Mataró
Encyclopedia
Mataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca
of the Maresme
, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia
Autonomous Community, Spain
. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava
, between Cabrera de Mar
and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres
, to the north-east of Barcelona. , it had a population of c. 122,932 inhabitants.
Mataró dates back to Roman
times when it was a village known as "Iluro" or "Illuro". The ruins of a first century BC Roman bath house
(known locally as the Torre Llauder) were recently discovered and can be visited. The coastal follows the same path as the original Roman road.
Mataró was declared a city by royal decree, even though at the time (nineteenth century) the population fell short of the requirement for city status.
The first railway in peninsular Spain was the Mataró – Barcelona
(opened on 28 October 1848), led by the Catalan
businessman and Mataró native Miquel Biada. This line now forms part of the RENFE
R1 suburban service between L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
and Maçanet-Massanes
. Mataró is also connected with Barcelona and Girona
by the (freeway) and with Granollers
by the .
During the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona, Mataró was the starting point for the marathon
events.
architect
Josep Puig i Cadafalch
, who designed the ajuntament (town hall) and several other notable buildings in the town:
Nearby the town are the archaeological remains of the Roman villa of Can Llauder
.
s were devastated by Phylloxera
in the nineteenth century and only partially replanted, due to the growth of the tourist industry and the development of irrigation
in the area. Potato
es were one of the first replacement crops to be introduced, especially the Royal Kidney variety, and Mataró obtained a Denominació d'Origen
in 1932. Trocadero lettuce
and pea
s are also grown, mostly for export. The production of cut flowers is less important than in other towns of the Maresme
. Irrigated land made up 9.13 km² of the 10.57 km² of agricultural land in the municipality in 1986 (47% of the municipal territory).
Several major events are celebrated annually in Mataró. Some of them are also celebrated in the rest of Catalonia
and others, which have a religious origin, are part of the folklore
and traditions of Spain
and some other countries. Among all of them the most popular ones are:
, Spain Dürnau
, Germany Gammelshausen, Germany Créteil
, France Corsico
, Italy
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 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 ....
, in the province of Barcelona, 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...
Autonomous Community, 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 located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of 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'...
, between Cabrera de Mar
Cabrera de Mar
Cabrera de Mar is a municipality of the comarca of Maresme inCatalonia, Spain.It is located next to the Català mediterranean coast, between the municipalities of Vilassar de Mar and Mataró, although the urban centre is at about 2,5 km inland, in a small valley between the hills of Burriac ...
and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres
Sant Andreu de Llavaneres
Sant Andreu de Llavaneres is a municipality located 36 km north of Barcelona , along the Mediterranean coast, between Mataró and Sant Vicenç de Montalt. It belongs to the Maresme comarca and the Barcelona province. The short name is simply Llavaneres.Llavaneres faces the sea to the east and...
, to the north-east of Barcelona. , it had a population of c. 122,932 inhabitants.
History
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
times when it was a village known as "Iluro" or "Illuro". The ruins of a first century BC Roman bath house
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
(known locally as the Torre Llauder) were recently discovered and can be visited. The coastal follows the same path as the original Roman road.
Mataró was declared a city by royal decree, even though at the time (nineteenth century) the population fell short of the requirement for city status.
The first railway in peninsular Spain was the Mataró – 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...
(opened on 28 October 1848), led by the Catalan
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...
businessman and Mataró native Miquel Biada. This line now forms part of the RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
R1 suburban service between L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat or briefly L'Hospitalet is a city to the immediate southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, and the second largest in Catalonia by population...
and Maçanet-Massanes
Maçanet de la Selva
Maçanet de la Selva is a municipality in the comarca of the Selva in Catalonia, Spain. It is an important communications junction, where the routes from the coast meet those from the Prelittoral Depression to form a single axis north towards Girona and the French border...
. Mataró is also connected with Barcelona and 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...
by the (freeway) and with Granollers
Granollers
Granollers is a city near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and most densely populated city of the comarca of Vallès Oriental.Granollers is a bustling business centre, and many industries are located there...
by the .
During the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona, Mataró was the starting point for the marathon
Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, 43 events in athletics were contested, 24 events by men and 19 by women. The competition ran from July 31, 1992 to August 9, 1992. Fourteen world record-holders were among the contenders...
events.
Main sights
Mataró is the birth place of noucentistaNoucentisme
Noucentisme was a Catalan cultural movement of the early 20th century that originated largely as a reaction against Modernisme, both in art and ideology, and was, simultaneously, a perception of art almost opposite to that of avantgardists...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Josep Puig i Cadafalch
Josep Puig i Cadafalch
Josep Puig i Cadafalch was a Spanish Catalan Modernista architect who designed many significant buildings in Barcelona...
, who designed the ajuntament (town hall) and several other notable buildings in the town:
- Casa Coll i Regàs
- Casa Parera
- Casa Sisternes
- El Rengle
- La Beneficiència
Nearby the town are the archaeological remains of the Roman villa of Can Llauder
Roman villa of Can Llauder
The Roman villa of Can Llauder is a Roman site near Mataró, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.Built in the first imperial period and remodeled at the beginning of the 3rd century AD, the villa had a rich decor of marble and mosaics, with traces of stucco and paint. It was owned by several wealthy owners...
.
Agriculture
The traditional vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s were devastated by Phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
in the nineteenth century and only partially replanted, due to the growth of the tourist industry and the development of irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
in the area. Potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es were one of the first replacement crops to be introduced, especially the Royal Kidney variety, and Mataró obtained a Denominació d'Origen
Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
in 1932. Trocadero lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
and pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
s are also grown, mostly for export. The production of cut flowers is less important than in other towns of the 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 ....
. Irrigated land made up 9.13 km² of the 10.57 km² of agricultural land in the municipality in 1986 (47% of the municipal territory).
Festivals, celebrations and events
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...
and others, which have a religious origin, are part of the folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and traditions of 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...
and some other countries. Among all of them the most popular ones are:
- The three wise men in Mataró.
- CarnivalCarnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
in Mataró: celebrated immediately before Lent. - EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
in Mataró: celebrated every year during one week on a movable date from the end of March to the very beginning of May - Saint GeorgeSaint GeorgeSaint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
in Mataró: celebrated on the 23rd of April. It is a big celebration although it is not a bank holiday. - Saint JoanNativity of St. John the BaptistThe Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus and who baptized Jesus.-Significance:Christians have long interpreted the life of John the Baptist as a preparation for...
in Mataró: celebrated on the 24th of June - Les SantesLes SantesLes Santes is a fiesta in Mataró, Catalonia. It is a large festival running in late July involving comedy shows, live music and correfocs. Often "gegants" are brought out and dance in the street with the people....
: local festivity of the city celebrated at the end of July. It involves the recognition of Saint Juliana and Saint Semproniana. - The TióTIOTIO may refer to:* Tia and Megumi Oumi, Japanese manga and anime characters* Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in Australia* Territory Insurance Office, an insurance company in the Northern Territory...
: celebrated in Catalonia on Christmas’ Eve, the 24th December. - Mataró also celebrates several fairs such as:Tres Tombs and Saint Ponç In May it is celebrated a fair called Mercat de Sant Ponç. At the fair handicraft products, medicinal herbs, natural products like: honey,cheese, fruits, flowers, jam and salami are sold. Sant Ponç is the patron saint of the herbalists and bee keepers. The fair has been done for centuries. Its origins date to the 16th century, when in Spring herbalists took medicine to the sick. Today Sant Ponç fair is celebrated to preserve the antique customs.
- Festival "Cultural Crossroad"
- International Dance Festival "Days of Dance"
Twin towns
CehegínCehegín
Cehegín is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Murcia, Spain, situated some 66 km from the city of Murcia. It has a population of approximately 16,200 . It is crossed by the rivers Argos and Quipar....
, Spain Dürnau
Dürnau
Dürnau may refer to two towns in Baden-Württemberg, Germany:*Dürnau, Biberach, in the district of Biberach*Dürnau, Göppingen, in the district of Göppingen...
, Germany Gammelshausen, Germany Créteil
Créteil
-Health:As of 1 January 2006, 27 pharmacies, about 60 dentists, about 60 general practitioners, 10 pediatricians, and a half-dozen ophthalmologists and dermatologists constitute the general medical staff of the city.Health facilities include:...
, France Corsico
Corsico
Corsico is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, bordering on Milan to the South-West.Corsico received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on July 22, 1987.-Twin towns - Sister cities:...
, Italy
External links
- Official website
- Mataro Internet television
- City portal
- News of the city, Mataró, totmataro.cat
- Information from the Generalitat de CatalunyaGeneralitat de CatalunyaThe Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
- Information from the Institut d'Estadística de CatalunyaInstitut d'Estadística de CatalunyaThe Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya is the official body responsible for collecting and publishing statistics in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is under the responsibility of the Department of the Economy and Finances of the Generalitat de Catalunya.-External links:*...
- Information from the Diputació de Barcelona
- Municipal museum (virtual visit)
- PB Mataró i totes les penyes d'arreu del món (Mataró collector)
- Mataro Wireless: free civic wireless network