| Berga | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Spain Province of Barcelona#Spain Catalonia#Spain |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Province of Barcelona##Location in Catalonia##Location in Spain |
| Coordinates: | 42.1011°N 1.8439°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Community |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Barcelona |
| Subdivision Type3: | Comarca |
| Subdivision Name3: | Berguedà |
| Leader Party: | CUP |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Ivan Sánchez (2021) |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 22.6 |
| Elevation M: | 704 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Berguedà |
| Postal Code: | 08600 |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
Berga (in Catalan; Valencian pronounced as /ˈbeɾɣə/) is the capital of the comarca (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu.
Berga derives its name from the Bergistani, an Iberian tribe which lived in the area before the Roman conquest. The Bergistani were first subdued by Hannibal in 218 BC. They rebelled twice against the Romans and were twice defeated; after their second uprising, much of the tribe was sold into slavery. Livy mentions their principal town, Latin: Castrum Bergium, which was probably the precursor of the present-day town of Berga.[2]
Berga was ruled by viscounts in the Early Middle Ages and had its own counts from 988.
Berga was sold to king Peter II of Aragon in 1199.
In May 2012, the town council passed a motion declaring King Juan Carlos 'persona non grata' following a series of scandals involving the royal family, most notably the king's recent elephant hunting trip to Africa in the middle of Spain's deepening recession.[3]
The Patum de Berga, or simply La Patum, is a popular and traditional festival that is celebrated each year in the city. Locals dress as mystical and symbolic figures, and are accompanied either by the rhythm of a drum (the tabal, whose sound gives the festival its name) or band music.
On July 3, 2010 the world's first Free Software Street was inaugurated in Berga, during a ceremony attended by Richard Stallman.[4]
