Cambrils
Encyclopedia
Cambrils is a coastal town in the comarca
of Baix Camp
, province of Tarragona, Catalonia
, Spain
. The town is nearby the tourist town, Salou
and is frequently visited by those travelling by air using Reus Airport
and major transport links such as the Plana Bus and the RENFE
.
times, although it was not until the Roman
period that the present town of Cambrils began to grow. This is evident from the archaeological sites found throughout the municipality, such as the Roman villa
of La Llosa, strategically located alongside the Via Augusta
and not far from the Roman capital of Tarraco
.
By the mediaeval
period there was already a permanent settlement on the right bank of the Alforja Torrent. From 1152 the kingdom of Catalonia and Aragon
, having driven the Moors
out of Catalonia, granted a series of privileges to encourage the repopulation of the place known as Cambrils. It was in the 12th century that the foundations were laid for the establishment of a stable population centre here at the southern gateway to the Camp de Tarragona
, well connected to El Camino Real
(the Royal Road) that linked Tortosa
and Tarragona. The area also had good maritime connections; indeed, the troops of Jaume I sailed from these beaches in 1229 to re-conquer Majorca from the Moors
.
Due to this strategic position, the Crown kept title over the town by establishing a feudal lord—vassal to the king-count—and a detachment of soldiers here. In addition, they built defensive walls and towers that also served to protect other nearby villages such as Els Tegells, Les Planes and Montbrió. This royal initiative lead to the development of the present-day Old Town, with a church, hostel, hermitage, hospital, convent, market, fair, artisans, and, above all, farmers who worked the rich lands surrounding Cambrils.
(War of the Reapers) that brought Catalonia into conflict with King Philip IV of Spain
. Faced with a far superior army, the population of Cambrils withstood a siege that lasted three days, before they finally capitulated. Contrary to the agreed terms of surrender, the occupying troops killed a large number of the defenders and destroyed most of the town walls. This is one of the most important events in the town’s history and it is commemorated every year by a ceremony held in the Plaça del Setge (Siege Square), in front of the ruins of the walls.
From the 18th century the population began to increase, as can be seen from the establishment of workers’ neighbourhoods outside the walled area. At the same time, the coastal area, now the port quarter of Cambrils, was also occupied, thanks to the construction of the Port or Moors’ Tower. For centuries living on the seashore had been fraught with danger, due to constant pirate attacks. Fishermen and others who did not have time to flee to the shelter of the walled town were often killed or kidnapped. Other small mediaeval villages such as Mas d’en Bisbe, Vilagrassa and Vilafortuny, the latter of which had its own castle and church, also suffered the ravages of the pirates, which impeded the growth of their populations, a situation that did not change until they were annexed to the municipality of Cambrils in the 19th century. Over time, and with the danger largely a thing of the past, the families of fishermen and seafarers began to build their houses around the Port or Moors’ Tower, thus founding the quarter that, a century later, would see the construction of the harbour, which was finished in the mid 20th century and is now the best known symbol of Cambrils.
In addition to the production of flour in the town’s numerous water-driven mills
, from the 19th century on small industries began to develop. These included liqueur
producers, brick
and building material
factories, and boatyards building increasingly large vessels. The opening of the railway in 1867 gave a considerable boost to the town’s commerce, agriculture and fishing, despite a series of wars, epidemics, and meteorological disasters suffered during the 19th century. The 20th century brought with it the beginning of an increase in population that would be multiplied in the 1950s with the arrival of various waves of immigration from other parts of Spain.
At the beginning of the 1960s the potential of tourism
to the town was realized and began to be exploited. Large estates were built to house these new arrivals, who mainly came to enjoy the Mediterranean sun, beach and cuisine.
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
of Baix Camp
Baix Camp
Baix Camp is a comarca of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It is one of the three comarques into which Camp de Tarragona was divided in the comarcal division of 1936....
, province of Tarragona, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The town is nearby the tourist town, Salou
Salou
Salou is a municipality of the comarca of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The city is approximately 10km from Tarragona and Reus on the Costa Daurada and 112km from Barcelona...
and is frequently visited by those travelling by air using Reus Airport
Reus Airport
-Incidents and accidents:* On 20 July 1970, a Condor Boeing 737-100 which was approaching Reus Airport, collided with a privately owned Piper Cherokee light aircraft near Tarragona, Spain. The Piper subsequently crashed, resulting in the death of the three persons on board...
and major transport links such as the Plana Bus and the RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
.
History
Roman empire to Middle Ages
The town of Cambrils can trace its origins back to prehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
times, although it was not until the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
period that the present town of Cambrils began to grow. This is evident from the archaeological sites found throughout the municipality, such as the Roman villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
of La Llosa, strategically located alongside the Via Augusta
Via Augusta
Via Augusta was a Roman road crossing all the Hispania Province, from Cádiz in the southern tip of current Spain, to the Coll de Panissars, where it crossed the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean Sea, and joined the Via Domitia...
and not far from the Roman capital of Tarraco
Tarraco
Tarraco is the ancient name of the current city of Tarragona . During the Roman Empire was one of the major cities of the Iberian Peninsula and capital of the Roman province called Hispania Citerior or Hispania Tarraconensis. The full name of the city at the time of the Roman Republic was Colonia...
.
By the mediaeval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
period there was already a permanent settlement on the right bank of the Alforja Torrent. From 1152 the kingdom of Catalonia and Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
, having driven the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
out of Catalonia, granted a series of privileges to encourage the repopulation of the place known as Cambrils. It was in the 12th century that the foundations were laid for the establishment of a stable population centre here at the southern gateway to the Camp de Tarragona
Camp de Tarragona
Camp de Tarragona is a natural and historical region of Catalonia, Spain. It includes a central plain, surrounded by the Serralada Prelitoral mountain chain on the west and in the north, with the Mediterranean sand beaches of the Costa Daurada on the east and limited in the south by the Coll de...
, well connected to El Camino Real
El Camino Real
El Camino Real The name may mean:-Roads:* El Camino Real , also known as the California Mission Trail, linked California's Spanish missions, sub-missions , stations , towns , and forts and El Camino went from east texas...
(the Royal Road) that linked Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
and Tarragona. The area also had good maritime connections; indeed, the troops of Jaume I sailed from these beaches in 1229 to re-conquer Majorca from the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
.
Due to this strategic position, the Crown kept title over the town by establishing a feudal lord—vassal to the king-count—and a detachment of soldiers here. In addition, they built defensive walls and towers that also served to protect other nearby villages such as Els Tegells, Les Planes and Montbrió. This royal initiative lead to the development of the present-day Old Town, with a church, hostel, hermitage, hospital, convent, market, fair, artisans, and, above all, farmers who worked the rich lands surrounding Cambrils.
Post-Middle Ages
However, the vitality of the community was severely disrupted in December 1640 when the town of Cambrils was the site of one of the episodes of the Guerra dels SegadorsCatalan Revolt
The Catalan Revolt affected a large part of the Catalan Principality of Catalonia between the years of 1640 and 1659. It had an enduring effect in the Treaty of the Pyrenees , which ceded the county of Roussillon and the northern half of the county of Cerdanya to France , thereby splitting the...
(War of the Reapers) that brought Catalonia into conflict with King Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
. Faced with a far superior army, the population of Cambrils withstood a siege that lasted three days, before they finally capitulated. Contrary to the agreed terms of surrender, the occupying troops killed a large number of the defenders and destroyed most of the town walls. This is one of the most important events in the town’s history and it is commemorated every year by a ceremony held in the Plaça del Setge (Siege Square), in front of the ruins of the walls.
From the 18th century the population began to increase, as can be seen from the establishment of workers’ neighbourhoods outside the walled area. At the same time, the coastal area, now the port quarter of Cambrils, was also occupied, thanks to the construction of the Port or Moors’ Tower. For centuries living on the seashore had been fraught with danger, due to constant pirate attacks. Fishermen and others who did not have time to flee to the shelter of the walled town were often killed or kidnapped. Other small mediaeval villages such as Mas d’en Bisbe, Vilagrassa and Vilafortuny, the latter of which had its own castle and church, also suffered the ravages of the pirates, which impeded the growth of their populations, a situation that did not change until they were annexed to the municipality of Cambrils in the 19th century. Over time, and with the danger largely a thing of the past, the families of fishermen and seafarers began to build their houses around the Port or Moors’ Tower, thus founding the quarter that, a century later, would see the construction of the harbour, which was finished in the mid 20th century and is now the best known symbol of Cambrils.
In addition to the production of flour in the town’s numerous water-driven mills
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, from the 19th century on small industries began to develop. These included liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
producers, brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and building material
Building material
Building material is any material which is used for a construction purpose. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, sand, wood and rocks, even twigs and leaves have been used to construct buildings. Apart from naturally occurring materials, many man-made products are in use, some more...
factories, and boatyards building increasingly large vessels. The opening of the railway in 1867 gave a considerable boost to the town’s commerce, agriculture and fishing, despite a series of wars, epidemics, and meteorological disasters suffered during the 19th century. The 20th century brought with it the beginning of an increase in population that would be multiplied in the 1950s with the arrival of various waves of immigration from other parts of Spain.
At the beginning of the 1960s the potential of tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
to the town was realized and began to be exploited. Large estates were built to house these new arrivals, who mainly came to enjoy the Mediterranean sun, beach and cuisine.
Today
The city, along with the rest of the region around Tarragona, has enjoyed very rapid development over the last two decades. The town's fishing and agriculture background is being replaced by such emerging industries as chemical, petrochemical, services and tourism. These, in turn, have spurred large-scale development, leading to major investments in infrastructure and an increased standard of living. Today, most of the tourists to this area are Spaniards, who have their summer house at this fishing village with high quality beaches.Main sights
- Molí de les Tres Eres - The main building of the Cambrils Museum of History.
- Museu Agrícola de Cambrils - Agricultural museum of Cambrils
- Torre de l'Ermita - Chapel Tower
- Torre del Port - Port Tower
- Ermita de la Mare de Déu del Camí - Chapel
- El Parc del Pescador - Fisherman's park
- El Parc del Pinaret - The newest and largest park.
External links
- Official site
- Information from the Generalitat de CatalunyaGeneralitat de CatalunyaThe Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
- Information from the Institut d'Estadística de CatalunyaInstitut d'Estadística de CatalunyaThe Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya is the official body responsible for collecting and publishing statistics in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is under the responsibility of the Department of the Economy and Finances of the Generalitat de Catalunya.-External links:*...
- Revista Cambrils Diari Digital - web newspaper
- L'Anjub - Research group studying the traditional culture of Cambrils
- Just Salou and Cambrils - information about Cambrils and Salou
- Absolute Barcelona - Community website