Sabadell

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Sabadell
Sabadell - Eix Macià.jpg
The business district, the "Eix Macià".
Flag of Sabadell Coat of arms of Sabadell
Flag Coat of Arms
Location
Localització de Sabadell.png
Location of Sabadell
Coordinates :
Administration
Country Spain
Autonomous Community Catalonia
Province Barcelona
Comarca Vallès Occidental
Mayor Manuel Bustos Garrido (PSC)
Geography
Land Area 39,89 km2
Altitude 190 m AMSL
Population
Population 204.712 (2007)
- rank in Spain: 17
Density 5.292,82 hab./km2 (2007)
General information
Native name Sabadell (Catalan)
Spanish name Sabadell
Nickname The Catalan Manchester
Postal code 08200 to 08208
Website http://www.sabadell.cat/

Coordinates: 41°32′55″N 2°06′27″E / 41.54861°N 2.1075°E / 41.54861; 2.1075

Sabadell is the second largest city in the comarca of the Vallès Occidental in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the comarca, on the River Ripoll, 20 km north-west of Barcelona. Sabadell is located 190 metres above sea level and is the co-capital of the comarca.

Sabadell pioneered the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia with its textile mills, together with its archrival Terrassa. Thus, in the mid 19th century, it became the most important wool city in Spain, being nicknamed the “Catalan Manchester”. Even today many mills from that period can still be seen, with most of them having been refurbished as residential buildings or other services. Nowadays Sabadell is basically a commercial and industrial city: there are no significant agricultural activities.

Sabadell is an important communications point. Two motorways run beside the city: the C-58 (from Barcelona to Manresa) and the AP-7 (from France and Girona to Tarragona, Valencia and Andalusia), and some roads link Sabadell with nearby cities and towns: Terrassa, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Castellar del Vallès, Granollers, Barberà del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Rubí, Sentmenat and Molins de Rei. A railroad line crosses the city (the Rodalies Barcelona line from Barcelona to Lleida) and another one terminates in the city (the FGC line from Barcelona to Sabadell via Sant Cugat del Vallès). Sabadell has an airport.

Contents

[edit] History

In Roman times a little village called Arragone existed near where the church of La Salut now stands. This grew into the town called Arraona or Arrahona in the Middle Ages. Another little village was built just on the other side of the river. This second village, called Sabadell, located on a plain, began to grow and its population was about 600 people (152 houses) in 1378. Sabadell was enclosed by a wall, but due to population growth in the 16th century, some houses were built outside the wall. At that time the first textile industries appeared in the town, devoted especially to woolen clothing. The woolen industry grew over the next centuries, and in 1800 the town's population was about 2000 people. The 19th century brought two important developments to the town: in 1856 the railroad arrived, and in 1877 the town was dubbed a “city”. In the 1897 census the population of the city was 23,044 people. The city had become the most important producer of woolen clothing in Spain, and these clothes achieved worldwide fame.

[edit] 20th century

The modernisme movement (related to Art Nouveau) had an important influence in the architecture of the city in the early 1900s and distinctive buildings such as the modernista Hotel Suís (1902), Despatx Lluch (1908) and the Caixa d'Estalvis de Sabadell (1915), as well as the Torre de l'Aigua (1918) and the Mercat Central (1930), were built during the first half of the century.

In the early 20th century and alongside Terrassa, Sabadell was the textile city par excellence, being the driving force of a territory poor in natural resources. The population was multiplied by eight, its industry boosted, particularly textiles and metals, and its economy was modernized in the service sector. Due to this industrial activity, Sabadell received massive waves of immigration in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s leading to uncontrolled urban expansion and the creation of some new neighborhoods such as Ca n'Oriac and Torre-Romeu.

The growth of industry and population favored the emergence of an important workers’ movement, and Catalanist, socialist and anarchist parties were very influential up until the upheavals of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). The victory of the Fascist faction in the war was a step backwards for the city, but in the fifties industry recovered and grew once more. Industries needed workers, and many people came from Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura, Castile and other parts of Spain to work in the textile and metal industry. Again, a new workers’ and Catalanist movement emerged, this time against Francisco Franco’s regime and with the support of the Roman Catholic Church. Sabadell was the host of some sessions of the Assemblea de Catalunya, a multi-party organization that brought together communists, socialists, Catalan nationalists, Catholics and others against the Franco regime. The 1973 oil crisis and Franco's death in 1975 meant an important change in Spain and, of course, in Sabadell. The economic crisis compelled the city to diversify its economic activities. New commercial and leisure areas (the Eix Macià) appeared next to the traditional industries, leading to important economic development for the city.

[edit] Geography

Sabadell is located in the middle of the comarca named Vallès Occidental, approximately 20 km from Barcelona. It borders (clockwise, starting from the north) with Castellar del Vallès, Sentmenat, Polinyà, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Barberà del Vallès, Badia del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Sant Quirze del Vallès and Terrassa.

The city covers an area of 37.79 km² and its population density is 5,337.57 hab/km² as of 2007. The altitude is 190 metres. [1]

[edit] Demography

  • Demographic evolution in Sabadell from 1900 until 2007
1900 1930 1950 1970 1986 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
23,294 45,607 59,494 159,408 186,115 185,798 184,859 184,859 183,727 185,170 187,201 191,057 193,338 196,971 200,743 201,712

[edit] Sports

Plaça de Sant Roc in Sabadell

During the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Sabadell was one of the cities where the football competition took place. The matches were played in the Nova Creu Alta stadium, which is also home to one of the most significant of the city’s clubs: Centre d'Esports Sabadell. This local team, currently in the Segunda División B (3rd category), has played 14 seasons in the top division (Primera División), once in the UEFA cup and has even reached the final of the Copa del Rey.

Other major sports clubs are Club Natació Sabadell-CNS (Waterpolo and Swimming Club), with more than 30,000 members, the Unión Excursionista de Sabadell-UES (Excursionists club), with almost 3,000 and the Imaje-Sabadell-Gapsa basketball team, currently playing at LEB-2, the third division of the Spanish basketball league.

Torre de l'aigua at night

[edit] Arts

There are several buildings of historic and artistic interest in the city. The little church of Sant Nicolau (11th century) is a vestige of the town of Arraona. The Casa Duran is a traditional rural house (16th century) placed in the middle of the city. There are some beautiful modernista buildings, like the Hotel Suís (Swiss Hotel, 1902), the Caixa d'Estalvis (1915), the Torre de l'Aigua (an elegant water tower, 1918) and the Mercat Central (Central Market, 1930).

[edit] Famous people from Sabadell

  1. Francesc Trabal: Catalan-language journalist, avant garde writer and humorist.
  2. Joan Oliver: Catalan-language poet and playwright, also known as Pere Quart.
  3. Oleguer Presas: football player.
  4. Marc Gené: F1 driver.
  5. David Meca: professional swimmer.
  6. Sergio Dalma: pop singer.
  7. Ferran Casablancas: textile businessman and father of John Casablancas, creator of Elite Model Management, whose son is Julian Casablancas, vocals of The Strokes.
  8. Dani Pedrosa: three times motorcycle Grand Prix world champion.
  9. Roger García Junyent: football player.
  10. Óscar García Junyent: ex-football player.
  11. Aschwin Wildeboer: swimmer.
  12. Olaf Wildeboer: swimmer.
  13. Miguel Ángel Lozano: football player.
  14. Moisés Hurtado: football player.
  15. Mireia Gubianas: actress.
  16. Bernat Quintana: Actor in El Cor de la Ciutat, Max.
  17. Sergio Busquets: football player
  18. Xavier Oriach: painter

[edit] References

  1. ^ IDESCAT. Geographical indicators. Land, density and population entities. Sabadell
  • Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona:Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish). ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Some important institutions of the city are:

v • d • e
Municipalities of Vallès Occidental
Flag of Catalonia
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