Vilafranca del Penedès
| Vilafranca del Penedès municipality | |||
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| coat of arms | Map of Spain | ||
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| Basic data | |||
| Autonomous Community : | Catalonia | ||
| Province : | Barcelona | ||
| Comarca : | Old Penedès | ||
| Coordinates | 41 ° 21 ′ N , 1 ° 42 ′ E | ||
| Height : | 223 msnm | ||
| Area : | 20 km² | ||
| Residents : | 39,746 (Jan 1, 2019) | ||
| Population density : | 1,987.3 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Founding: | 1151 | ||
| Postal code : | 08720 | ||
| Municipality number ( INE ): | 08305 | ||
| administration | |||
| Official language : | Castilian , Catalan | ||
| Mayor : | Pere Regull i Riba ( Convergència i Unió ) | ||
| Website : | www.vilafranca.cat | ||
| Location of the municipality | |||
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Vilafranca del Penedès ( Catalan , official) or Villafranca del Panadés ( Spanish ) is a municipality in the southwest of the Spanish province of Barcelona and the autonomous region of Catalonia ( Catalan Catalunya ). Vilafranca del Penedès is the administrative center of the Alt Penedès district . On January 1, 2019, the municipality had 39,746 inhabitants. The city has an area of 19.63 km².
In addition to the city center, there are the neighborhoods of Sant Julià, Espirall, Moli d'en Rovira, Poble Nou, Clotes, Barceloneta i Sant Magi and Girada.
The patrons of the city are Sant Ramon de Penyafort and Sant Felix Martir, although the latter is mostly referred to during the city festival at the end of August.
Vilafranca is internationally known for its sparkling wines : the cava and the wines from the area of origin ("Denominacion de Origen") Penedes. In addition, it is also known for the Catalan tradition of collaborative building of human pyramids, which is very actively run by four organizations with many volunteers and can often be seen at public events such as the city festival at the end of August.
The city has one of the oldest fire dragons in Europe, carried by 17 porters and dating from the beginning of the 17th century.
Origin of name
The name Vilafranca refers to a place within the free ("Franc") city of Olèrdola de Penedes (a neighboring town) and the foundation takes place after the failed reconstruction of Olerdola after the Almoravids invaded there in 1108 .
history
founding
It is believed that Vilafranca was founded around the middle of the 12th century in response to the decline of Olèrdola , as its inhabitants were the first to live. More precisely between 1108 and 1151, the year of the first documentary mention. The place was then near the Via Augusta . Since the city was founded, the city had market rights. The structure of the city was typical of a medieval city with a city wall, a Jewish quarter, the guilds and the princes.
Medieval society
Vilafranca was characterized by strong growth during the second half of the 12th century. The location on a route that connected Christian and Muslim areas was crucial. As a consequence of this importance, the king granted the church notarial rights in 1188. The simultaneous organization of religious festivals with fairs and markets as inseparable activities and the royal granting of notarial rights gave the church great legal and economic power.
During the 13th century Vilafranca experienced a significant economic and social boom and the repopulation of its catchment area continues. It had a leading position as a trading center at the intersection of important trading routes. As a royal city, it receives protection and at the same time many privileges, transforming it into a city with outstanding royal influence during this period and where a meeting convened by Jaume I takes place in 1218 , at which both the princes and the prelates and the representatives of the cities and Villages participate. The territorial importance of Vilafranca is confirmed by the establishment of the Vegueria of Vilafranca de Penedes and religious houses. Both ensure that the city develops into a center of great activity
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The medieval city
The center of the settlement was around the first simple church of Santa Maria, a church that was one of the first to contain Gothic elements. Other important buildings were also built during this period, such as the convent of the mendicant order of Sant Francesc, the church of a convent of a military order: the Sant Joan chapel and other buildings that were important in the history of Catalonia, such as the Palau Reial, where Pere the Great died or the Palau Baltà, which has been handed down as the place where the Vilafranca surrender was signed in 1461, which is believed to have sparked the civil war between the Crown and the Generals in the 15th century.
Modern era
The city continued to grow until the middle of the 14th century. After that, a decline began across the country that began with poor harvests. The year 1333 is known as the first bad year. Then came the plague around 1348 and other unpleasant events such as various epidemics of flu, cholera, and disease that struck Vilafranca in 1530, 1558 and 1564. These epidemics coincided with the following wars: Civil War from 1462 to 1472, which hit the city heavily, the Remence War (1483–1486), the War of the Segadores guerra dels Segadors and the War of the Spanish Succession (1705–1715) Despite these bad ones Economic and trading activity slackened only slightly in these years.
During the Napoleonic Wars , Catalonia was again a theater of war. From 1808 Vilafranca, now the seat of the Supreme Council of Catalonia, was sacked several times. When the war was over, viticulture continued in the county and brought about a significant increase in population. From 1879 the phylloxera destroyed the vine plants and there was a significant drop in economic activity and an associated decrease in population. Even so, before the end of the century, viticulture returned as the town's main source of income and consolidated its agricultural character as a wine-growing area.
The economic upswing in the administrative district of Alt Penedes after the phylloxera plague also ensured that an artistic and social trend was able to establish itself here, as in the rest of Europe. Landlords and traders adopted Art Nouveau and built buildings in this architectural style according to their economic possibilities. The Art Nouveau Route of Vilafranca is part of the nine Art Nouveau routes near Barcelona promoted by the Regional Administration of the Province of Barcelona.
Present epoch
In the years between 1950 and 1981, Vilafranca grew again very strongly. Various industries are established and the wine and cava sector is in full bloom. Vilafranca is now one of the leading medium-sized cities in Catalonia, an economic and commercial center with all the necessary services and good connections to all major cities in Catalonia and Spain. In the last few years during the building boom up to 2007, new districts with a large number of new apartments were built, of which 20 percent are currently (2014) vacant.
District
Vilafranca is administratively divided into eight districts.
The center, the oldest part framed by the other quarters of the city. The Placa de la Vila (Town Hall Square), Rambla Nostra Senyora and Rambla Sant Francesc, la Plaça Penedès (Penedes Square), la Plaça de Jaume I (Jaume I Square) and the Santa Maria Church.
Espirall, there you can highlight Avinguda de la Peregrina and Espirall street that lead to the district hospital. The streetscape in the district is strongly influenced by Andalusian and Arab influences, which came here especially in the 1970s and after the turn of the millennium.
Barceloneta, with the station square where the Vilafranca de Penedes train station is located.
Molid'en Rovira, a district that stretches from Comerç street and the train station to the N-340 road.
La Girada, one of the youngest neighborhoods, stretching from the bus station in the south to the N-340.
Poble Nou, there you can highlight Tivoli Park and Amalia Soler Street, one of the longest streets in Vilafranca.
Sant Julià with the Sant Julià Park and the municipal sports and exhibition center.
Les Clotes, where the gas square is located in memory of the old coking plant and the buildings de former slaughterhouse, which today serves as a community and event center.
location
The location of Vilafranca (223 m above sea level), in the center of the Penedès lowlands , between the Serralada Prelitoral and the Garraf massif has always been an important link. The Via Augusta led from here in the direction of Tarragona as early as Romanesque times . In the Middle Ages, this was the route to Begues and Olesa de Bonesvall. And the railway line from Martorell to Tarragona has been in operation since 1865 . In the lowlands of the Penedes there are some mountains that rise up to a few hundred meters above the surroundings: the Sant Jaume mountain (296 m), the Sant Pau mountain (302 m), which is the city's local mountain and can be reached from the city center by a short walk through the wine-growing area.
The city borders the cities of Les Cabanyes and La Granada to the north, Sant Cugat de Sesgarrigues and Olèrdola to the east, Santa Margarida i els Monjos to the south and Sant Martí Sarroca i Pacs del Penedès to the west .
climate
There is a Mediterranean climate. The average temperature in January is 7 ° C and in July 25 ° C. There is annual rainfall of 550 liters per square meter.
Climate table
Culture and society
Festivals and traditions
Of the city festivals, the “Fires de Maig” (May Festival) should be highlighted, as well as the festivals in the individual districts in July and August, and the big city festival from August 29th to September 2nd, which is organized by the Catalan government, the Generalitat, declared a national cultural heritage. Another important festival is the grape harvest festival in Penedes.
During the big city festival you can admire folkloric figures, social balls and figures from the cultural heritage, such as the dragon (see next paragraph), the devils, the Serrallonga ball, Aliga, els gigants, els nans, the ball of the gypsies. In addition, on August 30th the building of human pyramids takes place, the "Diada de Sant Felix". Since 1985, the tradition of the Moixiganga ball has also been revived.
Vilafranca is also in possession of an animal figure that is almost 4 m long and weighs 115 kg, which is considered to be the oldest in Catalonia and Europe: a fire-breathing dragon, which, according to documents, dates back to 1601, although it is certainly much older. There are currently two copies of it, one in Vilafranca and one in Belgium.
"Vijazz" is a festival dedicated to the wines and cavas des Penedes and is celebrated on the first weekend in July. Musical performances by nationally and internationally known jazz greats on stages in the historic city center as well as a cultural and gastronomic supporting program.
Vilafranca organizes the Xato Festival (see Gastronomy ), which the city is on the Xato Route, which has been very popular with both local audiences and foreign visitors from the start. The Xato festival in Vilafranca de Penedes is celebrated in the third week of January and is always well attended because it is the only show where all four official versions of this popular dish are prepared. While the other Xato festivals such as in the towns of El Vendrell or Vilanova i la Geltrú limit themselves to tasting their own Xatos, in Vilafranca you can try all 4 Xatos: the one from Sitges , the one from Vilanova, the one from Vendrell and the one from Vilafranca.
Cultural centers and other events, cinema, music
Vilafranca has the “La Principal” cultural center and the “Kubrick” as outstanding film theaters. There is also a recently opened municipal music hall (“Auditori municipal”) in the city near the municipal sports and exhibition center to accommodate musical performances and concerts. The “El Bolet” theater was founded in 1886 as the main theater through a private initiative. Since the beginning of the 20th century it has been called "Can Bolet" after the family name of the new owner. Since 1982 it has been under the authority of the city. The building consists of four different rooms: the entrance hall, parquet, first and second tier, the stage and the artists' changing rooms. The hall has a capacity for 386 visitors. It offers an adequate space for clubs and theater groups and their activities related to stage art. The theater has a regular program of professional theater, music and dance artists.
Museums
Vinseum Catalan Museum of Wine Culture
Human pyramids (castells)
The origins of this tradition of castells , closely associated with the city, date back to the end of the 18th century and are linked to other popular customs such as dances and appetizers. They can be found in the towers at the end of the Valencian balls used in religious processions. These balls ended with a figure that ended with the erection of a human pyramid. Over time, the importance and size increased until they eventually separated from the actual balls. As early as the 15th century, people made “moixigangues”, balls with human constructions reminiscent of the Muixeranga .
In the 18th century they spread to the south of Catalonia and were practiced in the Camp de Tarragona and its surroundings, where the groups took part in the city festivals.
The beginnings: The first documented human pyramid (tower with six floors, accompanied by a dulzaina ) dates from 1770 in the neighboring town of Arboç. In the 1790s the word Castells was used to distinguish it from the Valencian balls. On February 2nd, 1801, the first pyramids appear at Candelera in Valls . In Vilafranca today there are four groups building human pyramids, the first one was founded in 1948 and is called Castellers de Vilafranca, the second, Xicots de Vilafranca, was founded in autumn 1981 and the third group is the Falcons de Vilafranca from 1959. The fourth group dates back to 2010 and is called “Colla Jove dels Xiquest de Vilafranca”.
gastronomy
Characteristic dishes from Vilafranca are:
- La Coca Garlanda, prepared with Matafaluga,
- the Catanies de Vilafranca, sweets made from almonds,
- the Xato de Vilafranca, prepared with escarola salad, cod, tuna and arbequina olives, with a sauce made from garlic, sweet pepper, chilli pepper (Bitxo, possible), olive oil, vinegar and salt
Penedes wines: The Penedès is known for its particularly good DO (denominacion de Origen: origin) wines: white, fresh, fruity and with different alcohol content while the red wines are described as mild, velvety and with character. The rosé wines are also aromatic and fruity.
Attractions
There are a large number of buildings dating back to the Middle Ages, as well as a large center with many shopping streets converted into pedestrian streets. There are also Art Nouveau houses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries along the city's two Ramblas, such as Casa Miró, Casa Fortuny and Casa Guasch.
The old town center around Jaume-I-Platz should be emphasized, where important buildings such as the Church of Santa Maria, the Palau Reial (“Royal Palace”), the Sant Pelegri Chapel and the Capella dels Dolors (“Chapel of Sorrows”) from the 17th Century. Construction of the Basilica of Santa Maria began as early as the 13th century. It is built in the Gothic style and has only a simple hall. In the Royal Palace is now the Vinseum, the museum of wine culture in Catalonia.
At the Placa de Vila ("Town Hall Square") is the church of Sant Joan, which has both Gothic structures and late Romanesque features. The town hall, built in the Catalan Art Nouveau “Modernisme”, is also located on the square.
Further examples of Catalan Art Nouveau can be found on the two Ramblas Nostra Senyora and Sant Francesc, as well as on General Prim Street and Hermenegid Clascar Street.
At the Placa Vall del Castell is the seat of the organizers of the city festival of Vilafranca de Penedes.
graveyard
A little away from the center in the Espirall district is the cemetery with pantheons in neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau. Personalities such as Eugeni d'Ors and Manuel Milà i Fontanals are buried there. The churchyard was built in 1839 on the site of an earlier Capuchin order that was transferred from the state to the city in 1837 as a result of the Mendizabal Treaty . The cemetery has a rectangular base and has a large number of intricately designed graves, gardens and a public chapel. Honored architects such as Santiago Güell , August Font or Antonie Pons have designed some of the grave structures that give clues to the social significance of the people and families who are buried here.
As part of the architectural heritage, the cemetery helps to visualize these cultural values and invites the deceased to be remembered along the paths using the few symbols of collective memory on the graves. The Vilafranca Municipal Cemetery is part of the European Association of Important Cemeteries.
Buildings
A number of buildings from the Middle Ages have survived, including the “Basilica de Santa Maria”, the “Palau del Comtes Reis” and the “Palau Baltà”.
Personalities who have worked on site
Peter III died in Vilafranca del Penedès on November 2, 1285 . the Great (1240–1285), King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona .
Town twinning
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Bühl (Baden) , ( Germany ) since 2002 -
Novo mesto , ( Slovenia ) -
Melzo , ( Italy ) -
Puerto Cabezas , ( Nicaragua )
Personalities
sons and daughters of the town
- Gloria Lasso (1922–2005), chanson and pop singer
- Josep Enric Dallerès Codina (* 1949), Andorran writer
- Marc Roca (* 1996), football player
- Pol Retamal (* 1999), athlete
Personalities who have worked on site
Peter III died in Vilafranca del Penedès on November 2, 1285 . the Great , King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona
Others
The city festival ( Festa Major ) in honor of the patron saint Sant Felix is celebrated on August 30th. A special feature are the huge castells (human pyramids ) that are built during the city festival, which lasts several days.
Web links
- Topographic map and data of the Generalitat at Vilafranca del Penedès ( Memento of March 11, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).