The 36 Communes
City of Peyrestortes
Situated to the north-west of the Perpignan conurbation, the municipal territory is bordered by major infrastructures such as the A9/E15, the railway line to Spain, the future TGV line and the international airport of Perpignan-Rivesaltes. Peyrestortes remains a rural village, nestled in the heart of the vineyards. The surface area of the commune is 796 hectares and its altitude varies between 35 and 97 metres.
The story
The name of the commune in Catalan is "Paretstortes" which means "twisted walls" but it is also the name of an ancient Catalan family, one of whom, Antoine Peyrestortes, was the builder of the great Carmelite monasteries of Perpignan in 1333. The Visigoths may have settled here as early as the 5th century. However, Peyrestortes was born on the site of a Gallo-Roman station reported in 1830. Excavations carried out in 1947 at "Les Sedes" also demonstrated the existence of a very rich site with numerous inscriptions.
Peyrestortencs
Number of inhabitants
The town of Peyrestortes has approximately 1,494 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Peyrestortencs.
Peyrestortes offers a real quality of life
A land of fortified wine, marked by a mild Mediterranean climate, a landscape punctuated by the view of the Canigou and a historic centre characteristic of Catalan farming villages. The commune has many assets: shops, schools, a retirement home, a sports complex, a cultural centre and unspoilt countryside. Two watercourses with torrential regimes run through the commune: the Avents ravine, which runs along the north of the village from west to east, and the Oums ravine, which runs through the centre of the commune from south to north.