Mataró

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Mataró
Coat of arms of {{{city_name}}}
Coat of Arms
Location
General information
Province Barcelona
Comarca Maresme
Demonym Mataroní, mataronina
Land Area 22.57 km²
Altitude 28 m AMSL
Population 119.035 (2007)
Density 5170 hab./km²

Coordinates: 41°32′N, 2°27′E

"Mataro" redirects here. For the wine grape, see Mourvèdre.

Mataró (Latin: Iluro) 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 Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava.

La Riera, one of the main streets of Mataró
La Riera, one of the main streets of Mataró

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 N-II highway 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 Spain was the Mataró – Barcelona line which opened on 1848-10-28, 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 C-32 autopista (freeway) and with Granollers by the C-60 autopista.

Contents

[edit] Agriculture

The traditional vineyards 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. Potatoes were one of the first replacement crops to be introduced, especially the Royal Kidney variety, and Mataró obtained a Denominació d'Origen in 1932.[1] Trocadero lettuce and peas 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).

[edit] Architecture

Mataró is the birth place of noucentista architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867–1956), 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

[edit] Festivals, celebrations and events

The beach
The beach

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:

  • The three wise men in Mataró: The 3 Wise Men is the most important celebration for children in Spain and South America. It is celebrated every year on the 6th of January.The celebration is part of the Christmas holidays, and we can say it lasts 2 days, the night of the 5th and the whole day 6th.The holiday is a christian religious tradition that comes from the Bible. People celebrate the arrival of the 3 Wise Men at the hall of Belen, when they brought the presents for Jesus.A few days before the celebration children write letters to Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar and they ask for presents. On the evening of 5th the families go to see the parade of the arrival of the 3 Kings to their town. They are magic and bring children the presents they asked for but only if they children behaved properly during the past year! At night children put the shoes in the window or the chimney so that the kings know where to leave the presents. Children also leave some food like: ‘polvorones’, chocolates and drinks for the Kings. On the morning of 6th when the family gets up they see the presents next to the shoes and they open the presents, and eat the King’s Cake which is called roscon de reyes.
  • Carnival in Mataró: celebrated immediately before Lent.
  • Easter in Mataró: celebrated every year during one week on a movable date from the end of March to the very beginning of May
  • Saint George in Mataró: celebrated on the 23rd of April. It is a big celebration although it is not a bank holiday.
  • Saint Joan in Mataró: celebrated on the 24th of June
  • The Santes: local festivity of the city celebrated at the end of July. It involves the recognition of Saint Juliana and Saint Semproniana.
  • The Tió: 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. It’s origin is in the XVI when in spring herbalists took medicine to the sick. Today Sant Ponç fair is celebrated to preserve the antique customs.
  • Among the festivals I would highlight: Music of the world Festival"Cultural Crossroad" and International Dance Festival "Days of Dance"

[edit] Demography

1900 1930 1950 1970 1986 2007
19,704 28,034 31,640 73,129 100,021 119,035

[edit] References

  1. ^ Source: Catalan Wikipedia. This Denominació d'Origen is not currently (2006) protected at European Union level (see list).
  • 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] External links

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Municipalities of Maresme
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