| Lloret de Mar | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Nickname(s): lloret | |||
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Lloret de Mar
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Spain | ||
| Community | Catalonia | ||
| Province | Girona | ||
| Comarca | Selva | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Xavier Crespo i Llobet (Convergencia i Unió (CIU)) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 48.71 km2 (18.8 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| • Total | 37,734 | ||
| • Density | 774.7/km2 (2,006.4/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Lloretenc, lloretenca | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Website | lloret website | ||
Lloret de Mar (Spanish pronunciation: [ʎoˈɾe‿ðe ˈmar]; Catalan pronunciation: [ʎuˈɾɛd də ˈmar]) is a Mediterranean coastal town in Catalonia and one of the most popular holiday resorts on the Costa Brava. It is 40 kilometres from Girona and 75 kilometres from Barcelona and therefore easily accessible. With a population of 39,363 (as of 1st January 2009) it is the second largest town in the Selva comarca (county) of Catalonia.
For decades Lloret de Mar has attracted summer visitors on package tours and is considered as one of the most important resorts on the Costa Brava. Lloret de Mar's main beach (length: 1,630 m; width: 45 m; white sand) is one of the most popular Costa Brava beaches and is consistently awarded the Blue Flag for cleanliness.
Lloret’s nightlife attracts an 18-30s crowd mainly from Luxembourg, Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands and other, mostly European, countries.
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There are historical remains of Iberian and Roman civilisations at various archeological sites. The first written references to Lloret de Mar can be found in documents from 966 as Loredo from the Latin word "lauretum" (bay laurel). Like many Mediterranean coastal towns, Lloret was frequently invaded by the Saracens in the Middle Ages. It is said that the traditional Ball de Plaça (the Dance in the Town Square) dates from this era.
Until the 15th century, the town’s centre was located one kilometre inland, next to the Chapel of Les Alegries (the town’s main church before the Church of Sant Romà was built) to protect itself from attacks from English, French, Turkish and Algerian pirates. Lloret’s port became commercially important in the 18th century. It no longer exists but the Garriga Houses built by Americanos, rich returning Spanish immigrants to the Americas, remind us of this affluent era.
| 1900 | 1930 | 1950 | 1970 | 1986 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,242 | 3,012 | 3,159 | 7,064 | 14,567 | 39,363 |
The city has a roller hockey team CH Lloret, one of the most important in Spain, and dispute the main League OK Liga.