【Silk Road to See the World】Andorra

Andorra is a landlocked country located at the junction of France and Spain in Southwest Europe. It was a small buffer state established on the Spanish border by the Charlemagne Empire in the 9th century to prevent harassment by the Moors. In 1278, France and Spain concluded a peace treaty, enjoying administrative rule and religious rule over Andorra respectively. Both parties had the right to appoint their own representatives and accept symbolic tributes. In the following hundreds of years, conflicts between Spain and France over Andorra occurred frequently. Structural reforms were implemented on January 4, 1982, and executive power was transferred from parliament to the government. On March 14, 1993, Andorra adopted a new constitution in a referendum, becoming a sovereign country and rated as the country with the longest life expectancy in the world. The Church of Our Lady of Merritxel on the mountain road northeast of Encamp was designed by the famous Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill. This building was used to replace the patron saint of Andorra that was burned down in 1972. The shrine of the disciple Merritt Kesel. The building itself is not as famous as its designer. The valley stone house built in 1580 was originally the private residence of a wealthy man. It has been the parliament building of Andorra since 1702. The only court in Andorra is downstairs, and there is the parliament hall upstairs. The Valley Stone House is composed of unique local materials, usually granite and slate, and the roof is made of local black material. This material can prevent the snow flakes falling on the roof from condensing, thereby reducing the weight on the roof in winter. The Church of San Juan in Canillo, about 6 kilometers northeast of Casayes. The church was built in the 11th century. There is a statue of Christ and a 16th-century altar in the church, which are very precious and exquisite. It's a beautiful church, but it feels like an ordinary old house. The surrounding environment is beautiful. There are trees with golden leaves halfway up the mountain. It feels like being in Xinjiang. Sant'Estefan Church, commonly known as the "Andorra Stone Church", is the parish church of Andorra la Vella. The buildings are arranged in a north-south direction and its history can be traced back to the 11th century. The semicircular apse on the east side is in Roman style and has gleaming warm-colored glass windows that are very attractive, while the rest of the building is more modern. The new Andorra Postal Museum is built on the ruins of the old warehouse of the conquerors of Audino. The new Postal Museum imitates the design of the Casadela Vall tower of the old Postal Museum. The museum displays a complete set of postal mail issued specially for Andorra by France and Spain. stamp. The museum display is divided into two parts. On the one hand, you can learn about the history of the Andorra Post Office here. Through the sound and light equipment in the museum, you can learn about the evolution of the post office as a communication system from the past to the present.