Tàrrega
Encyclopedia
Tàrrega is a village and municipality
located in the Urgell comarca
, province of Lleida, Catalonia
. According to the 2009 census (INE
), the village has a population of 16.539 inhabitants.
Tàrrega is the capital of Urgell
in the Ondara River basin. There is a park at Sant Eloi mountain (420 m), with a Romanesque
church of the 13th century. The climate is Mediterranean/continental. The medium temperature is of 14º, and the average rainfall 451 mm per year (596 mm in 2008). In its theatre fair, held annually each September, Tàrrega welcomes more than 100,000 people.
(1789–1855), who was born and lived in the town. Next to the square of Carme, we find the Convent of Carme, owner of a remarkable Renaissance
cloister from the 16th century. On the street of Carme, one of the most ancient streets in the city, we find the romanesque Palau of the Marquises and the Floresta, constructed in the 13th century, and further down is the Glassware Mateu, which has a Gothic façade with more than 300 years. The town square accommodates the Town Council of the city, the Parish (of the 17th century), the modernist building of the 19th century]] that lodges the Chamber of Commerce
, and the building of the savings bank (1910). The Town Council has a façade of renaissance inspiration, of year 1674.
The main street accommodates the Local Museum (17th and 18th), which still preserves some noble rooms from 18th and 19th century. In the square of Sant Antoni we can find the church with the same name, which dates from the 14th century.
Higher up is the castle of the city, which was constructed in charge of Ramon Berenguer
in year 1056. In the present, only a few vestiges remain.
Other streets with an emblematic character are: the avenue of Catalonia, at present in works, that has the honor of being the longest street in the city, where are found some interesting buildings, as the modernist building of "Can Sàrries", or the also modernist construction of Enric of Càrcer; Agoders street, also certainly old, that accommodates a remarkable number of outstanding contruccions, many of which date from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries; Santa Anna street, owner of abundant establishments, is a pedestrian street highly frequented by the citizens, since it communicates with the street of Carme, which in turn communicates with the Town Square. The most beautiful building that it accommodates, is the "Sobies' house", a modernist frame, the construction of which was certainly influenced for the Mozarabic architecture; The 20th century street, which received this name in honor of the new century in what was entering, is a narrow notably known street which is precisely located beside the railway station. The "House Maimó", another occasion of modernist architecture, is an emblematic building quite recognized thanks to its curious pinnacle. That building was designed by the great architecht Domènech i Montaner
, who also designed the Palau de la Música Catalana
. Some other fair known streets or avenues of the city are: Saint Pelegrí street, the outskirts of Carme (at present in works), the avenue of Fàtima, the Sant Agustí street, the Urgell street and the Sant Joan street.
, Ramon Berenguer I, conquered its castle. This event triggered the town's growth. Placed in a strategic crossroad, the mediaeval Tàrrega developed an important economic and territorial role, in spite of the proximity to important towns like Agramunt
, Balaguer
or Cervera
. The town's vitality is apparent when considering the Jewish community, the fairs and markets, the great amount of goldsmiths and artisans, the vitality of the trade, the fraternits, the city council, the headquarters of the deanship, the capitality of the jurisdiction
, the abundant privileges, the uses and habits to regulate the municipal administration given by Jaume I in year 1242, and the privilege of making the market on Monday given by Juan II in 1458.
But in return, the crisis of the 14th century, ended with this 'great' stage. The plagues depopulated the town and the construction of the walls supposed important expenses. The society became disorganized and felt insecure because of to feudal violence.
From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Tàrrega became an every time more rural town, rigid, controlled by the rich families and full of fears. The crises were continuous. The most severe were the wars. Those of 1462-72, 1640–52, 1705–14, 1808–12, 1822–23 and the three revolts of Carlists made an immense trouble in the city. In 1520, Charles I
allowed the appearance of the imperial eagle
in the shield of Tàrrega.
The 18th century was a century of expansion and of great projects, orientated through the Economical Company of Friends of the Country (1777). But the structural difficulties and the impairment of the situation from 1780, prevented this so expected renewal.
Tàrrega, during part of the 19th century, continued being a poor and archaic town, tied to the agriculture fluctuations. It will be from entry second half of 19th century when a series of events will change slowly and progressively the rhythm of the capital of Urgell
. The inauguration of the railway line called Manresa
-Tàrrega-Lleida
(1860), the works of the wall after the flood of Santa Tecla (1874), the joy after achieve the title of city, given by Alfonso XII
(1884), the beginning of construction of a series of works of basic and important infrastructure (water, light
, telephone, telegraph...) and the local roads development, already in the last decades of the 19th century and early in the 20th century, are some clear symbols of the worries to foster the expansion of the city.
The 20th century was a continuation of the policy, sometimes faster, on certain occasions slower, to convert Tàrrega into a population worthy of the title of city. The foundation and installation of economical and cultural institutions as the Chamber of Commerce
(1905), the Savings Bank
(1910), the Association of the Friends of the Tree (1913), the Factory J. Trepat (1914–1915), the Choral Society New Tàrrega (1915), the Cultural Association (1919)... kept on changing Tàrrega's social life. It is also necessary to say, that the construction of the hydraulic works of exploitation of the Noguera Pallaresa will built and consolidate the industry and trade of the city.
The second republic and the Catalan autonomy
favored the creation of more modern and best cultural and educational infrastructures. Also in this stage, a series of approaches urbanistical and of public services proposed themselves, stopped because of the burst of the civil war.
The economical delay caused by the war and the hardest years of the Franco's dictatorship
, did not start to be overcome until the sixties with an economical and industrial burst.
The new democratic era and the new Catalan autonomy, at the end of the seventy years and first of eighty, would be the social and political frame where Tàrrega's society will point, with best conditions, the challenges of the period of the information and the globalization
.
The city that starts the 21st century is a population with a clear interis to develop every day more the sector of services, that sees the future construction of the project of the Segarra
-Garrigues Canal with hope, and other infrastructures of important look, as the new Hospital, or the polemical prison, that will help Tàrrega to consolidate itself as the second city more mattering of the lands of west.
Manuel de Pedrolo spent his childhood and adolescence in the city. It is considered that Pedrolo created his better known work (Mecanoscrit of the second origin) in the city of Tàrrega, even if explicit references do not appear to the work.
Other notable residents include the famous painters "Pintor Marsà" (Francesc Marsà Figueras) and Anton Tartera, better known as "Antonioti", who died in year 2002. Furthermore, two distinguished musicians resided in the city, the known musician "Mestre Güell" (Josep Güell i Guillaumet) and the famous composer Ramon Carnicer i Batlle.
Current residents include the painter Josep Minguell, whom is finishing the frescoes of the parish, and the footballer Joan Capdevila
, who plays in Villarreal CF
and is international with the Spanish Selection of Football
.
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 in the Urgell comarca
Urgell (comarca)
Modern-day Urgell is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, forming only a portion of the region historically known as Urgell, one of the Catalan counties.-Municipalities:Populations are for 2001.*Agramunt - pop. 4,759*Anglesola - pop. 1,219...
, province of Lleida, 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...
. According to the 2009 census (INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), the village has a population of 16.539 inhabitants.
Tàrrega is the capital of Urgell
Urgell (comarca)
Modern-day Urgell is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, forming only a portion of the region historically known as Urgell, one of the Catalan counties.-Municipalities:Populations are for 2001.*Agramunt - pop. 4,759*Anglesola - pop. 1,219...
in the Ondara River basin. There is a park at Sant Eloi mountain (420 m), with a 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,...
church of the 13th century. The climate is Mediterranean/continental. The medium temperature is of 14º, and the average rainfall 451 mm per year (596 mm in 2008). In its theatre fair, held annually each September, Tàrrega welcomes more than 100,000 people.
The town
The middle of the city is home to the square of Carme, better known as "the Courtyard" (El Pati), which accommodates a statue in homage to the famous classical composer Ramon CarnicerRamón Carnicer
Ramon Carnicer i Batlle was a Catalan composer and opera conductor, today best known for composing the National Anthem of Chile....
(1789–1855), who was born and lived in the town. Next to the square of Carme, we find the Convent of Carme, owner of a remarkable Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
cloister from the 16th century. On the street of Carme, one of the most ancient streets in the city, we find the romanesque Palau of the Marquises and the Floresta, constructed in the 13th century, and further down is the Glassware Mateu, which has a Gothic façade with more than 300 years. The town square accommodates the Town Council of the city, the Parish (of the 17th century), the modernist building of the 19th century]] that lodges the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, and the building of the savings bank (1910). The Town Council has a façade of renaissance inspiration, of year 1674.
The main street accommodates the Local Museum (17th and 18th), which still preserves some noble rooms from 18th and 19th century. In the square of Sant Antoni we can find the church with the same name, which dates from the 14th century.
Higher up is the castle of the city, which was constructed in charge of Ramon Berenguer
Ramon Berenguer I, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer I the Old was Count of Barcelona in 1035–1076. He promulgated the earliest versions of a written code of Catalan law, the Usages of Barcelona....
in year 1056. In the present, only a few vestiges remain.
Other streets with an emblematic character are: the avenue of Catalonia, at present in works, that has the honor of being the longest street in the city, where are found some interesting buildings, as the modernist building of "Can Sàrries", or the also modernist construction of Enric of Càrcer; Agoders street, also certainly old, that accommodates a remarkable number of outstanding contruccions, many of which date from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries; Santa Anna street, owner of abundant establishments, is a pedestrian street highly frequented by the citizens, since it communicates with the street of Carme, which in turn communicates with the Town Square. The most beautiful building that it accommodates, is the "Sobies' house", a modernist frame, the construction of which was certainly influenced for the Mozarabic architecture; The 20th century street, which received this name in honor of the new century in what was entering, is a narrow notably known street which is precisely located beside the railway station. The "House Maimó", another occasion of modernist architecture, is an emblematic building quite recognized thanks to its curious pinnacle. That building was designed by the great architecht Domènech i Montaner
Lluís Domènech i Montaner
Lluís Domènech i Montaner was a Spanish Catalan architect who was highly influential on Modernisme català, the Catalan Art Nouveau / Jugendstil movement. He was also a Catalan politician....
, who also designed the Palau de la Música Catalana
Palau de la Música Catalana
The Palau de la Música Catalana is a concert hall in Barcelona. Designed in the Catalan modernista style by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, it was built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a choral society founded in 1891 that was a leading force in the Catalan cultural movement...
. Some other fair known streets or avenues of the city are: Saint Pelegrí street, the outskirts of Carme (at present in works), the avenue of Fàtima, the Sant Agustí street, the Urgell street and the Sant Joan street.
History
The origins of Tàrrega go back to the 11th century, when the Earl from BarcelonaBarcelona
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...
, Ramon Berenguer I, conquered its castle. This event triggered the town's growth. Placed in a strategic crossroad, the mediaeval Tàrrega developed an important economic and territorial role, in spite of the proximity to important towns like Agramunt
Agramunt
Agramunt is a municipality in the comarca of the Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the north of the comarca, near the border with the Noguera....
, Balaguer
Balaguer
Balaguer is the capital of the comarca of Noguera, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.It is located by the river Segre, a tributary to the Ebre....
or Cervera
Cervera
Cervera is the capital of the comarca of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. The title Compte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Felipe, Prince of Asturias....
. The town's vitality is apparent when considering the Jewish community, the fairs and markets, the great amount of goldsmiths and artisans, the vitality of the trade, the fraternits, the city council, the headquarters of the deanship, the capitality of the jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
, the abundant privileges, the uses and habits to regulate the municipal administration given by Jaume I in year 1242, and the privilege of making the market on Monday given by Juan II in 1458.
But in return, the crisis of the 14th century, ended with this 'great' stage. The plagues depopulated the town and the construction of the walls supposed important expenses. The society became disorganized and felt insecure because of to feudal violence.
From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Tàrrega became an every time more rural town, rigid, controlled by the rich families and full of fears. The crises were continuous. The most severe were the wars. Those of 1462-72, 1640–52, 1705–14, 1808–12, 1822–23 and the three revolts of Carlists made an immense trouble in the city. In 1520, Charles I
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
allowed the appearance of the imperial eagle
Reichsadler
The Reichsadler was the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors and in modern coats of arms of Germany, including those of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany...
in the shield of Tàrrega.
The 18th century was a century of expansion and of great projects, orientated through the Economical Company of Friends of the Country (1777). But the structural difficulties and the impairment of the situation from 1780, prevented this so expected renewal.
Tàrrega, during part of the 19th century, continued being a poor and archaic town, tied to the agriculture fluctuations. It will be from entry second half of 19th century when a series of events will change slowly and progressively the rhythm of the capital of Urgell
Urgell
The County of Urgell is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of Pallars and Cerdanya.The county was carved by the Franks out of a former section of the Mark of Toulouse when the Alt Urgell area became part of the Carolingian Empire between 785 and 790.The original...
. The inauguration of the railway line called Manresa
Manresa
Manresa is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographic centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa María de la Seo....
-Tàrrega-Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
(1860), the works of the wall after the flood of Santa Tecla (1874), the joy after achieve the title of city, given by Alfonso XII
Alfonso XII of Spain
Alfonso XII was king of Spain, reigning from 1874 to 1885, after a coup d'état restored the monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic.-Early life and paternity:Alfonso was the son of Queen Isabella II of Spain, and...
(1884), the beginning of construction of a series of works of basic and important infrastructure (water, light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, telephone, telegraph...) and the local roads development, already in the last decades of the 19th century and early in the 20th century, are some clear symbols of the worries to foster the expansion of the city.
The 20th century was a continuation of the policy, sometimes faster, on certain occasions slower, to convert Tàrrega into a population worthy of the title of city. The foundation and installation of economical and cultural institutions as the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
(1905), the Savings Bank
La Caixa
La Caixa , formally Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona , is currently Europe’s leading savings bank and Spain's third largest financial institution, with a network of over 5,500 branches, more than 8,100 ATMs, a workforce in excess of 27,000 and more than 10.7 million...
(1910), the Association of the Friends of the Tree (1913), the Factory J. Trepat (1914–1915), the Choral Society New Tàrrega (1915), the Cultural Association (1919)... kept on changing Tàrrega's social life. It is also necessary to say, that the construction of the hydraulic works of exploitation of the Noguera Pallaresa will built and consolidate the industry and trade of the city.
The second republic and the Catalan autonomy
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...
favored the creation of more modern and best cultural and educational infrastructures. Also in this stage, a series of approaches urbanistical and of public services proposed themselves, stopped because of the burst of the civil war.
The economical delay caused by the war and the hardest years of the Franco's dictatorship
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, did not start to be overcome until the sixties with an economical and industrial burst.
The new democratic era and the new Catalan autonomy, at the end of the seventy years and first of eighty, would be the social and political frame where Tàrrega's society will point, with best conditions, the challenges of the period of the information and the globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
.
The city that starts the 21st century is a population with a clear interis to develop every day more the sector of services, that sees the future construction of the project of the Segarra
Segarra
Segarra is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, situated on a high plain. Historically, the name referred to a larger area than the current comarca. It has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers, and between 350 and 450 mm of rainfall per year. It is a grain-growing region, with some...
-Garrigues Canal with hope, and other infrastructures of important look, as the new Hospital, or the polemical prison, that will help Tàrrega to consolidate itself as the second city more mattering of the lands of west.
Famous characters
Tàrrega was the natal city of the poets Alfonso Costafreda and Mossèn Azà.Manuel de Pedrolo spent his childhood and adolescence in the city. It is considered that Pedrolo created his better known work (Mecanoscrit of the second origin) in the city of Tàrrega, even if explicit references do not appear to the work.
Other notable residents include the famous painters "Pintor Marsà" (Francesc Marsà Figueras) and Anton Tartera, better known as "Antonioti", who died in year 2002. Furthermore, two distinguished musicians resided in the city, the known musician "Mestre Güell" (Josep Güell i Guillaumet) and the famous composer Ramon Carnicer i Batlle.
Current residents include the painter Josep Minguell, whom is finishing the frescoes of the parish, and the footballer Joan Capdevila
Joan Capdevila
Joan Capdevila i Méndez is a Spanish footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, and the Spanish national team.His usual position is left defender, but he is also capable of operating as a winger and, from a defensive position, often contributes with goals...
, who plays in Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
and is international with the Spanish Selection of Football
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
.