Terrassa is known chiefly as
one of the major industrial cities in Catalonia. It is the capital of
the region of Vallès Occidental - a status it shares with the city of
Sabadell. Situated at the foot of the nature reserve of Sant Llorenç del
Munt and the Serra de l'Obac (the Obac mountain-chain), Terrassa has
more than 200,000 inhabitants. Thanks to a well-developed communications-network,
it has good connections with all the major Catalonian and European
cities. The layout of the historic city-centre reveals its medieval
origins, dating back to the twelfth century. As time progressed, the
city extended beyond the original ramparts. This trend was particularly
marked during the nineteenth century, when the development of the
textile industry led to a sharp rise in population and an extension of
the city's contours, including the appearance of the earliest immigrant
quarters. Because of the presence of the textile industry (which
specialized in wool production), the cityscape gradually filled up with
factories, shops, workers' and tradespeople's houses, buildings for the
service sector, institutional and administrative headquarters, and
spaces for leisure. It was against this background of economic boom that
the industrial middle classes enthusiastically welcomed new cultural
trends, including Art Nouveau. The latter was employed mainly in
industrial architecture, notably under the direction of Lluís Muncunill,
who was responsible for the design of most of the buildings during this
period.
The serious economic crisis of the 1970s led to the closure of large
numbers of textile businesses in Terrassa, and some of the most
representative buildings were converted into museums, exhibition halls,
offices for service-sector concerns, and apartments. At the present
time, Terrassa boasts an industrial heritage unique in Catalonia and
highly attractive both touristically and culturally. The former
workshops and vapors (factories), the houses and chimneys, provide a
first-hand glimpse of the architecture, arts, and life-style of the city
in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
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