Unió Jonquerenca Verified listing

There were many mutual aid societies throughout the Empordà. Not limited to charity work, these societies were the heart of local cultural and recreational life. The first references to these societies in La Jonquera are from the late 19th century (La Antigua Junquerense and El Antiguo Eco del Pirineo). In 1903, four of the five existing societies merged into one: the Unió Jonquerenca. They immediately opened a “consumption centre”, that is, a place where they served coffee and other drinks, using the income to help the members’ charity work. The centre was converted into a hospital during the Spanish Civil War. After the war, the Civil Government appointed the Governing Board and reopened under the name La Unión Junquerense.