Andorra la Vella

Andorra la Vella is the most populated parish - the Principality is divided into seven constituencies called "parishes" - and its centre is at the same time the capital of the country. So it is the parish where the institutional and administrative buildings are to be found.

At the beginning of the XIX sigle, Andorra la Vella was only a small mountain village whose inhabitants were concentrated in what is now the old quarter, particularly in the quarters known as Barri del Pui, Puial, Barri Antic and Cap del Carrer. In this nucleus one find Casa de la Vall, one of the most representative buildings in the Principality which goes back to the 16th century.

With a population of 22,344 inhabitants, it has a total of 61 hotels (2982 rooms), 48 restaurants, 5 camping grounds and more than 700 tents. The Comú of Andorra la Vella has been working to promote various cultural and recreational activities. In 1980 the Andorran Institute for Musical Studies (IAEM) was set up and this now has 325 students and supports the IAEM orchestra. In 1986 the Art Institute was formed to house various artistic workshops.

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Santa Coloma

 

Andorra la Vella has a congress centre which since its opening in 1989 has been the setting for a large number of international exhibitions and conventions.

In 1990 the first concert cycle took place in the series of International Music and Dance Festivals of Andorra la Vella and the succeeding years have been a great public and critical success.

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Andorra la Vella

 

The Comú of Andorra la Vella has ardently desired that its parish should constantly modernize itself without forgetting its deepest rooted traditions, quite the contrary in fact. Each year the activities group ensures that the Village Fete, held on the first Saturday in August, should be as splendid as possible and bring together as many participants as possible. During the three days it is celebrated, among many and various happenings, one can enjoy performances of the folk dance group of Andorra la Vella, wander through the Mediaeval Market, dance sardanes on Plaça del Poble or go to a rock concert. Another annual event is the Fair of Andorra la Vella which has managed to bring together on the same site Andorra's farming tradition and the latest from the commercial and industrial sectors.

For the greater pleasure of sports fans, the parish offers very adequate amenities for practising various sports. In 1991, an Olympic swimming pool was opened in the Serradells sports complex and this has hosted various swimming selections.

Those who like to spend their leisure time out of doors can do very varied hikes in the mountains in the parish or wander along the recently renovated Rec del Solà.

A tourist arriving in the parish can obtain all the information he or she needs about activities programmed at any given time from the information and tourist office of the Comú of Andorra la Vella or the Sindicat d'Iniciativa.