Terrassa

Brief history

The primitive medieval centre of the town of Terrassa is related to the year 844 of the "Terracium Castellum", located near the stream of the Palau. At the beginning of the 12^th and 13^th centuries, with the strengthening of the feudal structure and the opening of the market by the fiscal policy of the Catalan monarchy, the town of Terrassa was born.

On the left bank of the Vallparadís stream, the count of Barcelona, ​​Ramon Berenguer III, sold land in 1110 to the noble Berenguer Sanlà, so that he could build a fortress later. This would become the Carthusian monastery of Sant Jaume de Vallparadís. It is currently the main headquarters of the Museum of Terrassa.

Industrialization

In the mid-nineteenth century, a period of industrial expansion began. Communications improved considerably, with the construction of the Barcelona road in 1845 and the arrival of the train from the Catalan capital, in 1856.

The industry was transformed with the use of the steam engine. An important era began for the city of Terrassa. The growth of the population forced the demolition of the city walls in 1876. In 1877 the Terrassa Savings Bank was founded, and King Alfonso XII granted Terrassa the title of city in the same year.

The demographic growth would continue until the Civil War. After the war and favoured by the social and economic structure of the Franco regime, the Terrassa industry began a strong development that brought about a very important population increase and immigration.

The city grew in a chaotic and messy manner and suburban areas appeared. On September 25, 1962, Terrassa was affected by a huge flood that overflowed the streams and led to a major urban catastrophe and loss of human life.

Major industrialization was experienced in the 1960's. The textile industry lost weight and the metallurgical sector evolved. The economic crisis of 1974 paralyzed this industrial process.

On June 15, 1977, two years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the first democratic elections were held. This started a new phase of prosperity and orderly growth of the city.

Source : Terrassa.cat