Palamós is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the comarca of Baix Empordà

Baix Empordà

Baix Empordà is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, one of the two into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal division of 1936. It is popularly known as L'Empordanet .- Geography :...

, in the province of Girona

Girona (province)

Girona is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Barcelona and Lleida, and by France and 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.

Palamos was founded and recognised as a village on 3 December 1279 by 'Pere el Gran', 'Comte de Barcelona' (Peter III of Aragon

Peter III of Aragon

Peter the Great was the King of Aragon of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona from 1276 to his death. He conquered Sicily and became its king in 1282. He was one of the greatest of medieval Aragonese monarchs.-Youth and succession:Peter was the eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife...

). He wanted to found a new port on the coast as the previous royal port in the region at Torroella de Montgrí

Torroella de Montgrí

Torroella de Montgrí is a small town in Catalonia, on the north bank of the Ter river.-Features:The town is 22 km east of Girona and 5 km west of the resort of L'Estartit...

 on the River Ter

River Ter

The River Ter is a river in Essex, England that houses various aquatic creatures, such as the marsh heron famous for its large red bill. The river rises in Stebbing Green and flowing via Terling it joins the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation at near Rushes Lock. A small part of it, near Great...

 had silted up.

Palamós is located at the northern end of a large bay, which is popular for swimming, sailing and windsurfing. The town is by-passed by the C31 which connects the coastal towns of the central Costa Brava with 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...

. Palafrugell

Palafrugell

Palafrugell is a municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located near Palamós in the comarca of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. With 22,365 inhabitants it is the largest city of its comarca...

 lies 8.5 km to the north and Castell-Platja d'Aro

Castell-Platja d'Aro

Castell-Platja d'Aro is a municapality in the middle of the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain. It is formed from two parts: Castell d'Aro is the ancient village 3 km inland build around a medieval castle and fortified church on the road from Platja d'Aro to Santa Cristina d'Aro...

 7 km to the south.

The town is a major port (with the closure of Sant Feliu the only commercial harbour in the Province of Girona) with one of the last remaining fishing fleets on this part of the Mediterranean coast. It is famous for the locally caught prawns .

The town's major economic activities until the second half of the 20th century were fishing and cork manufacturing. In the sixties, however the town saw a rapid growth of tourism. The architecture of Palamos itself remained relatively unchanged with most development focused to the south at Sant Antoni de Calonge

Calonge

Calonge is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Empordà in Catalonia, Spain.The town comprises two parts, a medieval hill village and modern seaside resort. The main urban centre and original village is about 4 km inland from the Bay of Sant Antoni...

 which now merges with Palamos. The town's nightlife is focused on the old port which is surrounded by bars and restaurants.

The town is home to Palamós CF

Palamós CF

Palamós Club de Futbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Palamós, a town and commercial port in the Costa Brava, in the autonomous community of Catalonia...

 the local football club.

It was the birthplace of Frederic Pujulà i Vallès

Frederic Pujulà i Vallés

Frederic Pujulà i Vallès was a Catalan journalist, dramatist, and a passionate Esperantist and contributor to the field of Esperanto literature. Born in Palamós, Catalonia, he travelled through Europe and stayed for a long time in Paris. He was involved in Joventut , the best "modernisme" review...

 who was a pioneer of Esperanto literature

Esperanto literature

Esperanto literature began before the official publication of the constructed language Esperanto; the language's creator, L. L. Zamenhof, translated poetry and prose into the language as he was developing it as a test of its completeness and expressiveness, and published several translations and a...

.

Demography

1900	1930	1950	1970	1986	2001
5,037	7,085	5,836	10,088	12,198	15,968