Tarragona

 

 

Location: Catalonia Province  Map

 

The city of Tarragona is in Catalonia. It is the first major city south of Barcelona. There are a number of historic buildings to see such as B. Churches from different centuries or the well-preserved Colosseum from Roman times.

The city of Tarragona (Tarrakon, Roman Tarraco) was the capital of Tarraconensian Spain in Roman times. During the migration of peoples it suffered a lot from the Suevi, Vandal and Goth incursions. In 714 it was conquered by the Moors after a three-year siege and completely devastated, but was rebuilt more than three centuries later (1038) by the Counts of Barcelona. The diocese, founded after 1038, was raised to the status of an archbishopric in 1154. In 1119 the city was taken from the Arabs by Alfonso I of Aragon. On August 28, 1811, the French General Suchet took it by storm. In August 1813 it was besieged by the English, and since Suchet could no longer defend it, he had the fortifications blown up on August 8, 1813, and the city suffered greatly. In 1833 Tarragona became the provincial capital.

 

Travel Destinations in Tarragona

The High Part
The old part of the city or "Part Alta" is the highest area of ​​the city, surrounded by the famous walls of Tarragona and crowned by the Cathedral of the city. It is worth getting lost in its narrow streets to make a journey through the history of the city thanks to the Roman, medieval and modern remains that coexist with the usual rhythm of the neighborhood. The Plaça de la Font is a must stop for any traveler. Ideal on a summer afternoon or spring to sit and have a drink in the area with the most movement in the city right in front of the town hall.

The Rambla and the Balcó del Mediterrani
La Rambla is a good place to walk from the imperial tarraco square to the Balcó del Mediterrani. Along the way you can see many shops and bars, which on Tuesdays and Thursdays coexist with the city's street market. The balcony of the Mediterranean offers an unbeatable panoramic view of the coastline of the city from which you can see from the Punta de la Mora to the Cap de Salou, with the immense port of Tarragona or the beaches of the city. The walk to the balcony of the Mediterranean is known in Tarragona as going to "touch ferro" (touch iron).

The Serrallo
The Serrallo is the fishing district and is located between the marina and the commercial port of the city. In spite of being a very small neighborhood, it has some of the best fish restaurants in the city and it is very pleasant to walk contemplating the boats of the fishermen.

 

Cathedral of Tarragona

Next to an old church of 392, the construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria began in 1171 by a legacy of Archbishop Hugo de Cervelló. However, the construction activities dragged on until 1331. That is why the cathedral was built in the transitional style from Romanesque to Gothic. The floor plan is a Greek cross. The church has three naves with a transept and four (of the originally five planned) apses. In the transept, a dome with purely Gothic windows rises above the Romanesque base. The two side gates of the facade are Romanesque, the main portal, completed in 1475, is Gothic with rich sculptural decoration and a powerful rosette above the portal.

In the main apse is the tomb of Don Juan de Aragon, son of Jaime II, bishop of Tarragona for the last five years of his life, adorned with beautiful sculptures. In the main altar there is an important retable from the 15th century on the Romanesque altar table. It shows God the Father enthroned in the center and scenes from the life of Saint Thekla.

The portal to the cloister made of white marble from the 13th century is particularly worth seeing. The ruler of the world and the four evangelist symbols are shown in the tympanum. Biblical scenes can be found on all capitals.

Roman Amphitheater (Tarragona)

The Roman Circus (Tarragona)

 

Moll de Costa
Moll de Costa is the name of the northern quay at the old docks and the street that runs parallel to it. The Moll de Costa, which was created at the end of the 19th century and has been open to the public since 1986, is characterized by four historic warehouses (tinglados). The 61 m × 16 m warehouses, which were built from 1898 and were used to store bulk goods in sacks (corn, cod, almonds, hazelnuts), were initially only 5 m from the quay and partly consisted of only an iron construction with a gabled roof. Between 1913 and 1924 they were moved back to a distance of 12 m from the quay to enlarge the loading area and to lay tracks for loading cranes. After the commercial use of the Moll de Costa was abandoned, the buildings were restored and are now partly used for changing exhibitions and cultural events. The Museu del Port de Tarragona is housed in one of the two younger former storage sheds (refugi 2) on the north side of Calle Moll de Costa. Exhibits from Roman times to the present are on display. The facilities of the modern commercial and industrial port are explained in a slide show. The neighboring storage shed (refugi 1) is also used for temporary exhibitions. In the surrounding area, some old loading cranes and a shunting steam locomotive are reminiscent of the former function of this area.

The harbor basin of the Moll de Costa is now mostly used as a marina ("Port Tarraco"); There are 64 berths for ocean-going yachts from 30 to 130 m in length and up to 8 m draft. Cruise ships up to 140 m in length can also dock here. The western area of the harbor basin is used as a fishing port. Opposite the fishing port is the old fishing district of El Serrallo, built in the mid-19th century, with the small church of Sant Pere (late 19th century) and the building of the Confraría (confraternity) de Pescadors de Tarragona, with a restaurant on the ground floor.

Moll de Llevant "km 0"
The street on Moll de Llevant, which borders Moll de Costa to the east, was developed as a promenade and leisure route for pedestrians, joggers, cyclists and skaters. The 4.75 km route that starts between the Port Authority building (Autoritat Portuària) and the marina for sailing and motor boats also offers impressive views of the port areas with silos, industrial halls and coal storage areas. At km 3.25 is the Far de la Banya lighthouse, which was moved here in 1985 from its former location in the Ebro Delta. At the end of the Moll de Llevant is the terminal for cruise ships with a draft of up to 19 m (without width and length restrictions).

In the port development master plan (2015-2035), the expansion of the Moll de Llevant to double the berths for cruise ships (new Muelle de Balears) is mentioned as a key project to improve the tourism sector.

 

History of Tarragona

For the Roman history of Tarragona see main article: Tarraco

218 BC The Romans conquered the Iberian city and made it the capital of the province of Hispania citerior, later Tarraconensis, under the name Tarraco. 27 B.C. They erected a temple in honor of Augustus and Jupiter.

There are many Roman monuments in Tarragona: the amphitheater, the circus, the Roman Forum, the Torre dels Escipions funerary monument, the Arc de Berà triumphal arch, the Centcelles mausoleum and the Aqüeducte de les Ferreres aqueduct bridge (also called the Pont del Diable). In 2000 the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Remains of old Roman buildings are being discovered again and again during current construction work. At the request of the archaeologists, the construction work is then often interrupted, to the annoyance of the builders.

The Passeig Arqueològic (Archaeological Promenade) runs along the city walls, which according to the Roman historians Livy and Pliny date back to the Scipios in the 3rd century BC. According to other opinions, it may be older because of the Cyclopean stone blocks of several tons, which were put together without joints. Roman exhibits are on display in the Museu Arqueològic, including mosaics worth seeing, in particular a head of Medusa. Next to the museum is the Roman praetorium from the 1st century BC. BC, which here had a square shape and was subject to violent changes in the Middle Ages. The amphitheater is right on the coast and was the scene of the martyrdom of Bishop Fructuosus and the deacons Augurius and Eulogius during the Valerian persecution of Christians. In late antiquity Tarragona was an important bishopric.

In 476, after the fall of Rome and the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Tarragona was occupied rather than conquered by the Visigoths under their king Euric. The Visigoths took over the urban structures and made up a thin upper class. The end of the conditions inherited from antiquity came with the arrival of the Moors; around 716 al-Hurr conquered the city. The city then lay in ruins and was largely uninhabited until the Reconquista in the 12th century.

In 1118 Raimund conquered Berengar III. Tarragona, having already extended his sphere of influence to the gates of the deserted city, and rebuilt it as the headquarters of the Church in Catalonia (previously the Catalans were ecclesiastically dependent on the Archdiocese of Narbonne). The surviving Roman city wall was repaired.

During the Napoleonic Wars on the Iberian Peninsula, Tarragona was besieged and finally stormed from May 3rd to June 28th, 1811 (Siege of Tarragona).

 

Getting here

By plane
Reus Airport is located near Tarragona

Alternatively, you can arrive by plane at Barcelona Airport, which is served by easyJet, Lufthansa, Niki, Norwegian, SWISS and Vueling from German-speaking countries. The onward journey can then be made by regional train and bus.

By train
Tarragona is on the main route from Barcelona (1 hour) and Alicante (2 to 3 hours). Trains from Madrid and other cities in western Spain terminate in Barcelona. Note that it is better to pre-book tickets to avoid unnecessary waiting at the counters.

 

Getting around

All sights can be explored on foot from the train station. Taxis and suburban trains can take you further afield.

 

Shopping

There are shops on the Rambla, among others; Various Catalan goods can also be purchased in the old town.

 

Economy

Tarragona has a port that is one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean in terms of throughput. The operating company of the port therefore has great political influence in the city parliament.

In the south-west of the city, various petrochemical plants are lined up next to each other. BASF, Dow Chemical, Repsol YPF and other corporations have their refineries and other offices there. Covestro operates a factory for the production of diphenylmethane diisocyanates.

Around Tarragona there are, among other things, hazelnut plantations and viticulture (see also viticulture in Spain). The Priorat, north-west of Tarragona, supplies excellent-quality wine.

 

Culture

The University of Rovira i Virgili, after its split from the University of Barcelona in 1991, is an independent university with faculties in Tarragona, Reus and Vila-seca.

A certain rivalry exists between the residents of the city of Tarragona and the neighboring town of Reus and El Vendrell.

The main street La Rambla Nova leads directly towards the sea, but ends above a 30 meter high natural cliff. An artistically designed railing protects the walker from accidentally falling. Laying hands on one of the metal railing posts is said to bring good luck. The Tarragonese say Tocar ferro porta sort in Catalan! ("Touching iron brings luck").

In the north-east of the city, in addition to Platja Rabassada, Platja Savinosa and the large Platja Llarga, there are other beach coves in the Tamarit-Punta de la Móra conservation area, such as Cala Fonda and Platja Roca Plana, which can only be reached on foot and are popular with nudists . The landscape protection area currently covers around 100 hectares of land and around 300 hectares of sea surface. More frequented, because it can be reached via a road, is Platja La Móra on the urbanization of the same name.

There is a parade at carnival. The dancers on the floats and in the street are disguised, similar to those in Rio de Janeiro. The spectators are not dressed up, but enjoy the display of the young dancers, most of whom are scantily clad.

During Holy Week (Semana Santa) there are religious processions that parade through the streets of the city. The city's patron saint is Fructuosus (January 21).

During the first week of July every year, Tarragona hosts an international fireworks competition that attracts tens of thousands of spectators every evening from Wednesday to Saturday at 10:30 p.m.

Also, every year at the end of September, Tarragona hosts the Saint Tecla Festival (Festes de Santa Tecla de Tarragona in Catalan). The focus here is on cultural events, especially Catalan culture, such as castells, concerts, fireworks or costume parades.

 

Religion

Tarragona is the home of the Catholic Saint Mercedarian Peter Armengol. King Hermenegild was also martyred here.

See also: Archdiocese of Tarragona