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{{For-multi|the wine grape|Graciano{{!}}Perpignan (grape)|the Rugby Club|USA Perpignan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}

{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Perpignan
|native name        = {{native name|ca|Perpinyà}}
|commune status     = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image coat of arms = Arms of Perpignan.svg
|image              = {{Photomontage|position=center
   | photo1a = Perpignan banner.jpg
   | photo2a = Perpignan - panoramio.jpg
   | photo2b = Quai Sébastien Vauban - panoramio.jpg
   | photo3a = Castillet in Perpignan.jpg
   | size = 270
   | spacing = 2
   | color = #FFFFFF
   | border = 0
   | foot_montage = 
 }}
|caption            = 
|arrondissement     = Perpignan
|canton             = [[Canton of Perpignan-1|Perpignan-1]], [[Canton of Perpignan-2|2]], [[Canton of Perpignan-3|3]], [[Canton of Perpignan-4|4]], [[Canton of Perpignan-5|5]] and [[Canton of Perpignan-6|6]]
|mayor              = [[Louis Aliot]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=5 May 2026|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2026&ndash;32
|party              = [[National Rally|RN]]
|intercommunality   = [[Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole]]
|coordinates        = {{Coord|42.6986|2.8956|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m        = 30
|elevation min m    = 8
|elevation max m    = 95
|area km2           = 68.07
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
|INSEE              = 66136
|postal code        = 66000
|demonym            = ''Perpignanais'' (masc.), ''Perpignanaise'' (fem.) ([[French language|French]])<br>''perpinyanès'' (masc.), ''perpinyanesa'' (fem.) ([[Catalan language|Catalan]])
|website            = [http://www.mairie-perpignan.fr/ Mairie-Perpignan.fr] {{in lang|fr}}
}}

'''Perpignan''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|p|ɜːr|p|ɪ|n|j|ɒ̃}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|p|ɛər|p|iː|ˈ|n|j|ɑː|n}},<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref><ref>{{cite EPD|18}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|pɛʁpiɲɑ̃|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Fabricio Cardenas (Culex)-Perpignan.wav}}; {{langx|ca|Perpinyà}} {{IPA|ca|pəɾpiˈɲa|}}; {{langx|oc|Perpinhan}} {{IPA|oc|peɾpiˈɲa|}}) is the [[prefectures in France|prefecture]] of the [[Pyrénées-Orientales]] [[departments of France|department]] in [[Southern France]], in the heart of the plain of [[Roussillon]], at the foot of the [[Pyrenees]] a few kilometres from the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[scrublands]] of the [[Corbières Massif|Corbières massif]]. It is the centre of the [[Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole]] metropolitan area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/66136-perpignan|title=Commune de Perpignan (66136)|publisher=INSEE|access-date=26 September 2024}}</ref>

In 2021, Perpignan had a population of 119,656 in the commune proper, and the [[urban unit|agglomeration]] had a total population of 205,183, making it the last major French city before the [[Spain|Spanish]] border. Perpignan is sometimes seen as the "entrance" to the [[Iberian Peninsula]].

Perpignan was the capital of the [[provinces of France|former province]] and [[County of Roussillon]] (''Rosselló'' in Catalan) and continental capital of the [[Kingdom of Majorca]] in the 13th and 14th centuries, as well as one of the most important cities of the [[Principality of Catalonia]]. It has preserved an extensive old centre with its ''bodegas'' in the historic centre, coloured houses in a series of picturesque streets and alleys stretching between the banks of the [[Têt (river)|Têt]] and its tributary, the Basse.

The city is also known for its International Festival of Photojournalism, the medieval Trobades festival and its centuries-old [[garnet]] industry.

==Geography==
===Location===
Perpignan is located in the center of the Roussillon plain, 13&nbsp;km west of the Mediterranean coast. It is the southernmost city of [[metropolitan France]].

<gallery>
File:Map commune FR insee code 66136.png|Map of Perpignan and its surrounding communes
File:Perpignan Pyrenees-Orientales.png|Location within the [[Pyrénées-Orientales]] ''[[departments of France|département]]''.
</gallery>

===Hydrography===
Perpignan is crossed by the largest river in Roussillon, the [[Têt (river)|Têt]], and by one of its tributaries, the Basse. Floods have occurred, as in 1892 when the rising of the Têt in Perpignan destroyed 39 houses, leaving more than 60 families homeless.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fabricio Cardenas |url=http://vieuxpapierspo.blogspot.fr/2014/03/inondations-en-novembre-1892.html |title=Vieux papiers des Pyrénées-Orientales: Inondations en novembre 1892 |website=Vieuxpapierspo.blogspot.fr |date=2 March 2014 |access-date=2016-12-17}}</ref>

===Climate===
Perpignan has a typical hot-summer [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csa''), similar to much of the Mediterranean coastline of France. One might expect rain to be rare in the city, but the annual precipitation levels are similar to the national average. However, the city is known for its patchy rains, with weeks or even months of rain falling in a matter of hours, followed by several weeks without a drop of water. Perpignan experiences very hot summers and fairly mild winters. Temperatures can reach {{cvt|40|°C|°F}}, while there has been little snow for decades. Most precipitation occurs in the cold season, with summers being extremely dry. A fresh north-westerly wind often blows, the Tramontana (Catalan: Tramuntana, prononced [tɾəmun̪tanə]; French: Tramontane, pronounced [tʁamɔ̃tan]), keeping the sky clear much of the time and resulting in high annual sunshine. But the presence of this wind makes winters colder than would be expected from the geographical position of the city.

{{Weather box|location = Perpignan (1991–2020 normals), extremes since 1924
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 25.0
|Feb record high C = 26.5
|Mar record high C = 28.0
|Apr record high C = 32.4
|May record high C = 34.4
|Jun record high C = 42.4
|Jul record high C = 40.5
|Aug record high C = 39.9
|Sep record high C = 36.8
|Oct record high C = 34.2
|Nov record high C = 28.1
|Dec record high C = 26.7
|year record high C = 42.4
|Jan high C = 12.7
|Feb high C = 13.4
|Mar high C = 16.4
|Apr high C = 18.7
|May high C = 22.3
|Jun high C = 26.8
|Jul high C = 29.5
|Aug high C = 29.4
|Sep high C = 25.6
|Oct high C = 21.2
|Nov high C = 16.3
|Dec high C = 13.3
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 8.7
|Feb mean C = 9.2
|Mar mean C = 12.0
|Apr mean C = 14.2
|May mean C = 17.8
|Jun mean C = 22.0
|Jul mean C = 24.6
|Aug mean C = 24.5
|Sep mean C = 20.9
|Oct mean C = 17.0
|Nov mean C = 12.3
|Dec mean C = 9.3
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 4.8
|Feb low C = 5.0
|Mar low C = 7.6
|Apr low C = 9.7
|May low C = 13.3
|Jun low C = 17.2
|Jul low C = 19.7
|Aug low C = 19.7
|Sep low C = 16.1
|Oct low C = 12.9
|Nov low C = 8.4
|Dec low C = 5.3
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = -8.2
|Feb record low C = -11.0
|Mar record low C = -5.9
|Apr record low C = 0.2
|May record low C = 2.4
|Jun record low C = 7.4
|Jul record low C = 11.2
|Aug record low C = 10.4
|Sep record low C = 5.0
|Oct record low C = 1.2
|Nov record low C = -5.7
|Dec record low C = -6.3
|year record low C = -11.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 60.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 40.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 51.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 66.1
|May precipitation mm = 45.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 23.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 15.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 22.7
|Sep precipitation mm = 43.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 82.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 72.6
|Dec precipitation mm = 54.9
|year precipitation mm = 
|unit precipitation days = 1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 5.0
|Feb precipitation days = 3.8
|Mar precipitation days = 4.9
|Apr precipitation days = 6.2
|May precipitation days = 5.7
|Jun precipitation days = 3.8
|Jul precipitation days = 2.6
|Aug precipitation days = 3.1
|Sep precipitation days = 4.4
|Oct precipitation days = 5.0
|Nov precipitation days = 4.9
|Dec precipitation days = 4.7
|year precipitation days = 
|Jan humidity = 70
|Feb humidity = 68
|Mar humidity = 64
|Apr humidity = 64
|May humidity = 66
|Jun humidity = 62
|Jul humidity = 59
|Aug humidity = 63
|Sep humidity = 68
|Oct humidity = 73
|Nov humidity = 71
|Dec humidity = 71
|year humidity = 67
|Jan sun = 141
|Feb sun = 164
|Mar sun = 207
|Apr sun = 220
|May sun = 241
|Jun sun = 268
|Jul sun = 300
|Aug sun = 273
|Sep sun = 224
|Oct sun = 175
|Nov sun = 147
|Dec sun = 131
|year sun = 
|source 1= Météo France<ref name= Météo>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_66136001.pdf
| title = Fiches climatologique, Perpignan (66)
| publisher = Météo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 27 September 2023
}}</ref>
|source 2 = Infoclimat.fr (humidity, 1961–1990)<ref name=Infoclimat>{{cite web
| url = http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07747-perpignan-rivesaltes.html
| title = Normes et records 1961-1990: Perpignan - Rivesaltes (66) - altitude 42m
| language = fr
| publisher = Infoclimat
| access-date = 7 January 2016}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

===Transport===
;Roads
The [[A9 autoroute|A9]] motorway connects Perpignan with [[Barcelona]] and [[Montpellier]].

;Trains
Perpignan is served by the [[Gare de Perpignan]] railway station, which offers connections to [[Paris]], Barcelona, [[Toulouse]], and several regional destinations. [[Salvador Dalí]] proclaimed the station to be the "Cosmic Centre of the Universe" after experiencing a vision there in 1963.<ref>{{cite web|last=Coppens|first=Philip|title=Salvador Dalí: painting the fourth dimension|url=http://www.philipcoppens.com/dali.html|access-date=2012-06-18}}</ref>

;Airport
The nearest airport is [[Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport]]. However, the airport only provides flights to limited European destinations. The nearest major international airports are [[Montpellier - Méditerranée Airport]], located {{convert|160|km|0|abbr=on}} north east, [[Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport]], located {{convert|204|km|0|abbr=on}} south and [[Toulouse–Blagnac Airport]], located {{convert|217|km|0|abbr=on}} north west of Perpignan.

==Toponymy==
The name of Perpignan appears in 927 as ''Perpinianum'', followed in 959 by ''Villa Perpiniano'', ''Pirpinianum'' in the 11th century, and ''Perpiniani'' in 1176. ''Perpenyà'', which appears in the 13th century, was the most common form until the 15th century, and was still used in the 17th century. It probably derives from the Roman name ''Perpennius''.

The city is sometimes nicknamed ''Perpi'' for short.<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Pack: Travel Experiences |url=https://presse.tourisme-occitanie.com/uploads/sites/9/2021/09/DP_GB_2020-Exp.pdf |website=Occitanie: Sud de France |access-date=23 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Perpignan City Guide |url=https://baguettesandbicyclettes.com/2020/05/21/perpignan-city-guide-an-underrated-catalan-gem-in-the-south-of-france/ |website=Baguettes and Bicycles |access-date=23 November 2025}}</ref>

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Perpignan}}
{{Quote box |width=30em |align=left |bgcolor=#FFFCCC
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=85% |quote=<poem>*{{flagicon image|Flag of Roussillon.svg}} [[County of Roussillon]] 927–1172
*{{flagicon image|Sinyal d'Aragón.svg}} [[Principality of Catalonia]] (''{{flagicon image|Sinyal d'Aragón.svg}} [[Crown of Aragon]]'') 1172–1276
*{{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Majorca (1269).png}}[[File:Pfeil rechts.svg|7px]]{{flagicon image|Bandera del Reino de Mallorca.svg}} [[Kingdom of Majorca]] 1276–1344
*{{flagicon image|Sinyal d'Aragón.svg}} [[Principality of Catalonia]] (''{{flagicon image|Sinyal d'Aragón.svg}} [[Crown of Aragon]]'') 1344–1463
*{{flagicon image|Pavillon royal de la France.svg}} [[Kingdom of France]] 1463–1493
*{{flagicon image|Sinyal d'Aragón.svg}} [[Principality of Catalonia]] (''{{flagicon image|Sinyal d'Aragón.svg}} [[Crown of Aragon]]'', ''{{flag|Spanish Empire}}'') 1493–1659
*{{flagicon image|Pavillon royal de France.svg}}[[File:Pfeil rechts.svg|7px]]{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1790–1794).svg}} [[Kingdom of France]] 1659–1792
*{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1790–1794).svg}}[[File:Pfeil rechts.svg|7px]]{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794-1815).svg}} [[French First Republic|French Republic]] 1792–1804
*{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794-1815).svg}} [[First French Empire|French Empire]] 1804–1815
*{{flagicon image|Royal flag of France during the Bourbon Restoration.svg}}[[File:Pfeil rechts.svg|7px]]{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[Kingdom of France]] 1815–1848
*{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[French Second Republic|French Republic]] 1848–1852
*{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[Second French Empire|French Empire]] 1852–1870
*{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[French Third Republic|French Republic]] 1870–1940
*{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[Vichy France|French State]] 1940–1944
*{{flag|French Republic}} 1944–present</poem>
}}
[[File:Perpignan - Ecole militaire (vers 1780).jpg|thumb|Perpignan {{Circa|1780}}]]
Though settlement in the area goes back to [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times, the medieval town of Perpignan seems to have been founded around the beginning of the 10th century. Shortly afterwards, Perpignan became the capital of the counts of [[County of Roussillon|Roussillon]]. Historically, it was part of the region known as [[Septimania]]. In 1172 Count [[Girard II of Roussillon|Girard II]] bequeathed his lands to the [[List of Counts of Barcelona|Counts of Barcelona]]. Perpignan acquired the institutions of a partly self-governing [[medieval commune|commune]] in 1197. French [[feudalism|feudal rights]] over Roussillon were given up by [[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] in the [[Treaty of Corbeil (1258)|Treaty of Corbeil]].

When [[James I of Aragon|James I the Conqueror]], king of [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]] and count of [[County of Barcelona|Barcelona]], founded the [[Kingdom of Majorca]] in 1276, Perpignan became the capital of the mainland territories of the new state. The subsequent decades are considered the city's historical golden age. It prospered as a centre of cloth manufacture, leatherwork, goldsmithery, and other luxury crafts. King [[Philip III of France|Philippe III]] of [[Kingdom of France|France]] died there in 1285, as he was returning from his unsuccessful [[crusade]] against the [[Crown of Aragon|Aragonese Crown]].
[[File:Perpignan - Avenue de la Gare (vers 1905).jpg|thumb|Perpignan c. 1905]]
In 1344 [[Peter IV of Aragon]] annexed the Kingdom of Majorca and Perpignan once more became part of the [[Principality of Catalonia]]. A few years later it lost approximately half of its population to the [[Black Death]]. It was attacked and occupied by [[Louis XI]] in 1463; a violent uprising against French rule in 1473 was harshly put down after a long siege, but in 1493 [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]], wishing to conciliate [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] in order to free himself to invade [[Italy]], restored it to [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]].{{sfn|Pigaillem|2008|p=109}}

Again [[Siege of Perpignan (1642)|besieged and captured]] by the French during the [[Thirty Years' War]] in September 1642, Perpignan was formally ceded by Spain 17 years later in the [[Treaty of the Pyrenees]], and thereafter remained a French possession.

In June 2020, [[Louis Aliot]] of the [[National Rally]] was elected mayor of Perpignan. This was the first time since 1995 that the far-right party had won a city of more than 100,000 people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-perpignan/far-right-to-win-southern-french-town-of-perpignan-exit-poll-idUSKBN23Z0PM|title=Far-right to win southern French town of Perpignan: Exit poll|newspaper=Reuters|date=28 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200628-france-s-greens-makes-gains-macron-loses-ground-in-low-turnout-local-elections|title = France's Greens make gains, Macron loses ground in low-turnout local elections|website=France24.com|date = 28 June 2020}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
[[File:Perpignan Hotel-de-Ville facade.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Hôtel de Ville, Perpignan|Hôtel de Ville]] (City Hall)]]
The [[Hôtel de Ville, Perpignan|Hôtel de Ville]] (City Hall) dates back to 1318.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.mairie-perpignan.fr/culture-patrimoine/patrimoine/monuments/lhotel-de-ville|title=L'Hôtel de Ville|publisher=Mairie Perpignan|access-date=7 November 2024}}</ref>

===Mayors===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Mayor
! Term start
! Term end
|-
|Edmond Benoit
|align=center|July 1910
|align=center|May 1911
|-
|Léon Nérel
|align=center|May 1911
|align=center|May 1912
|-
|Joseph Denis
|align=center|May 1912
|align=center|May 1929
|-
|[[Victor Dalbiez]]
|align=center|May 1929
|align=center|May 1935
|-
|Jean Payra
|align=center|May 1935
|align=center|29 May 1937 (death)
|-
|Laurent Baudru
|align=center|June 1937
|align=center|December 1940
|-
|Antoine Castillon
|align=center|December 1940
|align=center|March 1941
|-
|Ferdinand Coudray
|align=center|March 1941
|align=center|August 1944
|-
|Félix Mercader
|align=center|August 1944
|align=center|11 March 1949 (death)
|-
|Félix Depardon
|align=center|April 1949
|align=center|March 1959
|-
|[[Paul Alduy]]
|align=center|March 1959
|align=center|May 1993
|-
|[[Jean-Paul Alduy]]
|align=center|June 1993
|align=center|27 April 2009 (election of 2008 cancelled)
|-
|Bernard Bacou (retired magistrate acting as mayor)
|align=center|27 April 2009
|align=center|5 July 2009
|-
|[[Jean-Paul Alduy]]
|align=center|5 July 2009
|align=center|15 October 2009 (resignation)
|-
|Jean-Marc Pujol
|align=center|22 October 2009
|align=center|3 July 2020
|-
|[[Louis Aliot]]
|align=center|3 July 2020
|align=center|
|}

===International relations===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

;Twin towns – sister cities
Perpignan is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Hanover]], Germany, since 1960<ref name="Hanover">{{cite web|url=http://www.hannover.de/de/buerger/entwicklung/partnerschaften/staedte_regionspartnerschaften/index.html|title=Hanover&nbsp;– Twin Towns|website=Hanover.de|language=de|access-date=17 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724012346/http://www.hannover.de/de/buerger/entwicklung/partnerschaften/staedte_regionspartnerschaften/index.html|archive-date=24 July 2011}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Lancaster, England]], [[United Kingdom]], since 1962<ref name="Archant twinning">{{cite web|url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|title=British towns twinned with French towns|access-date= 11 July 2013|work=Archant Community Media Ltd}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]], United States, since 1993
||
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Sarasota, Florida]], United States, since 1994<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sarasotasistercities.org/Perpignan.html |title=Sarasota Sister Cities Association, Sarasota Florida |publisher=Sarasotasistercities.org |access-date=15 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329100219/http://www.sarasotasistercities.org/Perpignan.html |archive-date=29 March 2012 }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|LIB}} [[Tyre (Lebanon)|Tyre]], Lebanon, since 1997
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Lleida]], Catalonia, Spain since 2005
|}

;Partner towns
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Girona]], Catalonia, Spain, since 1988
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Barcelona]], Catalonia, Spain, since 1994
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Figueres]], Catalonia, Spain, since 1996
||
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Ma'alot-Tarshiha]], Israel, since 1998
*{{flagicon|POR}} [[Tavira Municipality|Tavira]], Portugal, since 2001
|}

== Education ==
More than 10,000 students between the ages of 2 and 12 attend 61 preschools and primary schools in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mairie-perpignan.fr/fr/education-et-petite-enfance/ecoles|title=Écoles|website=Marie de Perpignan|access-date=16 January 2020}}</ref> Perpignan also has 26 high schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.journaldesfemmes.fr/maman/ecole/perpignan/ville-66136|title=ECOLES À PERPIGNAN (66000)|website=Journaldesfemmes|access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref>

==Population==

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|26522|Perpignan}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2023)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8643952?geo=COM-66136#tableau-POPREF_G1 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 | 9134
|1800 | 10415
|1806 | 12499
|1821 | 14864
|1831 | 17114
|1836 | 17618
|1841 | 20792
|1846 | 22706
|1851 | 21783
|1856 | 23301
|1861 | 23462
|1866 | 25264
|1872 | 27378
|1876 | 28353
|1881 | 31735
|1886 | 34183
|1891 | 33878
|1896 | 35088
|1901 | 36157
|1906 | 38898
|1911 | 39510
|1921 | 53742
|1926 | 68835
|1931 | 73962
|1936 | 72207
|1946 | 74984
|1954 | 70051
|1962 | 83025
|1968 | 102191
|1975 | 106426
|1982 | 111669
|1990 | 105983
|1999 | 105115
|2007 | 116041
|2012 | 120489
|2017 | 120158
|2023 |121616
}}

==Culture==
[[File:Sanch perpignan 2007 (18).jpg|thumb|The famous "[[Sanch Procession]]" folklore celebrated in Perpignan, [[Arles-sur-Tech]], and [[Collioure]].]]
Since 2004, the free three-day ''[[Guitares au Palais]]'' has been held each year in the last weekend of August in the [[Palace of the Kings of Majorca]]. The festival has a broad mainstream focus with pop-related music as well as traditional acoustic guitar music and alternative music. The festival has attracted international guests like [[Caetano Veloso]] (2007), ''[[Rumberos Catalans]]'', [[Pedro Soler (musician)|Pedro Soler]], [[Bernardo Sandoval]], [[Peter Finger]], and [[Aaron and Bryce Dessner]] (2008).

Each September, Perpignan hosts the internationally renowned [[Visa pour l'Image]] festival of [[photojournalism]]. Free exhibitions are mounted in the Couvent des Minimes, Chapelle des Dominicaines and other buildings in the old town.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://anglophone-direct.com/festival-visa-pour-limage/|title=Visa Pour l'Image|date=22 August 2017|website=Anglophone-direct.com}}</ref>

In 2008, Perpignan became Capital of Catalan Culture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vilaweb.cat/www/diariescola/noticia?id=2688762 |title=VilaWeb - Diari escola: Perpinyà, Capital de la Cultura Catalana 2008 |website=Vilaweb.cat |date=2016-04-20 |access-date=2016-12-17}}</ref> Many [[Street or road name|street name signs]] in the city are in both [[French language|French]] and [[Catalan language|Catalan]].

[[File:Straatnaambord-in-Perpignan-trimmed.jpg|thumb|Perpignan street name sign in [[French language|French]] and [[Catalan language|Catalan]].]]

==Sport==
[[File:Stade Gilbert Brutus 11112013.jpg|thumb|left|360px|Rugby league side Catalans Dragons' [[Stade Gilbert Brutus]].]]

Like the rest of the south of France, Perpignan is a rugby stronghold. Their [[rugby union]] side, [[USA Perpignan]], are regular competitors in the [[European Rugby Champions Cup]] and have been champions of the French [[Top 14]] seven times (most recently in [[2008–09 Top 14 season|2009]]). They play at the [[Stade Aimé Giral]].

Their [[rugby league]] team [[Catalans Dragons]] plays in the British [[Super League]]. The Dragons' games in Perpignan against the Northern English-based sides are usually very popular with British rugby fans, with thousands descending on the city on the day of the game, including many holidaying fans travelling up from the Spanish [[Costa Brava]] to join those who came directly from the UK. The club was founded in 2000 as a merger of [[XIII Catalan]] with the nearby team [[AS Saint Estève]] to form Union Treiziste Catalane in 2000 who changed their name to Catalans Dragons upon transfer from the [[French rugby league system|French]] to [[British rugby league system]]. The Dragons became the first non-English team to win the [[Challenge Cup]] when they defeated [[Warrington Wolves]] in the [[2018 Challenge Cup final|2018 final]]. They are based at [[Stade Gilbert Brutus]]. AS Saint Estève's youth teams still operates as [[Saint-Estève XIII Mavericks]] in the [[National Division 2]], while a new [[Elite One Championship]] club was formed in 2000 under the name [[Saint-Estève XIII Catalan]] which is in effect Catalans Dragons reserves; both play at the [[Stade Municipal (Saint-Estève)|Stade Municipal]] in the suburb of [[Saint-Estève]].

The local [[association football]] team is [[Canet Roussillon FC]].

There is also an [[Australian rules football]] club, [[Perpignan Tigers]], and [[American football]] club [[Grizzlys Catalans]].

The [[Roussillon Grand Prix]] was a [[Grand Prix motor racing]] event that was held between [[1946 Grand Prix season|1946]] and [[1949 Grand Prix season|1949]] in the [[street circuit|streets]] of Perpignan.

==Economy==
Traditional commerce was in wine, [[olive oil]], corks (the [[cork oak]] ''Quercus suber'' grows in Perpignan's mild climate), wool, leather, and iron. In May 1907 it was a seat of agitation by southern producers for government enforcement of wine quality following a collapse in prices. [[JOB rolling papers]] are currently manufactured in Perpignan.

==Sites of interest==
Construction work on [[Perpignan Cathedral]] began in 1324 and finished in 1509.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://histoireduroussillon.free.fr/Thematiques/Batiments/Histoire/CathedralePerpignan.php |title=Cathédrale St Jean-Baptiste |trans-title=Cathedral of St. John the Baptist |work=Histoire du Roussillon |access-date=15 November 2011}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

The 13th century [[Palace of the Kings of Majorca]] sits on the high citadel, surrounded by ramparts, reinforced for [[Louis XI]] and [[Charles V of France|Charles V]], which were updated in the 17th century by [[Louis XIV]]'s military engineer [[Vauban]].

The walls surrounding the town, which had likewise been designed by Vauban, were razed in 1904 to accommodate urban development. The main city gate, the [[Castillet]] is a small fortress built in the 14th century, which has been preserved. It was also used as a prison until the end of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fabricio Cardenas |url=http://vieuxpapierspo.blogspot.fr/2014/03/la-prison-du-castillet-1892.html |title=Vieux papiers des Pyrénées-Orientales: La prison du Castillet, 1892 |website=Vieuxpapierspo.blogspot.fr |date=20 March 2014 |access-date=2016-12-17}}</ref>

The [[Hôtel Pams]] is a lavishly decorated mansion designed for [[Jules Pams]] that illustrates the artistic tastes of the wealthy bourgeois at the turn of the 20th century.<ref>{{citation|url=http://appvcv.free.fr/patrimoine/periodes/19esiecle/hotelpamsperpignan/hotelpamsperpignanpedagogique.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://appvcv.free.fr/patrimoine/periodes/19esiecle/hotelpamsperpignan/hotelpamsperpignanpedagogique.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Fiche Pédagogique - Hôtel Pams de Perpignan|language=fr|publisher=Association Pédagogique de la Plaine, du Vallespir et de la Côte Vermeille|access-date=2015-12-31}}</ref>

Les Halles de Vauban are a new addition to the banks of the city's canal. Opened in November 2017, the indoor markets are privately owned and cost €1.5 million. Split into two locations, vendors offer fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, flowers, cheese, and other items. There is a bar and central eating court with a range of tapas, burgers, omelettes and food from around the world.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://anglophone-direct.com/les-halles-vauban/|title=Indoor markets bring new life to Perpignan {{!}} P-O Life|date=2017-12-19|work=anglophone-direct|access-date=2018-10-14|language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[File:Place de la République Perpignan Panorama.jpg|thumb|left|1000px|Place de la République and theatre]]
[[File:Perpignan panorama le quai Sadi Carnot et le quai Vauban le long de la rivière la Basse.jpg|thumb|left|1000px|Sadi Carnot and Vauban walkways and the river Bassa]]
{{clear}}

==Notable people linked to Perpignan==
* [[Paul Alday]] (c.1763–1835), violinist, composer, and music publisher
* [[Christian Andreu]] (born 1976), guitarist 
* [[Anna Maria Antigó]] (1602–1676), abbess
* [[François Arago]] (1786–1853), physicist, astronomer, and liberal politician
* [[Alexandre Artus]] (1821–1911), composer and conductor
* [[Amédée Artus]] (1815–1892), composer and conductor
* [[Frédérick Bousquet]] (born 1981), freestyle and butterfly swimmer
* [[Robert Brasillach]] (1909–1945), fascist author and journalist
* [[François Calvet]] (born 1953), politician
* [[Eugène Collache]] (1847–1883), [[French Navy]] officer who fought in Japan
* [[Mary Elmes]] (1908–2002), Irish aid worker
* [[Jean-Luc Escayol]] (born 1972), footballer
* [[François de Fossa]] (1775–1849), classical guitarist and composer
* [[Jacques-François Gallay]] (1795–1864), French horn player and composer
* [[Philippe Georget]] (born 1962), novelist
* [[Louise Labé]] (1524–1566), Lyons poet of the [[Renaissance]]
* [[Émile Labussière]] (1853–1924), politician (born in Perpignan)
* [[Aristide Maillol]] (1861–1944), sculptor and painter
* [[André Marty]] (1886–1956), communist leader
* [[Menachem Meiri]] (1249–c.1310), Catalan rabbi, Talmudist, and [[Maimonidean]]
* [[Isabelle Pasco]] (born 1966), actress
* [[Hyacinthe Rigaud]] (1659–1743), painter
* [[Kader Nouni]] (1976-), professional [[tennis umpire]]
* [[Myriam Ackermann-Sommer]] (1996-), rabbi
Following a visit in 1963, the Catalan [[surrealist]] artist [[Salvador Dalí]] declared [[Gare de Perpignan|the city's railway station]] the [[list of places referred to as the Center of the Universe|centre of the Universe]], claiming that he always had his best ideas sitting in its waiting room. Dalí's painting ''[[La Gare de Perpignan]]'' commemorates his vision of "cosmogonic ecstasy" there on 19 September 1963.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.philipcoppens.com/dali.html |title=Salvador Dali: painting the fourth dimension |website=Philipcoppens.com |access-date=2016-12-17}}</ref> He followed that up some years later by declaring that the Iberian Peninsula rotated precisely at Perpignan station 132 million years ago – an event the artist invoked in his 1983 painting ''Topological Abduction of Europe – Homage to [[René Thom]]''.<ref>Elliott King in [[Dawn Adès]] (ed.), ''Dalí'', Bompiani Arte, Milan, 2004, p. 448.</ref> Above the station is a monument in Dali's honour, and across the surface of one of the main platforms is painted, in large letters, «<span style="font-variant:small-caps">perpignan centre du monde</span>» (French for "<span style="font-variant:small-caps">perpignan centre of the world</span>").{{cn|date=December 2025}}
[[File:Gare-de-perpignan.jpg|thumb|Perpignan train station]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Perpignan Castillet 1.jpg|Le Castillet
Perpignanrivierebasse.jpg|Bridge over the Basse
Font sirenes Perpinya.jpg|Mermaids fountain
086 Perpignan Rue.JPG|City centre
Le cinéma art nouveau "le Castillet" (Perpignan) (8846519405).jpg|Cinéma Le Castillet
ChateauRoussillon Tour.jpg|Château Roussillon: tower of the old castle (13th and 14th centuries)
ChateauRoussillon ChapelleStPierre 01.jpg|Château Roussillon: Sainte-Marie and Saint-Pierre chapel (11th and 12th centuries)
087 Perpignan La Loge de Mer -1397, agrandi au XVIème-.JPG
Perpignan Cathedral 2020 - Nave.jpg|Cathédrale Saint-Jean
Lycée françois arago.jpeg|François Arago Lyceum
Palaisdesrois.jpg|Palace of the Kings of Mallorca
Perpignan bridge.JPG|The bridge
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department]]
*[[Gare de Perpignan murders]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Perpignan#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Perpignan}}
*{{cite book |title=Anne de Bretagne epouse de Charles VIII et de Louis XII |first=Henri |last=Pigaillem |publisher=Pygmalion |year=2008 }}
*Alícia Marcet, ''Histoire de Perpignan, la fidelíssima'' (1995), Perpinyà [Perpignan] : Llibres del Trabucaire, {{ISBN|9782905828613}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{wikivoyage|Perpignan}}
* {{Official website}}
*[http://histoireduroussillon.free.fr/Villages/Histoire/Perpignan.php History of Perpignan] {{in lang|fr}}
*[http://www.perpignantourisme.com/ Perpignan Tourist Office]
*[http://www.anglophone-direct.com/Perpignan-Museums Museum guide]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130623030239/http://www.perpignanairport.net/ Unofficial guide to Perpignan Airport]}}
*[http://www.ctpmperpignan.com/ Companie Transports&nbsp;– Public Bus System] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Geographic location
|title = Neighbouring communes and cities
|Northwest = [[Peyrestortes]]
|North = [[Rivesaltes]], [[Pia, Pyrénées-Orientales|Pia]]
|Northeast = [[Bompas, Pyrénées-Orientales|Bompas]],<br />[[Villelongue-de-la-Salanque]]
|West = [[Saint-Estève]],<br />[[Baho]],<br />[[Le Soler]]
|Center = Perpignan
|East = [[Canet-en-Roussillon]]
|Southwest = [[Toulouges]],<br />[[Canohès]]
|South = [[Pollestres]], [[Villeneuve-de-la-Raho]]
|Southeast = [[Cabestany]],<br />[[Saleilles]]<br />[[Théza]] (by a [[quadripoint]])
}}
{{Pyrénées-Orientales communes}}
{{Prefectures of departments of France}}
{{Cities in France}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Perpignan| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales]]
[[Category:Cities in Occitania (administrative region)]]
[[Category:Capitals of former countries]]
[[Category:Northern Catalonia]]
[[Category:Prefectures in France]]
[[Category:Vauban fortifications in France]]
[[Category:Cities in France]]