Lleida City Council prepares a special device for the total solar eclipse on August 12, an event that can be seen 100% from the capital of Segrià and for which the arrival of thousands of people is expected. La Paeria works with the Generalitat on a specific operation to manage mobility, security, and the reception of visitors on a day that will also include scientific dissemination, culture, heritage, education, and scientific tourism activities.
Lleida will be the largest city in Catalonia from which the phenomenon can be completely observed. The mayor, Fèlix Larrosa, and the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, have met at the Paeria to coordinate actions together with municipal officials and operatives linked to security and territorial protection.
Four spaces with controlled capacity
The municipal plan involves enabling four areas of the city to follow the eclipse in adequate conditions. The chosen spaces are Turó de la Seu Vella, Turó de Gardeny, Els Mangraners and Secà de Sant Pere. In all of them there will be an accreditation system and capacity control.
The global capacity foreseen for these four areas is around 10,000 people. The setup will also incorporate a special mobility and signage operation to facilitate access on a day when a high influx of both residents and visitors is expected.
"The will is for Lleida to be a welcoming city in the middle of August" - Fèlix Larrosa, mayor of Lleida
The mayor has also remarked that it is wanted to guarantee the correct functioning of all services. In addition to the public from the city, the City Council expects the arrival of people who will be doing tourism in the Pyrenees and of visitors coming from La Franja and from the Vall de Benasc.
Hotel reservations on the rise and tourism inquiries
The city is already registering movement in hotel reservations for August 12. Five months before the event, occupancy stands at around 50%, although some establishments already show higher percentages.
The Lleida Turisme Information Office receives numerous inquiries about the eclipse, while the Lleida Convention Bureau and Lleida Turisme accompany the hotel sector in the preparation for the event. The program is also presented as an opportunity to give visibility to the city's heritage with the collaboration of the Lleida Hospitality Federation.
Talks, workshops and approved protection material
La Paeria prepares a specific program of activities around the eclipse with the participation of different departments and municipal services. The Consorci del Turó de la Seu Vella also participates in this program.
The calendar will include talks, exhibitions, and workshops. In all activities, approved solar protection glasses will be distributed. The City Council plans to organize proposals before the phenomenon and also during the preceding days.
In Lleida, the Moon will begin to cover the Sun at 6:30 p.m. on August 12 and the moment of maximum fullness will arrive at 8:29 p.m. The municipal organization is already working with that schedule as a reference to organize access, capacities, and parallel activities.
The Generalitat selects nearly 30 observation points
The Generalitat has been working for months on this event through the Interdepartmental Eclipse Commission. In a first phase, a shadow map was drawn up in 200 municipalities. Afterwards, 40 locations in Catalonia were analyzed to detect the best observation points and finally nearly 30 spaces have been selected, with Lleida in a prominent place within that map.
"The choice has been made based on scientific criteria" - Núria Montserrat, Minister of Research and Universities
Among those criteria are good visibility towards the west and the availability of suitable spaces for developing activities. The Generalitat also prepares scientific dissemination documentation through the Institut d"Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, with the collaboration of a group of women scientists.
The information about the eclipse and about the planned activities can be consulted on the official website, while the city accelerates the organization of an event called to concentrate an unusual influx in mid-August and to place Lleida as one of the main observation points of the phenomenon in Catalonia.