Mataró

Coordinates: 41°32′N 2°27′E / 41.533°N 2.450°E / 41.533; 2.450
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mataró
Port of Mataró
Port of Mataró
Flag of Mataró
Coat of arms of Mataró
Map
Location of Mataró
Location in Maresme county
Location in Maresme county
Mataró is located in Catalonia
Mataró
Mataró
Mataró is located in Spain
Mataró
Mataró
Coordinates: 41°32′N 2°27′E / 41.533°N 2.450°E / 41.533; 2.450
Sovereign state Spain
Community Catalonia
RegionBarcelona
CountyMaresme
ProvinceBarcelona
Government
 • MayorDavid Boté Paz (2015)[1][2] (PSC)
Area
 • Total22.5 km2 (8.7 sq mi)
Elevation
28 m (92 ft)
Population
 (2018)[4]
 • Total126,988
 • Density5,600/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
DemonymMataroní
Websitemataro.cat

Mataró (Catalan pronunciation: [mətəˈɾo]) is the capital and largest town of the Maresme county in Catalonia (Spain). It is located on the Maresme coast, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, 30 kilometres (19 miles) north-east of Barcelona. As of 2021, it had a population of c. 129,749 inhabitants.

History

Roman villa of Can Llauder.

Mataró dates back to

N-II highway follows the same path as the original Roman road, Via Augusta
.

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 peninsular Spain was the Mataró – Barcelona line which opened on 28 October 1848 by the Catalan businessman and Mataró native Miquel Biada. This line now forms part of the Renfe/Rodalies de Catalunya 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
.

During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Mataró was the starting point for the marathon events.[5]

Main sights

Mataró is the birthplace of the noucentista architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who designed the ajuntament (town hall) and several other notable buildings in the town:

  • Casa Coll i Regàs.
  • Casa Parera.
  • Casa Sisternes.
  • El Rengle.
  • Hermitage of St. Simon.
  • La Beneficiència.
  • Mataró City Wall. (was built between 1569 and 1600 and was designed by the military engineer Jorge de Setara. This wall is supposed to follow, to a large extent, the line of the old Roman wall. It was built with small stones bound with lime mortar. The Mataró City Wall had seven large gates, as well as attached towers that gave it greater defence. During the 19th century, many sections of the old Mataró City Wall were demolished.)

Nearby the town are the archaeological remains of the Roman villa of Can Llauder.

Agriculture

The traditional

Denominació d'Origen in 1932.[6] 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 square kilometres (3.53 sq mi) of the 10.57 square kilometres (4.08 sq mi) of agricultural land in the municipality in 1986 (47% of the municipal territory).

In modern viticulture, the red mourvèdre grape variety is a better-known synonym for the grape known in Spain, the U.S., and Australia as mataro. Mataró, the city, is thought to be the likely origin of mataro, the wine grape.

Climate

Mataró has a borderline

Hot-summer mediterranean climate, (Köppen
Csa).

Climate data for Mataró (data from 1931 to 1969)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 14.0
(57.2)
13.7
(56.7)
15.8
(60.4)
17.2
(63.0)
20.3
(68.5)
24.0
(75.2)
26.8
(80.2)
27.3
(81.1)
25.1
(77.2)
21.6
(70.9)
16.9
(62.4)
13.8
(56.8)
19.7
(67.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 10.3
(50.5)
10.2
(50.4)
12.3
(54.1)
14.0
(57.2)
16.9
(62.4)
20.7
(69.3)
23.5
(74.3)
23.9
(75.0)
21.7
(71.1)
18.0
(64.4)
13.6
(56.5)
10.6
(51.1)
16.3
(61.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1)
6.7
(44.1)
8.9
(48.0)
10.7
(51.3)
13.5
(56.3)
17.3
(63.1)
20.2
(68.4)
20.4
(68.7)
18.2
(64.8)
14.5
(58.1)
10.4
(50.7)
7.4
(45.3)
12.9
(55.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 33
(1.3)
53
(2.1)
50
(2.0)
45
(1.8)
66
(2.6)
42
(1.7)
27
(1.1)
33
(1.3)
56
(2.2)
91
(3.6)
74
(2.9)
35
(1.4)
605
(24)
Source: Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial[7]

Festivals, celebrations and events

The beach

Several major events are celebrated annually in Mataró. Some of them are also celebrated in the rest of

traditions of Spain
and some other countries. Among all of them the most popular ones are:

  • The three wise men
    in Mataró.
  • 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 23 April. It is a big celebration although it is not a bank holiday.
  • St. John the Baptist
    in Mataró: celebrated on 24 June
  • Les Santes: local festivity of the city celebrated at the end of July. It involves the recognition of Saint Juliana and Saint Semproniana.
  • The caga
    Tió
    : celebrated in Catalonia on Christmas’ Eve, 24 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. Its origins date to the 16th century, when in Spring herbalists took medicine to the sick. Today Sant Ponç fair is celebrated to preserve the antique customs.
  • Festival "Cultural Crossroad".
  • International Dance Festival "Days of Dance".

Twin towns

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ New Municipal Team Archived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Catalan)
  2. Generalitat of Catalonia
    . Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  3. Statistical Institute of Catalonia
    . Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  4. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  5. ^ 1992 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Volume 2. pp. 204-6.
  6. ^ Source: Catalan Wikipedia. This Denominació d'Origen is not currently (2006) protected at European Union level (see list Archived 17 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine).
  7. ^ "ESP BARCELONA - MATARO".
  • Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Catalan).

External links