Calella

Early history From the 1st century BC, the progressive process of Romanization gave rise to numerous villas in the lower areas of the coast, connected by the Roman road that led to Barcino (Barcelona). These were agricultural mansions dedicated to the production of wheat, oil, or wine. In Calella, the remains of a Roman villa that could be dated between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD have been excavated close to the city hospital. Calella has approximately 700 years of documented history. In the 11th century, evidence emerged of a settlement in the Capaspre area, which was integrated into the parish of Pineda de Mar and under the stately rule of the Lord of Montpalau Castle. It consisted of a small number of farmhouses located at the top of the stream, with a defense tower and a couple of chapels dedicated to Saint Quirze and Saint Julita. The name Calella has been documented since the beginning of the 12th century. From then on, away from the Saracen danger, some residents of the Capaspre area built their first fishermen's houses near the mouth of the stream. The will of Bishop Bernat Umbert, written in 1101, was the oldest document found that refers to Calella. Viscount Bernat II of Cabrera, Lord of Montpalau, granted the privilege of having a market as well as a settlement charter in 1327. The market privileges were enlarged in 1328. These privileges, upheld in 1423 by Violant de Cabrera on behalf of her husband, and in 1426 by Bernat Joan de Cabrera himself, along with the fishing development, favored urban growth: during the 15th century many peasant families from neighboring villages settled in the village. By then, it had a defense tower and a new chapel dedicated to Saint Elm. Modern History During the sixteenth century, the city was drawing up its urban framework. In 1525, the Pope authorized the construction of a church. Three years later, the works of the temple began. While the Church was being built, the people of Calella received the sacraments in the chapel of Sant Elm. In 1564, the new church was consecrated. In 1599, Gastó de Moncada, Marquis of Aitona and Viscount of Cabrera, granted new privileges establishing the definitive organization of the municipal council, represented by juries and councillors, renewable annually, and dividing the inhabitants into three classes: wealthy, craftsmen and day labourers. In the 1570s, Abraham Ortelius first mapped Calella's name on a map of the peninsula. In 1586, Calella already had an urban plan made to scale. After a long period of stagnation due to wars and epidemics that ravaged the country during the seventeenth century, growth continued. In 1714, once the War of the Spanish Succession ended, the city began a process of demographic and economic growth, going from the 768 inhabitants in 1718 to 2,637 in 1787. During these years, the traditional agricultural and fishing activities were expanded with boat construction. The last third of the century, thanks to the liberalization of trade with the American colonies, was the golden age of overseas trade, which contributed decisively to the industrial development of the entire region. In 1790, there were already more than 200 looms dedicated to the manufacture of silk and cotton stockings. By the end of the century, many new streets had been added to the initial nucleus, making Església Street and Jovara Street the new central streets. 19th and 20th centuries Despite wars and revolutions, industrial activity (textiles) and transatlantic trade maintained their production. In 1854, the construction of large boats and fishing boats began. On August 1, 1861, the train officially arrived in Calella, although it had been stopping at a Calella temporary stop since 1859. The population began a period of growth, from 3,500 inhabitants in 1860 to 4,316 in 1900. The cause of this growth was the installation of the first steam-powered factories, which offset the upheaval in maritime trade caused by the loss of the colonies. The first decades of the 20th century were a time of splendour for Calella's industry, which was cut short by the civil war. The decline of the textile sector went closely with the spectacular development of tourism, especially from the sixties and on. This process is clearly reflected in demographics: strong growth from 1900 to 1930, stagnation between 1930 and 1960, and spectacular growth during the 1960s and 1970s. Between the 1970s until the mid-1990s, Calella became an important tourist destination for Central European tourism (German, Dutch, Danish, English, French), and was thus popularly known as Calella dels Alemanys, as its population tripled in the high tourist season (which coincides with the end of spring, summer and the beginning of autumn). Currently, the variety of tourism has grown, and visitors are received from virtually every country in Europe. == Places of interest ==