1.
Spain
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By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, other urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago, in the Middle Ages, the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a power and a major developed country with the worlds fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP. Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the span is the Phoenician word spy. Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean the land where metals are forged, two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abravanel and Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two different published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had given a kingdom in Spain. He became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, Heracles later renounced his throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in use in Spain by c.350 BCE, Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled by Phoenicians who founded Western Europe´s most ancient cities Cadiz, Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major theater of the Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule, during the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas, a global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas empire for three centuries. Continued wars and other problems led to a diminished status. The Napoleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire, eventually democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a renaissance and steady economic growth
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Autonomous communities of Spain
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Spain is not a federation, but a highly decentralized unitary state. Some scholars have referred to the system as a federal system in all. There are 17 autonomous communities and two cities that are collectively known as autonomies. The two autonomous cities have the right to become autonomous communities, but neither has yet used this right and this unique framework of territorial administration is known as the State of Autonomies. The autonomous communities are governed according to the constitution and their own organic laws known as Statutes of Autonomy, since devolution was intended to be asymmetrical in nature, the scope of competences vary for each community, but all have the same parliamentary structure. Spain is a country made up of different regions with varying economic and social structures, as well as different languages. While the entire Spanish territory was united under one crown by the 16th century, the constituent territories—be it crowns, kingdoms, principalities or dominions—retained much of their former institutional existence, including limited legislative, judicial or fiscal autonomy. These territories also exhibited a variety of customs, laws. From the 18th century onwards, the Bourbon kings and the government tried to establish a more centralized regime, leading figures of the Spanish Enlightenment advocated for the building of a Spanish nation beyond the internal territorial boundaries. This culminated in 1833, when Spain was divided into 49 provinces and these were the Basque Country and Catalonia. This gave rise to peripheral nationalisms along with Spanish nationalism, therefore, economic and social changes that had produced a national cultural unification in France had the opposite effect in Spain. In a response to Catalan demands, limited autonomy was granted to Catalonia in 1913 and it was granted again in 1932 during the Second Spanish Republic, when the Generalitat, Catalonias mediaeval institution of government, was restored. During General Francos dictatorial regime, centralism was most forcefully enforced as a way of preserving the unity of the Spanish nation, peripheral nationalism, along with communism and atheism were regarded by his regime as the main threats. When Franco died in 1975, Spain entered into a phase of transition towards democracy, the then Prime Minister of Spain, Adolfo Suárez, met with Josep Tarradellas, president of the Generalitat of Catalonia in exile. An agreement was made so that the Generalitat would be restored and limited competencies would be transferred while the constitution was still being written. In the end, the constitution, published and ratified in 1979, found a balance in recognizing the existence of nationalities and regions in Spain, within the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation. The starting point in the organization of Spain was the second article of the constitution. In order to exercise this right, the established a open process whereby the nationalities
3.
Catalonia
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Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, located on the northeastern extremity of the Iberian Peninsula. It is designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy, Catalonia consists of four provinces, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. The capital and largest city is Barcelona, the second-most populated municipality in Spain, Catalonia comprises most of the territory of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is bordered by France and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the official languages are Catalan, Spanish, and the Aranese dialect of Occitan. The eastern counties of these marches were united under the rule of the Frankish vassal the Count of Barcelona, in the later Middle Ages Catalan literature flourished. Between 1469 and 1516, the King of Aragon and the Queen of Castile married and ruled their kingdoms together, retaining all their distinct institutions, Courts, and constitutions. During the Franco-Spanish War, Catalonia revolted against a large and burdensome presence of the Royal army in its territory, within a brief period France took full control of Catalonia, at a high economic cost for Catalonia, until it was largely reconquered by the Spanish army. In the nineteenth century, Catalonia was severely affected by the Napoleonic, in the second half of the century Catalonia experienced industrialisation. As wealth from the industrial expansion grew, Catalonia saw a cultural renaissance coupled with incipient nationalism while several workers movements appeared. In 1914, the four Catalan provinces formed a Commonwealth, and with the return of democracy during the Second Spanish Republic, after the Spanish Civil War, the Francoist dictatorship enacted repressive measures, abolishing Catalan institutions and banning the official use of the Catalan language again. Since the Spanish transition to democracy, Catalonia has regained some political and cultural autonomy and is now one of the most economically dynamic communities of Spain, the origin of the name Catalunya is subject to diverse interpretations because of a lack of evidence. During the Middle Ages, Byzantine chroniclers claimed that Catalania derives from the medley of Goths with Alans. Other less plausible theories suggest, Catalunya derives from the land of castles, having evolved from the term castlà or castlan. This theory therefore suggests that the names Catalunya and Castile have a common root, the source is of Celtic origin, meaning chiefs of battle. Although the area is not known to have been occupied by Celts, the Lacetani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area and whose name, due to the Roman influence, could have evolved by metathesis to Katelans and then Catalans. In English, Catalonia is pronounced /kætəˈloʊniə/, the native name, Catalunya, is pronounced in Central Catalan, the most widely spoken variety whose pronunciation is considered standard. The Spanish name is Cataluña, and the Aranese name is Catalonha, the first known human settlements in what is now Catalonia were at the beginning of the Middle Palaeolithic. From the next era, the Epipaleolithic or Mesolithic, important remains survive
4.
Renfe Operadora
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The name Renfe is derived from that of the former Spanish National Railway Network, RENFE created on 24 January 1941 with the nationalisation of Spains railways. As per EU Directive 91/440, RENFE was divided into Renfe-Operadora, the Railway Sector Act,2003 separated the management, maintenance and construction of rail infrastructure from train operation. Renfe Operadora inherited the management model of the units of the old RENFE. However, control of some Cercanías services were transferred to Spains Autonomous communities, dirección General de Servicios de Larga Distancia, responsible for long-distance intercity and high-speed rail services. Dirección General de Servicios de Mercancías y Logística, responsible for freight services, the company operates some 12,000 km of railways,7,000 km of them electrified. The newer high-speed network has been built to the standard gauge of 1,435 mm in anticipation of its eventual connection to the rest of the European railway system. For this reason, the 1,435 mm gauge is generally termed European gauge in Spain, the Spanish high-speed system is called AVE. The logo incorporates a feature which resembles a bird, the high-speed lines are built to the standard European gauge. Construction of the rail line between Madrid and Seville began in 1988 and operation commenced in 1991. Train speed on the Seville line is 300 km/h, the second high-speed rail line was completed in 2007 with the inaugural service commencing at 06,00 on 20 February 2008. The operational speed on this route is 350 km/h, the greater part of the line was placed into service on 11 October 2003, with connection to Huesca from Zaragoza. The third high-speed line was opened in November 2005, followed by the spur from Córdoba to Málaga as far as Antequera in 2007. Another high-speed route from Madrid to Valladolid was opened in 2007, the line from Madrid to Valencia was opened in 2010, a line to Lisbon is being designed. Other lines operated by Renfe include Euromed, a line between Barcelona and Valencia. In addition to intercity transport, Renfe operates commuter train systems, known as Cercanías, in metropolitan areas, including Madrid. In some cities, Renfe shares the market with other railway operators. Renfe Operadora utilises the following rolling stock and commercial products inside of its two divisions, All classes are designated by three numbers, federación Castellano Manchega de Amigos del Ferrocarril Renfes official website
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Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya
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Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia, Spain. The lines operated include metro and commuter lines in and around the city of Barcelona, tourist mountain railways, whilst most lines are conventional adhesion railways, the FGC also operates two rack railways and four funicular railways. FGC operates some of the Barcelona commuter rail network, all lines are overhead DC electrified at 1. 5kV. There are two systems, The Metro del Vallès and Línia de Balmes are standard-gauge lines that run from Plaça de Catalunya railway station to Av. Tibidabo, Reina Elisenda and Sant Cugat del Vallès, and then on to Sabadell or Terrassa, there is also an unelectrified metre-gauge freight line to the port of Barcelona, which diverges from the main line between Sant Boi and Cornellà. L6 and L7 used to be known as U6 and U7, s-prefixed lines are suburban lines, extending into metropolitan fare zone 2 or 3. R-prefixed lines are Interurban lines, extending beyond zone 3, lines R1-R4, R7 and R8 are run by Rodalies de Catalunya, R5 and R6 are run and operated by FGC. The FGC operates three mountain railway lines, The Montserrat Rack Railway, which runs from Monistrol, on FGCs suburban line to Manresa and this line re-opened in 2003, having opened in 1892 and closed in 1957. It is of metre gauge using the Abt rack railway system, the Vall de Núria Rack Railway, in the Pyrenees mountains of northern Catalonia. This is also of metre gauge using the Abt rack railway system, the Ferrocarril Turístic de lAlt Llobregat, which runs from La Pobla de Lillet to Clot del Moro, also in northern Catalonia. This line is of 600 mm gauge, and operates using adhesion only, the FGC also operates four funicular railways, The Funicular de Sant Joan, from the upper station of the Montserrat Rack Railway to the summit of the mountain of Montserrat. The Funicular de Santa Cova, also from the station of the Montserrat Rack Railway to a nearby shrine. The Funicular de Gelida, connecting the town of Gelida with its railway station, the Funicular de Vallvidrera, connecting a station on the Metro del Vallès suburban line to the top of the Tibidabo hill. On 1 January 2005, ownership of the non-electrified broad-gauge line from Lleida to La Pobla de Segur passed from RENFE to FGC. This is the most derelict line in Catalonia — the stretch from Lleida to Balaguer had been upgraded in the recent past, but from Balaguer northwards the track was in an appalling state. There are even plans to extend the line to the Pyrenees and possibly on to connect with railways in France — the plan when the line was built, but never carried out. In September 2012, FGC announced that it was planning to start operating freight services across the Spanish rail network, initial routes would be Barcelona – Sevilla and Barcelona – Madrid. FEVE History of rail transport in Spain List of FGC lines RENFE Transportation in Spain FGC website
6.
SEAT
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SEAT, S. A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer with its head office in Martorell, Spain. It was founded on May 9,1950, by the Instituto Nacional de Industria and it is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of the German Volkswagen Group. The headquarters of SEAT, S. A. are located at SEATs industrial complex in Martorell near Barcelona, SEAT today is the only major Spanish car manufacturer with the ability and the infrastructure to develop its own cars in-house. The plant was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain on February 22,1993, a rail connection between SEATs Martorell and Zona Franca complexes facilitates vehicle and parts transportation between the two sites. In Wolfsburg, Germany, in the middle of a lake inside the Autostadt, in its 60 years, there was only a short period from 1953 to 1965 when the firm produced its cars exclusively for the domestic Spanish market. Until the early 1980s, however, most SEAT exports were sold with Fiat badging, as a response to SEATs bid for independence, Fiat committed themselves to selling 200,000 SEAT-built cars a year from 1981, compared to 120,000 the year before. At the end of 1983, just after SEAT had won its legal battle with Fiat, in Europe, they were represented in West Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, and Greece. The UK, Ireland, and various Scandinavian markets were planned to be added in 1984 and this was in spite of the company only being able to export the Ronda, with the Fura to follow. Its core market remains Europe, while the most successful market outside of Europe in terms of sales for SEAT is currently Mexico, in Europe the brand has been launched in almost 40 countries across Northern, Western, Southern, Eastern Europe and Russia. In the years to come SEAT plans expanding in even more markets, SEATs further expansion plans in more markets outside of Europe have yet to be realised. In the past the company was considering a launch in the United States although this move has never been carried out. SEAT has been present in the Russian Federation since 2007, In India all Volkswagen group brands are assembled or imported except SEAT, Spain is the worlds eighth largest producer of automobiles and its car market stands among the largest in Europe. In this period there was only limited car production and only a few low volume local manufacturers catering mainly to the end of the market. The situation greatly deteriorated with the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939, the lack of interest shown by the foreign firms in the weakened post civil war Spanish market opened an opportunity for local interests. The initial Banco Urquijos project aimed at running the S. I. A. T, with the rest of Europe having entered the World War II, and Spain itself in ruins from its civil war, the project was delayed but not abandoned due to its strategic importance. The favoured bidders were Germanys Volkswagen and Italys Fiat, Fiats collaboration with the French company Simca proved Fiats ability to manage complex international projects. In Italy, Fiat dominated the market for vehicles under 12 horsepower, in 1947, the Banco Urquijo group had revived the S. I. A. T. The Banco Urquijo group, although a minority share holder, looked forward to assuming a role in the future as soon as the company was privatesed
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Manresa
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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 area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa María de la Seo, Saint Ignatius of Loyola stopped to pray in the town on his way back from Montserrat in 1522. He also read in solitude in a cave near the town for a year, as such, the town is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics. It is believed the comarcal name Bages comes from a corruption of the Latin Bacchus due to the production of wine in the area. The wine was grown mainly in terraced vineyards, and many of these old terraces can be seen today, wine ceased to be the main product of the area as a consequence of phylloxera, but is still a very important part of the Manresa/Bages economy. During the Napoleonic invasion, the troops of Manresa defeated the French troops in the Bruch Pass. After the expulsion of Napoleons troops, Manresans rebuilt the town using the rubble, in the 13th and 14th centuries the Jews there were engaged in manufacturing, trading, money-lending, and in the cultivation of their vineyards and estates. The hostility of the Christians towards the Jews, which prevailed throughout Catalonia, was manifested in Manresa. In 1325 the Christian inhabitants of the tried to prevent the Jews from baking their Passover bread. The Jews in Manresa did not escape the persecution of 1391. After 1414 comparatively few Jews remained in the town, and in 1492 they sold their property for whatever they could get, at the beginning of the 15th century Manresa had 30,000 inhabitants, three centuries later it contained barely one-fifth of that number. Several members of the Zabarra family lived in Manresa, the town is not mentioned in the Shebeṭ Yehudah. Manresa has a subtropical, with cold winters and hot, moderately dry summers, while the rainiest seasons are spring. Three bridges cross the Cardener River, the 14th-century basilica of Santa Maria de la Seu stands on a rock above the oldest bridge. La Seu is the monument of Manresa. The church we can see today was designed by Berenguer de Montagut who also designed Santa Maria del Mar, the work began in 1325, but the church was not finished until the end of the 15th century. The municipal museum is housed in the cloisters of the 17th-century church of Sant Ignasi and this church is part of the Sanctuary Cave of Saint Ignatius, built over a cave in which Saint Ignatius of Loyola is said to have prayed and meditated
8.
Castelldefels
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Castelldefels is a municipality in the Baix Llobregat comarca, in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, and part of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. It is located about 20 km southwest of Barcelona, just to the north of the massís del Garraf and is the last town on the coast before the comarca of Garraf, during the summer, many people from Barcelona and the countryside visit it. Nearby towns include Gavà, Viladecans, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sitges, Castelldefels borders the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Sitges and Gavà. The Olympic canal, called Canal Olímpic de Catalunya, built for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games of Barcelona is in the town, the main-belt asteroid 72037 Castelldefels, discovered in 2000, is named after the town. Between 1979 and 2011, the town was governed by the Socialists Party of Catalonia, the first democratic mayor after Constitution was Agustín Marina Pérez. In 2011, the conservative Peoples Party won a plurality of seats for the first time, in 2015, the eco-socialist Candela López of the ICV was elected mayor by a leftist government coalition. The town is also the location of the British School of Barcelona, there are ten public primary schools and three public secondary schools. A second railway line is due to be constructed from Cornellà de Llobregat to Castelldefels, panareda Clopés, Josep Maria, Rios Calvet, Jaume, Rabella Vives, Josep Maria. Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona, Caixa de Catalunya, official site Artistic and historical buildings in Castelldefels Government data pages
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Abrera
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Abrera is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the valley of the Llobregat river, to the south-east of Montserrat, the municipality is served by the FGC railway line from Martorell to Manresa, the S4 and R5 services stop at the station. Abrera is home to The SEAT Sport factory, panareda Clopés, Josep Maria, Rios Calvet, Jaume, Rabella Vives, Josep Maria. Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona, Caixa de Catalunya, abreras Town Hall Government data pages Template, FGC line S4 Template, FGC line R5
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Catalonia
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