Just one mile north of the Spanish border with France lies a tiny village that, while is Spanish, actually sits within French borders. Llívia is both an enclave and exclave, surrounded by the the French département of Pyrénées-Orientales. In 2023, Llivia was home to just over 1,500 people.
It is separated from the rest of Spain by a corridor about one mile wide, which includes the French communes of Ur and Bourg-Madame. The small village has existed in its current state for over 350 years, thanks to a treaty between the two European countries. Llívia was the site of an Iberian oppidum (large fortified settlement) that commanded the region and was named Julia Lybica by the Romans .
It was later the capital of Cerdanya in antiquity before being replaced by Hix (commune of Bourg-Madame, France) in the Middle Ages. Following the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659), the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 ceded the “comarques” (regions) of Roussillon, Conflent, Capcir, Vallespir, and northern Cerdanya ("Cerdagne") to the French Crown. The treaty established the Pyrenees as the border between France and Spain and separated Northern Catalonia from Catalonia .
However, the treaty stipulated that only villages would be ceded to France. Llívia was considered a town (vila in Catalan), since it had the status of the ancient capital of Cerdanya. As such, Llívia remained a Spanish enclave within France and did not become part of the Kingdom of France.
This situation was confirmed.
