Le Perthus
Perthus (in Catalan El PERTUS ) is a commune with 578 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Pyrénées- Orientales in the Languedoc- Roussillon region in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
The village consists of two parts, the French - an almost pure residence - and the Spanish part, which consists almost entirely of shops where you can buy tax-advantaged products. This limits Els said part is associated with the Catalan town of La Junquera.
The actual border crossing the old road is just behind the village. The motorway between France (A9 ) and Spain ( A7) runs directly above the village.
It is believed that Hannibal with his elephants during the Second Punic War in 218 BC the Col du Perthus crossed to build then in Illiberis (today Elne ) at the foot of the Pyrenees his camp.
It is close to the fortress Fort de Bellegarde is a 17th century.