Sant Cugat del Vallès

infobox catalan municipio
province=Barcelona
arms = Escut de Sant Cugat del Vallès.svg
comarca=Vallès Occidental
population=52,654
population_year=2000
area=48.32
population_density=1090
elevation=124
demonym="Sancugatenc, Sancugatenca"
mayor=Lluís Recoder (CiU)
location_

Sant Cugat del Vallès (pop. 71,424 as of the year 2006) is a town and municipality west of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. In antiquity known as "Castrum Octavianum", it is named after Saint Cucuphas, who is said to have been martyred on the spot now occupied by its medieval monastery, which has a Romanesque cloister with many historiated capitals. The altar of the church was painted by Ayne Bru.

Sant Cugat has seen its population increase in recent years, with more births than bigger cities like Barcelona (2004).

The town's other buildings include the UPC School of Architecture del Vallès and the CAR ("Centre d'Alt Rendiment" or "High Performance Centre"), a famous center for professional sport training.

Sant Cugat has become an affluent suburb of Barcelona due to its location (only 5 kilometers from the city), its natural surroundings, and its pedestrian shopping area. Sant Cugat also offers restaurants, a Concert Venue, two movie theaters, and one large shopping mall. It is also a political stronghold for conservative Catalan nationalism, with Convergència i Unió dominating the town's politics.

Sant Cugat has practically merged with the nearby Rubí (population 62,475) and Cerdanyola del Valles (population 58,347).

The town has its own train station with a direct subway connection into downtown Barcelona and the nearby industrial cities of Terrassa and Sabadell.

Demography

infobox catalan municipio demography
pop_1900=2120
pop_1930=5190
pop_1950=6992
pop_1970=20,490
pop_1986=35,302
pop_latest=52,654
latest_year=2000

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).

Local Media

* [http://www.santqgat.cat SantQgat.cat]
* [http://stcugat2.blogspot.com Un altre Sant Cugat]
* [http://www.onsantcugat.com On? Sant Cugat]
* [http://www.totsantcugat.com Tot Sant Cugat]
* [http://www.radiosantcugat.cat Ràdio Sant Cugat]

External links

* [http://www.museu.santcugat.cat Museum Website]