Molins de Rei
Encyclopedia
Molins de Rei is a municipality
located at 18km from Barcelona
's city centre, in the comarca
of the Baix Llobregat
in Catalonia
, Spain
.
It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river, on the A-7 autopista from Valencia
to La Jonquera
and the main N-II road.
Its location has made Molins de Rei a strategic and dynamic municipality, with significant examples of commercial and industrial entrepreneurship.
In 1309, the town was part of the county of Pallars which belong to the comptess Sibil•la. When she died, the town changed owners to Hugo de Arborea and later on, it was transferred to the convent of Santa Clara in Sardinia
(Italy). Back in 1366, the lands were then purchased by Berenguer de Relat.
In 1430, it was again transferred to Galceran de Requesens i de Santacoloma who built a palace in the village, visited by personalities of the time such as the Catholic Monarchs or Christopher Columbus.
In 1763 a bridge was built to cross the Llobregat river, by order of the King Charles III of Spain. This bridge turned the village into a strategic location during the Spanish Independence War and the town went under grave attacks and fires in several occasions.
During these attacks, several significant buildings were destroyed such as the Palace of Requesens.
Outside the town are the ruins of the Castellciuró castle, built in 1066, perhaps over a previous Visigoth
fortification, destroyed in 985 by troops of al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir
. Remains include a tower and parts of the walls.
The Romanesque
Chapel of Sant Pere de Romaní, known from 1011, has a rectangular shape, with internal barrel vault
cover, and a bell tower.
is served by
RENFE
railway lines R1 and R4 which run frequently to and from central Barcelona
, taking roughly 25 minutes to and from Plaça Catalunya.
Local bus
es also connect the town to central Barcelona and since it is in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, a tourist will be able to find the distinctive yellow taxis in the square where the Avinguda de Barcelona and the Avinguda de Valencia meet.
In addition, the town is served by the C-1413 road to Sabadell
.
JOSEP MARIA MADORELL, (1923 - 2004), Well known Artist. Author of comics like "Massagran".
MARGARITA XIRGU,International Actress. (18 June 1888, Molins de Rei, (Catalonia, Spain) – 25 April 1969, Montevideo, (Uruguay)) was a Catalan stage actress, who was greatly popular throughout her country and Latin America. A friend of the poet Federico García Lorca, she was forced into exile during Francisco Franco's dictatorship of Spain, but continued her work in America. Notable plays in which she appeared include Como tú me Deseas, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, and Mariana Pineda.
An opera, Ainadamar, by the composer Osvaldo Golijov and playwright David Henry Hwang, based on Xirgu's life and her association with Lorca, was premiered in 2003. A recording of the work released in 2006 on the Deutsche Grammophon label (Catalog #642902) won the 2007 Grammy awards for Best Classical Contemporary Composition and Best Opera Recording.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located at 18km from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
's city centre, in the comarca
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 the Baix Llobregat
Baix Llobregat
Baix Llobregat is a comarca on the coast of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Sant Feliu de Llobregat.-Municipalities:Populations are from 2002.* Abrera - pop. 9,166* Begues - pop. 5,023* Castelldefels - pop. 52,405...
in 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...
.
It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river, on the A-7 autopista from Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
to La Jonquera
La Jonquera
La Jonquera is a municipality in the comarca of l'Alt Empordà, in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated just by the border with France, with the municipalty of Le Perthus.-History:...
and the main N-II road.
Its location has made Molins de Rei a strategic and dynamic municipality, with significant examples of commercial and industrial entrepreneurship.
History
Its name, Molins de Rei (which means King's Mills), has its origins in the royal windmills that existed in this area, documented as early as 1188. These mills were built by order of the King Alfonso II and it was the origin of the municipality as such. By 1208, a parish and church as well as a cemetery had been built in the town.In 1309, the town was part of the county of Pallars which belong to the comptess Sibil•la. When she died, the town changed owners to Hugo de Arborea and later on, it was transferred to the convent of Santa Clara in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
(Italy). Back in 1366, the lands were then purchased by Berenguer de Relat.
In 1430, it was again transferred to Galceran de Requesens i de Santacoloma who built a palace in the village, visited by personalities of the time such as the Catholic Monarchs or Christopher Columbus.
In 1763 a bridge was built to cross the Llobregat river, by order of the King Charles III of Spain. This bridge turned the village into a strategic location during the Spanish Independence War and the town went under grave attacks and fires in several occasions.
During these attacks, several significant buildings were destroyed such as the Palace of Requesens.
Main sights
The Recasens palace, ruined by a looting during the 19th century, dates from the 15th century.Outside the town are the ruins of the Castellciuró castle, built in 1066, perhaps over a previous Visigoth
Visigothic Kingdom
The Visigothic Kingdom was a kingdom which occupied southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to 8th century AD. One of the Germanic successor states to the Western Roman Empire, it was originally created by the settlement of the Visigoths under King Wallia in the province of...
fortification, destroyed in 985 by troops of al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir
Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir
Abu Aamir Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abi Aamir, Al-Hajib Al-Mansur , better known as Almanzor, was the de facto ruler of Muslim Al-Andalus in the late 10th to early 11th centuries. His rule marked the peak of power for Moorish Iberia.-Origins:He was born Muhammad Ibn Abi Aamir, into a noble Arab...
. Remains include a tower and parts of the walls.
The Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
Chapel of Sant Pere de Romaní, known from 1011, has a rectangular shape, with internal barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
cover, and a bell tower.
Transportation
The Molins de Rei train stationTrain station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
is served by
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...
railway lines R1 and R4 which run frequently to and from central Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, taking roughly 25 minutes to and from Plaça Catalunya.
Local bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es also connect the town to central Barcelona and since it is in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, a tourist will be able to find the distinctive yellow taxis in the square where the Avinguda de Barcelona and the Avinguda de Valencia meet.
In addition, the town is served by the C-1413 road to Sabadell
Sabadell
Sabadell is the second largest city in the comarca of the Vallès Occidental in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the comarca, on the River Ripoll, 20 km north-west of Barcelona...
.
Notable people
- Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga, 16th century Spanish diplomat and politician
- Agustí Roc Amador (born 1971), ski mountaineer and long-distance runner
JOSEP MARIA MADORELL, (1923 - 2004), Well known Artist. Author of comics like "Massagran".
MARGARITA XIRGU,International Actress. (18 June 1888, Molins de Rei, (Catalonia, Spain) – 25 April 1969, Montevideo, (Uruguay)) was a Catalan stage actress, who was greatly popular throughout her country and Latin America. A friend of the poet Federico García Lorca, she was forced into exile during Francisco Franco's dictatorship of Spain, but continued her work in America. Notable plays in which she appeared include Como tú me Deseas, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, and Mariana Pineda.
An opera, Ainadamar, by the composer Osvaldo Golijov and playwright David Henry Hwang, based on Xirgu's life and her association with Lorca, was premiered in 2003. A recording of the work released in 2006 on the Deutsche Grammophon label (Catalog #642902) won the 2007 Grammy awards for Best Classical Contemporary Composition and Best Opera Recording.