | Catalonia |
| Province | Girona |
| Comarca | Alt Empordà |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Josep M. Martínez Chinchilla (2025)[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 45.9 km2 (17.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2024-01-01)[3] | |
• Total | 20,362 |
| • Density | 444/km2 (1,150/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Rosinques |
| Postal code | 17480 |
| Website | www |
Roses (Catalan pronunciation:[ˈrɔzəs]; Spanish:Rosas,[ˈrosas]) is amunicipality in thecomarca of theAlt Empordà, located on theCosta Brava,Catalonia, Spain.
Roses is the site of the former bishopric of Rotdon, now a Latin Catholictitular see. It is situated on the coast at the northern end of theGulf of Roses, and is an importantfishing port and tourist centre.[4] The C-260 road links the town withFigueres.
TheGR 92 long distance footpath, which roughly follows the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, has a staging point at Roses. Stage 3 links northwards toCadaqués, a distance of 21.7 kilometres (13.5 mi), whilst stage 4 links southwards to the El Cortalet pond in theParc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, a distance of 16.3 kilometres (10.1 mi).[5]
The origins of Roses are disputed. According to classical sources, it was founded in the 8th century BC by Greek colonists fromRhodes and was called Rhode (Ancient Greek:Ῥόδη) and Rhodus (Ῥόδος) and Ῥοδίπολις/Ῥόδη πόλις.[6]
It seems more probable that it was founded in the 5th century BC by Greeks fromMassalia (Marseilles), perhaps with an admixture of colonists from neighbouring Emporion (today'sEmpúries). Remains of the Greek settlement can still be seen.
Remains from theRoman period go back to the 2nd century BC and continue well into Christian times with apaleochristian church andnecropolis. After the collapse of Roman power the town seems to have been abandoned, but a fortified settlement from theVisigothic period has been excavated on the nearbyPuig Rom.
The mediaeval town grew around themonastery of Santa Maria de Roses (mentioned since 944). Its jurisdiction was shared by the abbots of Santa Maria de Roses and thecounts of Empúries. In 1402 the county of Empúries was incorporated into theCrown of Aragon and Roses acquired the right to organize its own municipal government and economy.
In the first decades of the 16th century, Roses suffered repeated attacks byprivateers from North Africa. To counter the threat,Charles V ordered the construction of extensive fortifications, theCiutadella, in 1543. In spite of the precautions, a naval squadron led by the Turkish admiralBarbarossa attacked and plundered the town some months later. After substantial revisions, the fortifications were completed in 1553, under Charles's sonPhilip II. The entire medieval town was enclosed by a bastioned pentagonal wall (illustration, below).
The defensive system was supplemented by theCastell de la Trinitat, some 2.5 km to the east. The town received a permanent military garrison, which profoundly changed its character. To minimise friction between the citizenry and the soldiers, barracks were constructed, but did not prevent the gradual movement of part of the population to outside the walls, where the modern town of Roses now is.
In the following centuries, the fortifications were severely tested. In 1645, during theCatalan Revolt, French troops besieged Roses and captured it. TheTreaty of the Pyrenees (1659) restored the town to Spain.
In 1693, during theWar of the Grand Alliance the French captured the town again. This time the French occupation lasted until thePeace of Ryswick in 1697. In 1712, during theWar of the Spanish Succession,Austrian troops tried to take the city, but were driven off. In 1719, during theWar of the Quadruple Alliance, the French again attacked, but failed to take Roses.
After a long period of relative calm, theWars of the French Revolution ushered in a new round of hostilities. In 1793, the French revolutionary government declared war on Spain. At first, the Spanish armies won a foothold in France, but in 1794 the revolutionary armies invaded Catalonia. TheSiege of Roses lasted from 28 November 1794 until 3 February 1795, when the garrison was safely evacuated by a Spanish naval squadron, except for 300 soldiers. The town was surrendered to France, but the war between France and Spain ended at thePeace of Basle signed in July 1795. The city quickly returned to Spanish control.
In 1808, EmperorNapoleon I of France forced KingCharles IV of Spain and his sonFerdinand to abdicate and installed his brother,Joseph Bonaparte on the throne. When the Spanish peoplerevolted against this high-handed behavior, French armies again invaded the country in thePeninsular War. The fourth and lastSiege of Roses occurred in 1808. During the operation, the Scottish Royal Navy captain,Thomas Cochrane assisted the Spanish by putting his men into Castell de la Trinitat to help defend the town. The Scot stayed until the citadel and the town surrendered, before evacuating himself and his men. In 1814, when the defeated French withdrew from Spain, they blew up the town's fortifications along with the Castell de la Trinitat. At this time, the ancient town, called theCiutadella, was completely ruined. Meanwhile, to the east the modern town slowly continued to grow.
In 1879, Roses suffered a devastating economic crisis throughphylloxera, a pest of the grapevines, that destroyed the town's wine growing industry. Some of the population moved toBarcelona or emigrated to the United States.
In the 20th century, notably in the period afterWorld War II, Roses profited from the growth of tourism.
Over the last decades, important excavations have been carried out inside the walls of the Ciutadella concerning not only the Greek and Roman remains, but part of the medieval city and its walls. In the 1990s, extensive restoration work was carried out on the walls of the Ciutadella, and in 2004 a museum was opened inside it. A controversial restoration of the Castell de Trinitat was formally completed in 2010.
Roses was the home ofEl Bulli, one of the world's best and most famous restaurants, from 1961 until its closure in July 2011. El Bulli had held threeMichelin stars since 1997 and was rated theworld's best restaurant for four straight years 2006-2009 byRestaurant Magazine.[7]
Themonastery of Santa Maria de Roses is mentioned in a document of the year 944. Around the monastery grew the mediaeval town of Roses, whose jurisdiction was shared by the abbots of Santa Maria de Roses and thecounts of Empúries.
As Rotdon, it was asuffragan bishopric of the MetropolitanRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Tarragona, but faded.
The diocese was nominally restored in 1969 as a Latin Catholictitular bishopric. The title has been held by:
According toIdescat, Roses' population in 2016 was 19,438 people on a land area of 45.9 km, the density is 423.4 people per square kilometer, much higher than the average of the Comarca ofAlt Empordà (103.2) and the overall of Catalonia (234.3).
| 0 – 14 years old | 3.339 |
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| 15 – 64 years old | 12.905 |
| 65 – 84 years old | 2.955 |
| 85 years or older | 376 |
| Total | 19.575 |
| Men | 9.722 |
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| Women | 9.716 |
| Total | 19.438 |
Roses increases its population in summer because of tourism and welcomes 120,000 visitors, the majority of them from Spain, France, Germany and Great Britain.
Places adjacent to Roses, Spain | |
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