Terrassa

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Terrassa
Flag of Terrassa Coat of arms of Terrassa
Flag Coat of Arms
Location
Coordinates : 41°33′40, N°2′0
Time zone : CET (GMT +1)
- summer : CEST (GMT +2)
General information
Native name Terrassa (Catalan)
Spanish name Terrassa
Postal code 08221-08229
Area code +34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona)
Website http://www.terrassa.cat/
Administration
Country Spain
Autonomous Community Catalonia
Province Barcelona
Comarca Vallès Occidental
Administrative Divisions 6
Neighborhoods 38
Mayor Pere Navarro (PSC)
Geography
Land Area 70.2 km²
Altitude 286 m AMSL
Population
Population 202,136 (2007)
- rank in Spain: 25
Density 2,879 hab./km² (2007)

Terrassa is a Spanish city, the fourth in Catalonia according to the number of the inhabitants. Located in the northeastern region of Catalonia, the town is in the plain of Vallès Occidental of which it is the co-capital and the largest city. Its area of influence reaches more than one quarter of million people.

Contents

[edit] Situation

The Masia Freixa of Terrassa, see of parabolic archs
The Masia Freixa of Terrassa, see of parabolic archs
Castle of Vallparadís
Castle of Vallparadís

The city is located at the Catalan Prelitoral depression (Depressió Prelitoral), to the feet of the Prelitoral mountain range (Natural reserve of Sant Llorenç del Munt), the average altitude of the city is 277 meters over sea level. It is 28 and 20 kilometres from Barcelona and Montserrat respectively.

[edit] History

The found vestiges indicate that the zone where Terrassa is placed was inhabited since prehistory. The year 2005, during the building work of a tunnel for one of the railway lines of the city, was found in the Park of Vallparadís[1] a prehistoric site with stone tools and fossils of hunted animals of an antiquity among 800,000 and 1,000,000 years, which implies this is one of the oldest prehistoric sites in Europe. Terrassa has the origin in the old Roman municipality of Egara (Municipium Flavium Egara) founded during the time of the emperor Vespasian (69-79 bc) placed alongside the torrent of Vallparadís (nowadays an urban park) close to old Iberian town of Egosa, from where was found some ceramic and coins.

Towards the half of the 5th century, in 450, the episcopal see of Ègara already was there, where was celebrated into 615 a Provincial Council, and there remained until VIIIth century,718, when occurred the Muslim conquest. At this placement there is today the monumental ensemble of the Visigothic-Romanesque churches of Sant Pere de Terrassa. Other important vestiges of the Middle Ages are the castle of Vallparadis (from the 1344 to the 1413 a Carthusian monks monastery and today a Municipal Museum) and the tower of Palau (of the Castle-Palace of the Count-king).

In the XIXth century the city played an important role in the development of the industrial revolution with a special devotion to wool fabrics, today there is an important art nouveau legacy fruit of the importance that the city obtained. Buildings style art nouveau like Masia Freixa (1907), the vapor Aymerich Amat i Jover (1907), current Museum of the Science and the Technique of Catalonia, the Principal theater (1920), the Town hall (1902), the house-museum Alegre de Sagrera (1911), the Industrial School (1904), the Gran Casino (1920), the Parc de Desinfecció (1920), or the Independència market (1908) to only quote some of the most excelled. Terrassa is a partner city of the Art nouveau network [2] a European network of co-operation created in 1999 for the study, safeguards and development of the Art nouveau.

[edit] Demographics

Evolution of the population in Terrassa (1543 – 2007)
1543 3,000 1920 30,532 1960 92,239 2000 175,649
1824 4,195 1930 39,975 1970 138,697 2004 196,053
1857 8,721 1940 45,081 1980 155,360 2007 202,136
1910 22,679 1950 58,880 1990 161,823


Image:EsglésiaSantaMaria(Terrassa).jpg
Saint Mary old Cathedral

[edit] The monumental ensemble of the churches of Sant Pere (Saint Peter)

The three churches were built close to the placement of old Ègara as see of Ègara Diocese, created about the year 450 and which remained until VIIIth century. The episcopal ensemble follows the Byzantine model of antiquity, with two churches (Sant Pere and Santa Maria) and a baptistery (Sant Miquel). After a long constructive process, the churches are finished in the current manner about the XIth and XIIth centuries and in Romanesque style, are built on old pre-romanesque buildings of the Visigothic time. The walls of Santa Maria keep outstanding artistic pieces, like a museum, there are murals which go from the Romanesque style to the Gothic. There is also an altar stone of Xth century and medieval and romanesque sepulchral stones (in one of them there is written documentation of the name of the Roman town of Egara). In the transept there are three Gothic altarpieces of great value.

Image:EsglesiaSantMiquel(Terrassa).jpg
Saint Michael
  • Sant Pere (Saint Peter)
    • Transept and apse from IX & X centuries
    • Nave from XII century
    • Mosaic from X century (geometric designs)
    • Stone altarpiece of Sant Pere from X century
    • Gothic frescoes from XIII century
Altarpiece of Sant Abdó i Sant Senen
Altarpiece of Sant Abdó i Sant Senen
  • Sant Miquel (Saint Michael)
    • Shape in greek cross and walls are the originals from VI century
    • Frescoes from VI and VIII centuries in the apse
  • Other outstanding elements
    • Altarpiece of Sant Pere (1411) by Lluís Borrassà
    • Altarpiece of Roser (1587)
    • Altarpiece of Sant Ruf (XVII century)
    • Altarpiece of Sant Miquel (1450-51) by Jaume Cirera & Guillem Talarn
    • Gothic altarpiece of Sant Abdò i Sant Senèn (1460) by Jaume Huguet
    • Polichromed sculpture of saint Mary from XIV century

[edit] Culture

The city, heiress of a rich medieval, art nouveau and industrial inheritance, takes into account a wide network of libraries, Historical Archives and museums.


[edit] Museums

  • the museum of Terrassa, municipal owned, has various sections:
    • Castle Cartoixa de Vallparadís, in the Park of Vallparadís
    • Visigothic-Romanesque churches of Sant Pere (Saint Peter)
    • Casa Alegre de Sagrera, house style art nouveau in the Font Vella street
    • Tower of Palau, the only vestige of the castle-palace of the count-kings of Catalonia in Terrassa
    • Center of medieval interpretation of the city of Terrassa
    • Convent of Sant Francesc, cloister decorated with polichromed ceramics (1671 - 1673)
  • Museum of the Science and the Technique of Catalonia, installed in the old vapor Aymerich Amat i Jover, managed by the Generalitat de Catalunya
The Town hall
The Town hall
  • the Documentation centre and Textile Museum of the Barcelona Diputation
  • the Parochial Museum of Sant Esperit, in the cathedral.

[edit] Municipal Government

The Municipal Council has 27 seats and according to the result of the local elections of May 2007 is formed by:

  • PSC 13 seats (28,640 votes, 43.56%)
  • CiU 6 seats (13,041 votes, 19.83%)
  • ICV 3 seats (6,736 votes, 10.25%)
  • PP 3 seats (6,468 votes, 9.84%)
  • ERC 2 seats (4,870 votes, 7.41%)

The municipal government is formed by a coalition between PSC, ICV and ERC. The Mayor is Pere Navarro (PSC).

[edit] Communications

Motorways
Motorways

Terrassa is well communicated with Barcelona and its port and airport by motorway, C-58 and C-16 also links the city with the interior (Manresa), the north (Girona and France) or the south (Tarragona).

The railway arrived to Terrassa in 1856, nowadays two lines arrive to the city. The first one, operated by RENFE, connect with Barcelona and Lleida, and the second one, operated by FGC, with Barcelona. FGC is expanding its line to the north of the city building three new stations, one of them will act as a rail hub with RENFE line.

Diverse lines of interurban buses connect Terrassa with the closest cities and towns like Sabadell, Castellar del Vallès, Martorell, Rubí, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Vacarisses, etc.

The transport inside the city is served by 14 bus lines operated by a municipal company (TMESA). In the future, when the three FGC new stations and the two planned in RENFE line will be in use, railway will become an urban transport.

[edit] Sports

Terrassa was a pioneer in the introduction of field hockey and korfball in Catalonia and played an important role in the introduction of basketball. The most important sport in the city is field hockey. During the Olympic Games of Barcelona in 1992, Terrassa was the city where the field hockey competition was played. The great number of hockey players from Terrassa who participated in the Olympic Games over the years have led to Terrassa being referred to as the “most Olympic city of the world.” Between 1928 and 2004, Terrassa sent 124 people to the Olympic Games; the majority of them were hockey players. Three local field hockey clubs play in the main Spanish league championship:

  • Atlètic Terrassa Hockey Club (also the female team)
  • Club Egara
  • Club Deportiu Terrassa (also the female team)

Atlètic Terrassa and Club Egara have won the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup.

Other local sports teams include Club Natació Terrassa (water polo), which won the 2006 LEN Trophy); Terrassa FC (football), and Sferic Terrassa (basketball).

Romanesque monastery at the top of la Mola (1107 m), the highest point of the natural reserve of Sant Llorenç del Munt i Serra de l'Obac
Romanesque monastery at the top of la Mola (1107 m), the highest point of the natural reserve of Sant Llorenç del Munt i Serra de l'Obac

[edit] Mass media

Terrasa counts on a local newspaper, the Diari de Terrassa, that is published daily of Tuesday to Saturday, as well as several radio transmitters: Ràdio Terrassa Chain TO BE Vallès -828 A.M. and 89,4 FM-, with more than 75 years of history to its backs, being one of the pioneering transmitters in Catalunya and Spain, the municipal transmitter (noucincpuntdos, 95,2 FM, http://www.radiomunicipalterrassa.com, also can be listened to Radio Star de Terrassa, the cultural transmitter of the city, that it emits by the 100,5 FM, http://www.radiostarterrassa.com, this transmitter was based in 1984 and is one of the historical local radios of Catalonia.


Also the city counts on diverse local televisions - TV20 Locàlia Vallès (prevailed) and Canal Terrassa (policeman), http://www.canalterrassatv.com/, with a hearing of more than 50,000 viewers. In addition, also the gratuitous newspaper “Terrassa Societat” is published, of monthly diffusion and with a distance of 50,000 units controlled by the OJD and of “Terrassa Month”, that is published of Monday through Friday also collecting local. From 2005 centa with the municipal digital newspaper http://www.e-newsterrassa.com/, in Catalan. The municipal Web http://www.terrassa.cat/ despicable number of more has the nothing than 115,000 monthly visitors

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


v • d • e
Municipalities of Vallès Occidental
Badia del Vallès · Barberà del Vallès · Castellar del Vallès · Castellbisbal · Cerdanyola del Vallès · Gallifa · Matadepera · Montcada i Reixac · Palau-solità i Plegamans · Polinyà · Rellinars · Ripollet · Rubí · Sabadell · Sant Cugat del Vallès · Sant Llorenç Savall · Sant Quirze del Vallès · Santa Perpètua de Mogoda · Sentmenat · Terrassa · Ullastrell · Vacarisses · Viladecavalls
 Flag of Catalonia

Coordinates: 41°34′N, 2°00′E