El Prat de Llobregat

infobox catalan municipio
province=Barcelona
arms = Escut del Prat de Llobregat.svg
comarca=Baix Llobregat
population=63,312
population_year=2002
area=32.23
population_density=1964
elevation=8
demonym="n/a"
location_

El Prat de Llobregat, commonly known as El Prat, is a municipality in the "comarca" of the Baix Llobregat in
Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the delta of the Llobregat river on the right bank. More than a quarter of the area of the municipality is occupied by Barcelona Airport. Apart from the transport links to the airport, the town of El Prat is served by a railway station on the coast line from Barcelona to Valencia. The municipality also has a beach and a small nature reserve at the "Llac" (Lake) "de la Ricarda i del Remolar". El Prat is famous for its blue-legged chickens (known as "gall potablava" in Catalan).

History

El Prat was founded between the years 1720 and 1740, when the town started to grow besides a path crossing. The first edifications to appear were the church (dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul), the hostel (which served as a school, bakery, and obviously as a hostel), the carnage, and some other houses built by the farmers of the delta, who came to the church to pray. After this, the installation of a barge to cross the river and, later, the construction of the Ferran Puig bridge, the arrival of the railroad and the discovery of underground water improved the comunication of El Prat and consequently doubled its population. In 1917, the installation on the town of La Papelera Española, a factory producing paper and derivates, starts the industrial years of El Prat. Next, in 1923, three private aerodromes start working in El Prat, due to the plain terrain of the municipality. That is the beginning of the connexion between El Prat and the world of aviation, that will end up creating the Barcelona International Airport after the unification of the three aerodromes in 1948. And in 1926, another company, this time of the textile sector, called "La Seda de Barcelona", installed its factory in the town. That causes the definitive growing of El Prat. With the immigration of the south people (mostly Andalusia and Extremadura), the town duplicates again its population in 1930, almost another time in 1950, and triplicates it in 1970 with the creation of the neighborhoods of Sant Cosme, Sant Jordi and La Granja, built to be the home of these immigrants. Finally, with the next expansion, the population duplicates another time, being at nowadays in a period of stability.

Demography

infobox catalan municipio demography
pop_1900=2804
pop_1930=6694
pop_1950=10,401
pop_1970=36,363
pop_1986=63,052
pop_2002=66,312
pop_lastest=62,663
latest_year=2007

References

* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). "Guia de Catalunya", Barcelona:Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish). ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan).

ee also

*Metropolitan area of Barcelona

External links

* [http://www.granjatorres.es Granja Torres] (blue-legged chickens farm)

* [http://www.poblesdecatalunya.cat/municipi.php?m=081691 Artistic and historical buildings in Prat de Llobregat] (in the Catalan language)
* [http://www.aj-elprat.cat/] Ajuntament d'El Prat (in Catalan)