Baix Penedès
Encyclopedia
Baix Penedès is a comarca in Catalonia
, Spain
. The area has been settled since the times of the Iberians
, with ancient ruins remaining in Banyeres at Can Canyís, in the capital el Vendrell at the village of Guàrdies and in Calafell
at the villages of Toixoneres and la Ciutadella ("The Citadel").
Desserts include:
s.) The comarcal capital, el Vendrell, has a monument dedicated to castellers.
Present-day teams:
The most important competitions of Castellers in the comarca occur each year as part of the August festival in honor of the Virgin Mary at Bisbal and on the fourth Sunday of August at l'Arboç del Penedès, with castellers from all over Catalonia.
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
, 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...
. The area has been settled since the times of the Iberians
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
, with ancient ruins remaining in Banyeres at Can Canyís, in the capital el Vendrell at the village of Guàrdies and in Calafell
Calafell
Calafell is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
at the villages of Toixoneres and la Ciutadella ("The Citadel").
Municipalities
Populations current as of 2001.- AlbinyanaAlbinyanaAlbinyana is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 1780 - L'ArboçL'ArboçL'Arboç is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 3977 - Banyeres del PenedèsBanyeres del PenedèsBanyeres del Penedès is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 1862 - BellveiBellveiBellvei is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 1532 - La Bisbal del PenedèsLa Bisbal del PenedèsLa Bisbal del Penedès is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 2349 - BonastreBonastreBonastre is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Penedès inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated in the west of the comarca in the Quadrell range.In 1178, Bernat de Papiol, who was lord of the place, donated it to the Monastery of St Cugat...
- pop. 424 - CalafellCalafellCalafell is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
- pop. 15883 - CunitCunitCunit is a coastal town on the Golden Coast in the Baix Penedès region part of the province of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain.-Location and site:...
- pop. 7339 - Llorenç del PenedèsLlorenç del PenedèsLlorenç del Penedès is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 1821 - MasllorençMasllorençMasllorenç is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Penedès inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the slopes of the Miramar range...
- pop. 453 - El MontmellEl MontmellEl Montmell is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 784 - Sant Jaume dels DomenysSant Jaume dels DomenysSant Jaume dels Domenys is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
- pop. 1637 - Santa OlivaSanta OlivaSanta Oliva is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.-References:...
- pop. 2422 - El VendrellEl VendrellEl Vendrell is a town located in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain, in a wine-growing region. It is wedged between the Mediterranean and the Litoral mountain ranges...
- pop. 26,820
Gastronomy
Typical dishes of this region include:- el xató (a dish with vegetables)
- la coca de verdures (cake of vegetables)
- el civet de senglar (a way of cooking wild boar)
- el bull de tonyina (a type of sausage of tuna)
- l'arròs a banda (rice cooked in fish and shellfish stock)
Desserts include:
- els bufats (?)
- les orelletes (?)
Castellers
Baix Penedès has one of the longest-lived traditions of castellers in Catalonia. (Castellers practice the traditional Catalan art/sport of making human pyramidHuman pyramid
A human pyramid is a type of gymnastic formation in which the participants kneel together in a row or other formation, forming a base for another tier of participants who stand or kneel on their shoulders, backs or thighs. A human pyramid is very difficult to make. In case that the participants...
s.) The comarcal capital, el Vendrell, has a monument dedicated to castellers.
Present-day teams:
- els Nens del Vendrell (founded 1926)
- la Colla Nova
- els minyons de l'Arboç
The most important competitions of Castellers in the comarca occur each year as part of the August festival in honor of the Virgin Mary at Bisbal and on the fourth Sunday of August at l'Arboç del Penedès, with castellers from all over Catalonia.
People from Baix Penedès
Among the most important historical figures from Baix Penedès are:- Àngel GuimeràÀngel GuimeràÀngel Guimerà i Jorge was a Spanish Canarian writer, born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, to a Catalan father and a Canary islander mother...
(1845–1924): writer. Guimerà was originally from the Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, but his mother was from el Vendrell, and he eventually settled there in his ancestral home, cal Guimerà. - Pau ("Pablo") CasalsPablo CasalsPau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
(1876–1973): cellist and composer. The house-museum vila Casals is at Sant Salvador, as is a concert hall, l’Auditori Pau Casals. - Aureli Maria Escarré (1908–1968): abbot of MontserratMontserrat (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...
. Since 1978, there has been a monument to him in his home village of l'Arboç, where his ancestral home is on the main street. - Andreu Nin (1892–1937) dissident Communist revolutionary in the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
).
- Àngels Garriga
- Apel·les Fenosa