town inland) is one of the main municipalities of the comarca

Comarca

A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...

 of Maresme

Maresme

Maresme is a comarca located along the Catalan Mediterranean coast in Spain, between the comarques of Barcelonès and Selva , and also bordering with Vallès Oriental ....

, Barcelona Province

Barcelona (province)

Barcelona is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia.-Overview:It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea....

, Catalonia

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. It is situated on the coast between Sant Vicenç de Montalt

Sant Vicenç de Montalt

Sant Vicenç de Montalt is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Sant Andreu de Llavaneres and Arenys de Mar, below...

 and Canet de Mar

Canet de Mar

Canet de Mar is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Arenys de Mar and Sant Pol de Mar. and el Montnegre ranges. It is an important tourist centre, but is also known for the cultivation of...

. , it had a population of 14,688.

Arenys' harbour was for many years the only existing port on the north coast of Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

. The beaches, framed by hills which run right down to the sea, give a preview of the neighbouring Costa Brava

Costa Brava

The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'...

.

Main sights

The beaches at Arenys are large, and are formed by the coarse grained sand (Platja del Cabaió).

Sights include the parish church of Santa Maria, with a Baroque reredo, built at the beginning of the 18th century by the sculptor Pau Costa. Along Church Street are the Marés Museum of Lace-making and the Mollfulleda Museum of Mineralogy. Some of the defense towers built to protect against pirates, are still conserved.

Arenys cemetery is an example of Mediterranean marine cemetery. It is oriented westward, on top of the Turó de la Pietat.

Economy and culture

Arenys is the capital of the county district. Fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 and related industries are the principal economic activity of the town. Two industrial zones are being developed under public and private promotion. Agriculture has gone down in the last years, but the cultivation of fruits and vegetables is still thriving.

The fishing and the various related industries which have grown around the harbour move a considerable part of the economic activity of the town. The harbour is the most important one in the Maresme and has practically the whole fishing fleet of the region. A fish auction

Auction

An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...

 takes place every afternoon when the boats return. There is ample space in the port reserved for yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

s. During the summer, many sailing boats anchor here on their Mediterranean

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 journey. The shipyard

Shipyard

Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...

 is still an important local industry.

The Riera (the dry uncovered river bed) is the commercial centre and the hub of all local activities. The market, an Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

 building, remains open every morning as well as Friday afternoons. Inside, it is bustling with people and constant activity. On Saturday mornings, the commercial hustle takes itself to the Riera in the form of a weekly street market. Two village festivals are held in honour of Saint Zeno (9 July) and Saint Roch (16 August), and a big fair is celebrated on Saint John's Day (24 June).

Arenys de Mar possesses a grammar school, an agricultural school for chicken farming, a school of music and various schools where the old craft of lace-making is taught.

Transportation

Arenys is 40 km (25 mi) to Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

 by the N-II road or the A-19 highway. The district train (C-1 line) covers the distance to Plaça de Catalunya, in the centre of Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, in 50 minutes. The road B-511 communicates with the highway A-7 (exit Sant Celoni) through Collsacreu. The Montseny massif is quite close, while the Natural Parks of Montnegre and the Corredor are just round the corner. Girona

Girona

Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...

 is 60 km (37 mi) away, and for a trip to Montserrat

Montserrat (mountain)

Montserrat is a multi-peaked mountain located near the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. The main peaks are Sant Jeroni , Montgrós and Miranda de les Agulles...

 you need little more than an hour. Barcelona International Airport

Barcelona International Airport

Barcelona El Prat Airport , simply known as Barcelona Airport, is located southwest of the center of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, lying in the municipalities of El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans and Sant Boi.The airport is the second largest in Spain behind Madrid Barajas Airport and the...

 is 56 km (35 mi) away, that of Girona-Costa Brava

Girona-Costa Brava Airport

Girona-Costa Brava Airport is an airport located southwest of the city of Girona, next to the small village of Vilobí d'Onyar, in the north-east of Catalonia, Spain...

, 40 km (25 mi).

People

• Salvador Espriu
  Salvador Espriu
  Salvador Espriu i Castelló was a Catalan poet writing in the Catalan language.-Biography:Espriu was born in Santa Coloma de Farners, Catalonia. He was the son of an attorney. His childhood was divided between his home town, Barcelona, and Arenys de Mar, a village on the Maresme coast...
  
  , writer
• Sergi Gomez
  Sergi Gómez
  Sergi Gómez Solà is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona B as a central defender.-Club career:Gómez arrived in FC Barcelona's youth academy at the age of 14...
  
  , b. 1992, footballer
• Cesc Fabregas
  Cesc Fàbregas
  Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
  
  , footballer

Sources

• Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona:Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish). ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan).

External links

• Official website
• Information - Generalitat de Catalunya
• Statistical information - Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya
• Arenys de Mar public radio station
• Arenys digital community