Bourg-Madame

Bourg-Madame (La Guingueta d'Ix) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

Localisation
Bourg-Madame is located in the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes and in the arrondissement of Prades. It lies right on the border with Spain. It abuts directly onto the Spanish town of Puigcerdà, and is near the Spanish exclave of Llívia.



Toponymy
The town used to be known in French as Les Guinguettes, until 1815 when it was renamed Bourg-Madame in honour of the wife of the Duke of Angoulême. The Catalan name for the town is still the traditional one.

History
In the 20th century, Bourg-Madame was the site of a camp housing Republican escapees from Spain at the end of the Spanish Civil War.

Roads
The following major roads lead to Bourg-Madame:


 * N-20 from Ur to the north;
 * N-154 and D-68 from the Spanish enclave Llívia to the northeast;
 * N-116 from Saillagouse to the east;
 * D-30 and D-70 from Osséja and Palau-de-Cerdagne to the southeast;
 * N-152 from Puigcerdà to the west.

Railways
Bourg-Madame is located at a key point of intersection for railways that link Toulouse, Barcelona, and Valencia (as well as Perpignan to the east via the Yellow Train).

The railway station is located in the Arena district.

International relations
The commune is twinned with:
 * 🇪🇸 Vespella de Gaià, Spain