Font de Costa del Jan

Updated April 15, 2024

Canvi d’armari | Mgz Lleida | sabies que Magazine Lleida

## Font de Costa del Jan (Font del Governador Aparici): what it is, why it matters, and how to appreciate it in 5 minutes

Font de Costa del Jan is a mural (wall) fountain on Carrer Costa del Jan in Lleida, Catalonia, cataloged locally as Font del Governador Aparici. Paeria – Ajuntament de Lleida
It’s part of the city’s set of “fonts monumentals” (monumental fountains)—small civic features that reward slow walking and close looking, especially in Lleida’s historic core.

### Quick facts (verified)
– Name(s): Font de la Costa del Jan / Font del Governador Aparici de Catalunya
– Address (municipal directory): C/ Costa del Jan, 25002 (Lleida) Paeria – Ajuntament de Lleida
– Coordinates (heritage / reference sources): ~41.6138–41.6139 N, 0.6251–0.6252 E
– Heritage status: Listed as BCIL (Bé Cultural d’Interès Local) with IPAC ID 14401
– Setting: At the top of the Costa del Jan stairs, attached to a wall

> Note on your dataset: you provided “Carrer Costa del Jan, 2A, 25007 Lleida.” The official municipal directory lists the site generically as C/ Costa del Jan, 25002, so treat “2A / 25007” as a pin-level reference that may reflect mapping conventions rather than the municipality’s directory entry. Paeria – Ajuntament de Lleida

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## What you’re actually looking at (architecture details worth noticing)

Even if you’re not “a fountain person,” this one has a few high-signal visual cues:

– A projecting semicircular basin (the larger catch) that reads like a small stone balcony for water. de Catalunya
– An upper bowl/reservoir that receives the flow before it drops—classic “tiered” choreography in compact urban fountains. de Catalunya
– A spout shaped like an animal or monster head, which is the detail most people remember because it turns utility into storytelling. de Catalunya
– A crowned city shield above, framed by decorative garlands—an emblematic “signature” that anchors the fountain as civic, not private. de Catalunya

If you’re photographing it: step back enough to capture the whole vertical composition (shield → spout → bowls). That stacked hierarchy is the design.

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## The street context: why “Costa del Jan” isn’t just an address

One of the most meaningful pieces of context is the street itself. Pobles de Catalunya notes that Costa del Jan was, in medieval times, an access route to Lleida’s Jewish quarter. de Catalunya

That matters because it changes how you read the fountain:
– Not as an isolated object,
– But as a marker on a historic movement corridor—a place where everyday logistics (water, access, passage) overlapped with neighborhood identity.

If you’re building an itinerary for Lleida beyond the headline sights, this is the kind of “micro-stop” that makes the old town feel legible.

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## When was it built? Here’s what the sources say (and why you should be careful)

You asked for only factual information I 100% know, so I’m not going to pick a single construction date as “the truth.” The published references do not fully agree:

– Pobles de Catalunya describes the fountain as 18th century, and says it was moved here in 1884 from Plaça de Sant Francesc. de Catalunya
– Magazine Lleida calls it “Font de la Costa del Jan (1974)”, also noting the monster-head motif and neoclassical framing. Lleida

What you can safely publish (accurately):
– It is commonly treated as a historic/monumental fountain and is included in Lleida’s monumental fountains set.
– It is officially cataloged as a BCIL element with an IPAC identifier, which supports its recognized heritage value regardless of the exact dating debate.

Best practice for your post: phrase the dating as “sources differ,” then cite both. That keeps you factual without laundering uncertainty into false precision.

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## Does it run (is there water)?

A practical detail visitors care about: whether the fountain is flowing.

– The Encos entry lists it as “Cabal: Eixuta” (dry flow) and notes “Última visita: Abril-2014.”
– A 2014 municipal plenary act includes a proposal stating the city would, when technically possible, restore the functioning of several monumental fountains including Font de la Costa del Jan. Paeria – Ajuntament de Lleida

### Outdated-data flag (important)
Because the “dry” note is tied to a 2014 last-visit timestamp, you should treat the current water status as unverified today without a fresh on-site check.

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## How to visit (no fluff, just what helps)

### Finding it
Use the municipal name “Font del Governador Aparici” as well as “Font de la Costa del Jan” when searching—both are used in official and reference sources. Paeria – Ajuntament de Lleida

### Accessibility reality check
The fountain is described as being at the top of the Costa del Jan steps, attached to a wall. Expect stairs to be part of the approach.

### What to do once you’re there
– Look up first: the shield + garlands are half the point. de Catalunya
– Then look at the spout: the monster/animal head is the “character” detail. de Catalunya
– If it’s running, watch the water path (spout → upper bowl → lower basin). If it’s not, focus on the stonework and relief.

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## Internal links (can’t verify your site structure from here)
You requested two contextual internal links. I can’t include real internal URLs without risking invented pages, because I don’t have access to your RealJourneyTravels.com permalink structure or existing Lleida inventory.

If you do have relevant posts, the two most natural anchors to link from this article are:
– “Monumental fountains in Lleida” (category/guide page)
– “Jewish quarter (Call jueu) history in Lleida” (historic district explainer) de Catalunya

If you paste your Lleida category URL format (or two existing slugs), I’ll drop in clean, exact internal links instantly.

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## Suggested semantic keywords (naturally supported by sources)
Use these sparingly in headings/alt text/captions where they fit:
– Font del Governador Aparici, fonts monumentals de Lleida, BCIL / IPAC 14401, neoclassical fountain, Costa del Jan stairs, historic center of Lleida, Jewish quarter access route (medieval)

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