Sant Boi de Llobregat
Encyclopedia
Sant Boi de Llobregat (ˈsam ˈbɔj ðə ʎuβɾəˈɣat) is a town of 80,000 inhabitants (as of 2004) in the Barcelona province
in Catalonia
, located aside the Llobregat
river.
The town distributes its territory into six districts: Ciutat Cooperativa-Molí Nou, Marianao-Can Paulet, Barri Centre, Vinyets-Molí Vell, Camps Blancs-Canons-Orioles and Casablanca.
It limits to the north with the towns of Santa Coloma de Cervelló
, Sant Joan Despí
and the village of Sant Climent, to the east with the town of Cornellà de Llobregat
, to the west with Viladecans
and to the south with El Prat de Llobregat
, having a narrow land extension to the south that enters into the Mediterranean Sea
.
, PSC). The city council's seats are as follows:
colonies (VI-I bC) and the Romans
(I-V aC) - a noteworthy Roman bath is located near the river - suggests that the origins of Sant Boi can be found in pre-Roman times.
Like most of the surrounding lands, from the 7th to the 12th century the town was controlled by the Moors
, until their expulsion from Iberia
during the Reconquista
. The Moors called it "Alcala", which means castle, due to the existence of a hillock from where the river and the valley were dominated. Its present name derives from the name of Saint Baudilus, known as Boi or Baldiri in Catalonia
.
During the Middle Ages
the village was progressively populated, growing from the surroundings of the castle to adjacent zones. A baroque style church is built during the 16th century. The growth keeps on during the following centuries, giving rise to numerous "Masies" (typical Catalan agricultural housing) near the river and the most fertile lands. At the end of the 19th century Sant Boi was a village of nearly 5000 inhabitants, with an economy mainly based in agriculture.
At the beginnings of the 20th century the first industries flourished in Sant Boi, ranging from brick manufacture to metalwork. With the end of the Spanish Civil War
in 1939 there is a massive inflow of immigration coming from diverse points of the Spanish geography. These flows of population consisted mainly in people from villages and small towns searching a job and career opportunities in the town of Barcelona, stimulated by the increasing demand of workmanship in the regrowth of the Catalan industry during the postwar period. The population rises from 10.000 people in 1940 to 65.000 in 1975. This period is characterized by the construction of complete quarters (Casablanca, Camps Blancs, Cooperativa) dedicated to housing for the immigration.
Nowadays Sant Boi is a town with more than 80,000 inhabitants, with well-established industrial and services sectors, and a healthy cultural and recreational offer.
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....
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...
, located aside the Llobregat
Llobregat
The Llobregat is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain. It originates in Castellar de n'Hug at an altitude of 1,259 meters in the Serra del Cadí, and ends in the Mediterranean Sea, in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona...
river.
The town distributes its territory into six districts: Ciutat Cooperativa-Molí Nou, Marianao-Can Paulet, Barri Centre, Vinyets-Molí Vell, Camps Blancs-Canons-Orioles and Casablanca.
It limits to the north with the towns of Santa Coloma de Cervelló
Santa Coloma de Cervelló
Santa Coloma de Cervelló is a municipality situated in the comarca of Baix Llobregat, at the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The town has 7081 people....
, Sant Joan Despí
Sant Joan Despí
Sant Joan Despí is a city and municipality located in the Baix Llobregat area . It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river...
and the village of Sant Climent, to the east with the town of Cornellà de Llobregat
Cornellà de Llobregat
Cornellà de Llobregat is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Llobregat inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river.- History :...
, to the west with Viladecans
Viladecans
Viladecans is a large town very close to Barcelona, Spain. It is located between Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sant Climent de Llobregat, and bordering the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between El Prat de Llobregat and Gavà....
and to the south with El Prat de Llobregat
El Prat de Llobregat
El Prat de Llobregat , commonly known as El Prat, is a municipality in the comarca of Baix Llobregat inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated in the delta of the Llobregat river on the right bank, bordering the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Barcelona and Viladecans. More than a quarter of the...
, having a narrow land extension to the south that enters into the Mediterranean Sea
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...
.
Economy
Though the main business activity is centered in the trading and service sector, Sant Boi has also a remarkable industrial activity, especially for metallurgy; agriculture is stimulated by the fertile alluvial lands at the mouth of Llobregat river and a mild climate, producing a wide variety of vegetables like the famous Llobregat's delta artichokes.Politics
The mayor is Jaume Bosch i Puges (Socialists' Party of CataloniaSocialists' Party of Catalonia
The Socialists' Party of Catalonia is a social-democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain resulting from the merge of two parties PSC Reagrupament led by Josep Pallach i Carolà and PSC Comgres. It is the Catalan referent of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , and its Aranese section is...
, PSC). The city council's seats are as follows:
- Socialists' Party of CataloniaSocialists' Party of CataloniaThe Socialists' Party of Catalonia is a social-democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain resulting from the merge of two parties PSC Reagrupament led by Josep Pallach i Carolà and PSC Comgres. It is the Catalan referent of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , and its Aranese section is...
13 (social democratic) - Initiative for Catalonia GreensInitiative for Catalonia GreensInitiative for Catalonia Greens is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. It was formed as a merger of Iniciativa per Catalunya and Els Verds. IC had been an alliance led by Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya and was the equivalent of Izquierda Unida in Catalonia...
3 (ecologist, socialist and federalist) - People's PartyPeople's Party (Spain)The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
3 (right-wing, Christian democratic) - Convergence and Union 3 (liberal democracy and regionalist)
- Republican Left of Catalonia 2 (independentist and social democratic)
- Citizens – Party of the CitizenryCitizens – Party of the CitizenryThe Citizens – Party of the Citizenry is a Spanish political party which describes itself as centre-left and non-nationalist...
1 (Unionist pro-Spanish)
History
The finding of archeological remains corresponding to IberianIberians
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...
colonies (VI-I bC) and the Romans
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....
(I-V aC) - a noteworthy Roman bath is located near the river - suggests that the origins of Sant Boi can be found in pre-Roman times.
Like most of the surrounding lands, from the 7th to the 12th century the town was controlled by the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, until their expulsion from Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
during the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
. The Moors called it "Alcala", which means castle, due to the existence of a hillock from where the river and the valley were dominated. Its present name derives from the name of Saint Baudilus, known as Boi or Baldiri 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...
.
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the village was progressively populated, growing from the surroundings of the castle to adjacent zones. A baroque style church is built during the 16th century. The growth keeps on during the following centuries, giving rise to numerous "Masies" (typical Catalan agricultural housing) near the river and the most fertile lands. At the end of the 19th century Sant Boi was a village of nearly 5000 inhabitants, with an economy mainly based in agriculture.
At the beginnings of the 20th century the first industries flourished in Sant Boi, ranging from brick manufacture to metalwork. With the end of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The 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...
in 1939 there is a massive inflow of immigration coming from diverse points of the Spanish geography. These flows of population consisted mainly in people from villages and small towns searching a job and career opportunities in the town of Barcelona, stimulated by the increasing demand of workmanship in the regrowth of the Catalan industry during the postwar period. The population rises from 10.000 people in 1940 to 65.000 in 1975. This period is characterized by the construction of complete quarters (Casablanca, Camps Blancs, Cooperativa) dedicated to housing for the immigration.
Nowadays Sant Boi is a town with more than 80,000 inhabitants, with well-established industrial and services sectors, and a healthy cultural and recreational offer.
Demography
Prominent people from Sant Boi
- Pau GasolPau GasolPau Gasol Sáez is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . He was born to Marisa Sáez and Agustí Gasol, and he spent his childhood in Spain...
- NBA player (Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
) - Marc GasolMarc GasolMarc Gasol i Sàez is a Spanish professional basketball player for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft...
- NBA player (Memphis GrizzliesMemphis GrizzliesThe Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
)- Both Gasol brothers were actually born in Barcelona, at the hospitalHospital de Sant PauThe present Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in the neighborhood of El Guinardó, Barcelona, Catalonia , is a complex built between 1901 and 1930, designed by the Catalan modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Together with Palau de la Música Catalana, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
where their parents worked. The family moved from another Barcelona suburb, CornellàCornellà de LlobregatCornellà de Llobregat is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Llobregat inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river.- History :...
, to Sant Boi when Pau was 6 years old and Marc a year old.
- Both Gasol brothers were actually born in Barcelona, at the hospital
- Oriol RipolOriol RipolOriol Ripol is a Spanish rugby union player. He plays as a wing for Worcester Warriors in the Championship. Ripol has also played for Spain and is regarded as their best player of modern times...
- professional rugbyRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player
External links
- Artistic and historical buildings in Sant Boi de Llobregat (in CatalanCatalan languageCatalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
) - Vilaweb-Sant Boi News and Information in Catalan
- Sant Boi's City Council's Site in Catalan
- Sant Boi's City Council's official statistic site in Catalan