Mataró(Catalan pronunciation:[mətəˈɾo]) is the capital and largest town of theMaresmecounty inCatalonia,Spain.It is located on theMaresme coast,to the south ofCosta Brava,betweenCabrera de MarandSant Andreu de Llavaneres,30 kilometres (19 miles) north-east ofBarcelona.As of 2021[update],it had a population of 129,749.
Mataró | |
|---|---|
 Port of Mataró | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Mataró | |
 Location in Maresme county | |
  Mataró  Mataró | |
| Coordinates:41°32′N2°27′E/ 41.533°N 2.450°E | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous Community | Catalonia |
| Region | Barcelona |
| County | Maresme |
| Province | Barcelona |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | David Boté Paz (2015)[1][2](PSC) |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.5 km2(8.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 28 m (92 ft) |
| Population (2018)[4] | |
• Total | 126,988 |
| • Density | 5,600/km2(15,000/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Mataroní |
| Website | mataro |
History
edit
Mataró dates back toRomantimes when it was a village known as "Iluro" or "Illuro". The ruins of a first-century BC Romanbath house(known locally as theTorre Llauder) were recently discovered and can be visited. The coastalN-II highwayfollows 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 firstrailwayinpeninsular Spainwas the Mataró –Barcelonaline which opened on 28 October 1848 by theCatalanbusinessman and Mataró nativeMiquel Biada.This line now forms part of theRenfe/Rodalies de CatalunyaR1suburban service betweenL'Hospitalet de LlobregatandMaçanet-Massanes.Mataró is also connected with Barcelona andGironaby theC-32autopista(freeway) and withGranollersby theC-60autopista.
During the1992 Summer Olympicsin Barcelona, Mataró was the starting point for themarathonevents.[5]
Main sights
editMataró is the birthplace of thenoucentistaarchitectJosep Puig i Cadafalch,who designed theajuntament(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 theRoman villa of Can Llauder.
Agriculture
editThe traditionalvineyardswere devastated byPhylloxerain the nineteenth century and only partially replanted, due to the growth of the tourist industry and the development ofirrigationin the area.Potatoeswere one of the first replacement crops to be introduced, especially theRoyal Kidneyvariety, and Mataró obtained aDenominació d'Origenin 1932.[6]Trocaderolettuceandpeasare also grown, mostly for export. The production of cut flowers is less important than in other towns of theMaresme.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 modernviticulture,the redmourvèdregrape 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
editMataró has a borderlinehumid subtropical climate(CfainKöppen climate classification) bordering with aHot-summer mediterranean climate,(KöppenCsa).
| 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) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (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
edit
Several major events are celebrated annually in Mataró. Some of them are also celebrated in the rest ofCataloniaand others, which have a religious origin, are part of thefolkloreandtraditionsofSpainand some other countries. Among all of them the most popular ones are:
- The three wise menin Mataró.
- Carnivalin Mataró: celebrated immediately before Lent.
- Easterin Mataró: celebrated every year during one week on a movable date from the end of March to the very beginning of May
- Saint Georgein Mataró: celebrated on 23 April. It is a big celebration although it is not a bank holiday.
- St. John the Baptistin Mataró: celebrated on 24 June
- Les Santes:local festivity of the city celebrated at the end of July. It involves the recognition ofSaint Juliana and Saint Semproniana.
- The cagaTió:celebrated in Catalonia on Christmas’ Eve, 24 December.
- Mataró also celebrates several fairs such as:Tres TombsandSaint 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
edit
Cehegín,Spain
Dürnau,Germany- Gammelshausen,Germany
Créteil,France
Corsico,Italy
Fort Lauderdale,United States
Notable people
edit- Adoración Apolo(born 1979), footballer
- Miguel Biada(1789-1848), sea merchant and promoter of first Spanish train connection (Mataró-Barcelona)
- Peret(1935-2014), musician
- Josep Puig i Cadafalch(1867-1956), CatalanModernistaarchitect
- Nacho Vidal(born 1973), pornographer
- Lamine Yamal(born 2007), footballer
See also
editReferences
edit- ^New Municipal TeamArchived17 July 2011 at theWayback Machine(in Catalan)
- ^"Ajuntament de Mataró".Generalitat of Catalonia.Retrieved13 November2015.
- ^"El municipi en xifres: Mataró".Statistical Institute of Catalonia.Retrieved23 November2015.
- ^Municipal Register of Spain 2018.National Statistics Institute.
- ^1992 Summer Olympics official report.Archived28 May 2008 at theWayback MachineVolume 2. pp. 204-6.
- ^Source:Catalan Wikipedia.ThisDenominació d'Origenis not currently (2006) protected atEuropean Unionlevel (seelistArchived17 January 2007 at theWayback Machine).
- ^"ESP BARCELONA - MATARO".
- Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989).Guia de Catalunya,Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya.ISBN84-87135-01-3(Spanish).ISBN84-87135-02-1(Catalan).
External links
edit
- Official website
- Government data pages(in Catalan)