Perpignan (UK: /ˈpɜːrpɪnjɒ̃/, US: /ˌpɛərpiːˈnjɑːn/,[3][4] French: [pɛʁpiɲɑ̃] ⓘ; Catalan: Perpinyà [pəɾpiˈɲa]; Occitan: Perpinhan [peɾpiˈɲa]) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales 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.

One might expect rain to be rare in the city, but the annual precipitation levels are similar to the national average.

A fresh north-westerly wind often blows, the Tramontana (French: Tramontane, pronounced [tʁamɔ̃tan]), keeping the sky clear much of the time and resulting in high annual sunshine.

Though settlement in the area goes back to Roman times, the medieval town of Perpignan seems to have been founded around the beginning of the 10th century.

When James I the Conqueror, king of Aragon and count of Barcelona, founded the Kingdom of Majorca in 1276, Perpignan became the capital of the mainland territories of the new state.

It was attacked and occupied by Louis XI of France 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, wishing to conciliate Castile in order to free himself to invade Italy, restored it to Ferdinand II of Aragon.

[18] 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 attracted international guests like Caetano Veloso (2007), Rumberos Catalans, 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.

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 Dragons became the first non-English team to win the Challenge Cup when they defeated Warrington Wolves in the 2018 final.

The walls surrounding the town, which had likewise been designed by Vauban, were razed in 1904 to accommodate urban development.

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.

[26] Following a visit in 1963, the Catalan surrealist artist Salvador Dalí declared the city's railway station the 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.