Sant Boi de Llobregat
| Sant Boi de Llobregat | ||
|---|---|---|
| Municipality | ||
| ||
  Sant Boi de Llobregat Location within Spain | ||
 Sant Boi de Llobregat Location within the Catalonia region | ||
| Coordinates: 41°20′46″N 2°02′31″E / 41.34611°N 2.04194°ECoordinates: 41°20′46″N 2°02′31″E / 41.34611°N 2.04194°E | ||
| Country |
 Spain | |
| Community |
 Catalonia | |
| Province | Barcelona | |
| Comarca | Baix Llobregat | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 21.94 km2 (8.47 sq mi) | |
| Population (2002) | ||
| • Total | 80,738 | |
| Demonym | Santboià/-na | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Sant Boi de Llobregat (IPA: [ˈsam ˈbɔj ðə ʎuβɾəˈɣat]) is a town of 80,000 inhabitants (as of 2004) in the Barcelona province in Spain, 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 de Llobregat, 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.
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 Catalonia, PSC). The city council's seats are as follows:
- Socialists' Party of Catalonia 13 (social democratic)
- Initiative for Catalonia Greens 3 (ecologist, socialist and federalist)
- People's Party 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 Citizenry 1 (Unionist pro-Spanish)
History
The finding of archeological remains corresponding to Iberian 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.[1]
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.
Demography
| 1900 | 1930 | 1950 | 1970 | 1986 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,311 | 8,867 | 10,811 | 50,051 | 75,789 | 80,738 |
Notable places
- Sant Baldiri's church
- Termas Romanas.
- Sant Ramon hermitage.
Prominent people from Sant Boi
- Pau Gasol - NBA player (Chicago Bulls)
- Marc Gasol - NBA player (Memphis Grizzlies)
- Both Gasol brothers were actually born in Barcelona, at the hospital where their parents worked. The family moved from another Barcelona suburb, Cornellà, to Sant Boi when Pau was 6 years old and Marc a year old.
- Oriol Ripol - professional rugby player
See also
- UE Santboiana - the local rugby team
References
- 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).
External links
- Artistic and historical buildings in Sant Boi de Llobregat (in Catalan)
- Sant Boi's City Council's Site in Catalan
- Sant Boi's City Council's official statistic site in Catalan
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Santa Coloma de Cervelló | Sant Joan Despí | Cornellà de Llobregat | |
| Sant Climent de Llobregat |  |
El Prat de Llobregat | ||
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| Viladecans |
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