Caldes de Montbui
Encyclopedia
Caldes de Montbui (ˈkaɫdəz ðə mumˈbuj) is a town and municipality
in the comarca
of the Vallès Oriental
in Catalonia
, Spain
. It is situated in the upper valley of the Caldes river, and the highest point of the municipality is the peak of el Farell at 816 m.
The hot springs have been exploited since Roman
times, and the remnants of the Roman baths and other Roman buildings can still be seen. The source of la Font del Lleó ("Lion Springs") in the main square emerges at more than 70 °C (158 °F). The town conserves parts of its medieval fortification
s and the Torre de la Presó (prison). The hermitage
of la Mare de Déu del Remei dates from the sixteenth century, as does the church of Santa Maria with its baroque
entrance. The roman church of Sant Sebastià de Montmajor, in the village of the same name at the extreme north-west of the municipality, is particularly well preserved.
The artist Manolo Hugué lived and worked in Caldes de Montbui, and his house has been converted into a museum displaying both his works and those of other artists. The town also has an archeological museum and the Delger museum of furniture, paintings and sculptures.
Continuing in this artistic tradition is the master landscape painter Ramon Vilanova, a native son of the city and lifetime resident.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the comarca
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...
of the Vallès Oriental
Vallès Oriental
Vallès Oriental is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Granollers. Along with Vallès Occidental it forms the grand comarca of Vallès.- Municipalities :*Aiguafreda - pop. 2,308*L'Ametlla del Vallès - pop. 7,319...
in 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 in the upper valley of the Caldes river, and the highest point of the municipality is the peak of el Farell at 816 m.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times, and the remnants of the Roman baths and other Roman buildings can still be seen. The source of la Font del Lleó ("Lion Springs") in the main square emerges at more than 70 °C (158 °F). The town conserves parts of its medieval fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s and the Torre de la Presó (prison). The hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
of la Mare de Déu del Remei dates from the sixteenth century, as does the church of Santa Maria with its baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
entrance. The roman church of Sant Sebastià de Montmajor, in the village of the same name at the extreme north-west of the municipality, is particularly well preserved.
The artist Manolo Hugué lived and worked in Caldes de Montbui, and his house has been converted into a museum displaying both his works and those of other artists. The town also has an archeological museum and the Delger museum of furniture, paintings and sculptures.
Continuing in this artistic tradition is the master landscape painter Ramon Vilanova, a native son of the city and lifetime resident.
Demography
Note
- Caldes de Montbui became part of the Vallès Oriental in the comarcal revision of 1990: previously it formed part of the Vallès OccidentalVallès OccidentalVallès Occidental is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. It is unique among the comarques in that the two cities Sabadell and Terrassa share the role of comarcal capital...
.