THERE’S a small town that’s found in the middle of France that actually belongs to Spain.
Despite being near to the Spanish border, Llívia is completely surrounded by French regions.
There’s a town in the middle of France that is actually owned by Spain[/caption]
Llivia is connected to Spain via a short road[/caption]
Now it is popular with tourists especially during ski season[/caption]
This is because of the historic Treaty of the Pyrenees back in 1659, which was signed by both Spain and France to end the ongoing Franco-Spanish war.
The treaty dictated that 33 villages owned by Spain were to be given by France.
However, Llivia was excluded from this, despite being in surrounded by the other villages.
This was because it was only villages that were to be handed over, and Llivia was deemed a town.
Now, the town is still part of Spain despite being in the middle of France.
To get to Llivia from Spain, there is the narrow N-154 road that drives through France for just two miles, before passing into the nearest Spanish town Puigcerda.
Friction between France and Spain came about on this road in the 1970s, when France installed stop signs on it that required Spanish drivers to yield to French drivers.
Residents of the Spanish town then repeatedly ripped these signs down, leading to the construction of a new bridge which has since ended the dispute.
And due to the ease of travel between Schengen Area countries, the road is now easily used by both nationalities.
The town of Llivia is home to around 1,400 locals and is popular with tourists especially during the ski season.
It is surrounded by mountains, and at an altitude of 1,200 metres.
Some of the things to see there include the Esteve Pharmacy – now a museum but said to be one of the oldest of its kind in Europe.
There is also the Our Lady of the Angels church and the Bernat de So tower to visit.
Otherwise the pretty town is worth exploring by itself, with many of the stone houses and wooden balconies reminiscent of a ski town.
The town museum was once one of Europe’s oldest pharmacies[/caption]
There are a number of hotels, with one of the cheapest being Hotel Llivia with rooms under £60 a night.
Or a there is the fancier four-star Set Terres – La Vil·la de Llívia, with just seven rooms starting from £83.
To get to Llivia the best way is to drive from Barcelona which takes around two hours as there aren’t many airports nearby.
And it’s not the only unusual destination shared by France and Spain.
Pheasant Island is in the middle of the Bidasoa River between the two countries, and is just 200 metres long and 40 metres wide.
However, it is owned by both France and Spain, and was also part of the Treaty of the Pyrenees.
Instead, it swaps nationality every six months, switching on February 1 and August 1.
Don’t try and visit it though – it is mainly used by military, although does sometimes open for heritage days on certain days of the year.
Here’s a tiny village in the UK that looks more like the Swiss Alps.
It’s home to just 1,400 locals[/caption]
