Tarragona is one of the oldest town on the shores of Mediterranean Sea. In the ancient times it became a major Roman town.
Tarraco (Tarragona) was an ancient Roman city . During the Roman Empire it was one of the main cities of Hispania and capital of the Roman province Hispania Citerior or Hispania Tarraconensis . The full name of the city was Colonia Iulia Urbs Triumphalis Tarraco. In 2000, the archaeological site of Tarraco was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
Early Middle Ages (8th–11th century)
Tarragona was conquered by
the Arab-Berbers on a variable date depending on the authors, between
714 and 716. It has been the subject of debate whether the conquest was
peaceful or after a siege and subsequent looting. This last thesis would
be supported by the well-documented escape of Bishop Prospero , but on
the other hand, no archaeological evidence has been found that
demonstrates a sudden interruption of citizen life. The lack of some
episcopal holders, as well as an eccentric and peripheral situation in
relation to both Andalusian and Christian centers of power, would
explain a rapid decline followed by several centuries of irrelevance,
far from complete depopulation but without reaching a fully urban
reality. The symbolic value of ancient Tarraco, could have acted as an
incentive for stability in the Christian domain, but other factors would
work against it. There are indications of attempts to recover Christian
rule ( Reconquista ) since the 9th century under Charlemagne , but the
campaigns that will give rise to the Hispanic March did not manage to
consolidate the safe and stable Christian rule of the city. Borrell II
proclaimed himself Prince of Tarragona in 960, but the successive
attempts to consolidate Christian rule over the city show how precarious
that rule was, at least until the 11th century .
In 1129, Saint Olegario , Archbishop of Tarragona , ceded the city as
an ecclesiastical principality to the Norman mercenary Robert Bordet ,
who had served under Alfonso I of Aragon . On March 14, 1129, this
knight was named Prince of Tarragona through a vassalage pact. After the
infeudation of the Principality of Tarragona , the Normans, commanded by
Bordet, settled in the city. Robert Bordet took advantage of an ancient
Roman tower still standing, the current Torre del Praetorio, to
establish his castle. Thus began a first process of colonization of the
city, directed on the ground by Robert, but controlled from Barcelonaby
the archbishop
The situation in the city was complicated by the
death of San Olegario. In 1146, his successor, Bernat Tort , a trusted
man of the Count of Barcelona , settled in the city. Thus began a
process marked by continuous jurisdictional conflicts that culminated in
the extinction of the principality and the restitution to the Count of
Barcelona in 1151.
Tarragona at the end of the 12th century was
already a fully consolidated urban nucleus that had become the directing
center of a vast territory. In 1148 the local government had been
reorganized and the council of inhabitants of the city participated
intensely in urban life. The city grew and occupied the entire internal
area of the Provincial Forum of Tarraco , thus maintaining the
architectural structure inherited from Roman times. the 12th century
city thus arose in the area of great monuments, around the stately
castles. Starting in 1146, the area of the cult site from Roman times
was occupied, a sector that took on special importance with the
beginning of the construction of the cathedral.in 1171, and which became
the backbone of the city after its consecration in 1331.
Outside
the defensive enclosure of this early period, there were three clearly
differentiated areas: firstly, the Corral , the old Roman circus, which
became a village outside the walls with a minimum population and mainly
used for commercial and industrial activities. Secondly, Vila Nova ,
which was the area that extended from the Corral to the port and was
basically used for orchards, crops, fields and mills. Unlike the first,
it was not very inhabited, except in the port area and in the area
closest to the Corral . Finally, the Tarragona orchard, also destined
for agricultural exploitation, which stretched on both sides of the
Francolí river and reached Riu Clar.
The spread of the bubonic
plague throughout Europe marked the beginning of a significant period of
demographic recession. The epidemic reached the city between May and
July 1348, causing a great mortality. The decrease in the population and
the general crisis in which the city found itself caused the urban
nucleus to enter into a significant recessive process. The decrease in
the number of fires was reflected in a smaller number of occupied
houses. Despite this, in 1368 the city, following the guidelines set by
the Crown , began maintenance and reinforcement of the city walls by
building the Muralleta or Mur Nou , at the height of the circus façade.
In this way, the Corral area, the ancient Roman circus, was incorporated
into the urban nucleus.
The political situation worsened during
the first half of the fifteenth century . The differences between the
Generalitat of Catalonia and Juan II of Aragon caused a civil war, in
which the archbishop sided with the royalists, while the Municipal
Council, after a period of indecision, allied with the Generalitat.
On October 17, 1462, the troops of Juan II arrived in Tarragona to
besiege the city. The war plunged Tarragona into absolute decadence. The
city's defenses, especially in the Mur Nou sector , were badly damaged,
as well as those in the Corral area . The population drastically
decreased and the municipality declared bankruptcy. The effects of the
war were visible in the city for a long time.
Modern age
(16th–18th centuries)
The life of the city of Tarragona during
modern times is marked by three major wars. Since the 16th century ,
fortifications have been built or consolidated to defend the city and
its surroundings from continuous wars and pirate attacks. From the War
of the Reapers until the middle of the 19th century, Tarragona was a
stronghold, which meant that the fortifications could not be destroyed
and a space had to be left in front of the wall free of buildings, with
the difficulties that this entailed. for urban expansion. Epidemics were
a constant in this period and caused great deaths and the exodus of the
population.
During the War of the Reapers (1640-1659), the
strategic situation of Tarragona made it suffer two important sieges, in
1641 and 1644, which led to serious destruction of buildings and the
consequent prostration and economic decline of the city. The port
suffered extensive damage and was abandoned for a long time, so trade
was diverted to the port of Salou . The economy of the Campo de
Tarragona entered a serious crisis from which it did not recover until
the end of the 18th century , when the reconstruction of the port was
authorized and permission to trade freely with America was granted.
The second major war that the city suffered was the War of
Succession (1702-1714) that reached Tarragona when it had not yet
recovered from the ravages of the War of the Reapers. Tarragona was
defended by a British garrison that improved the defensive system with
the construction of Falsa Braga and other forts and bastions, most of
which have now disappeared. When Felipe V came to power, he promulgated
the Nueva Planta Decree , which established a centralized and absolutist
system of government. In this new organization, the old veguerías were
regrouped into corregimientos and town halls were created, while the
political organization chart was hierarchical, the power of the
archbishops was cut and the University was suppressed.
Another
serious problem that the city faced during the 16th and 17th centuries
were plague epidemics and pirate attacks. Piracy on the Mediterranean
coast caused the population to flee to safer areas inland. To try to
control the pirate attacks, defense towers were built along the coast,
such as the Torre de la Mora, or the bastion over the natural port of
Tamarit, which dates from 1617. The raids by corsairs were a major
demographic obstacle and affordable for affected areas.
The
church, and more specifically, the archbishops played an important role
in the cultural, artistic and urban revival of the city in the 16th
century , since these religious, in addition to being prelates, held
important political positions. Archbishops such as Gaspar Cervantes de
Gaeta , Joan Terès and Antoni Agustín endowed the city with a Literary
University, extended the limits of the walled city to the current Rambla
Nova -with the construction of the wall of San Juan- and promoted and
financed works and chapels in the cathedral of Tarragona. On the other
hand, numerous religious orders were installed in the city that carried
out charitable and educational tasks.
The arrival of water to the
city, coming from Puigpelat , meant a significant improvement in the
quality of life of the population. In this case, it is also necessary to
highlight the contribution of the ecclesiastical hierarchy to the
development of the city, since the work was promoted by the archbishops
Joaquín de Santiyán and Francesc Armanyà.
During the 18th century , the city experienced a slight growth
that was cut short again, at the beginning of the following century,
by a new war, the War of Independence .
In the artistic
sphere, at the end of the 16th century , there was a revival of
classicism at the hands of the Camp School, with the support of
Archbishop Antoni Agustín and the humanist canons.
Despite
the dramatic events that marked the modern era, the celebration of
traditional festivals continued to be one of the milestones that
marked the Tarragona calendar. The guilds were in charge of the
entourage that took to the streets for the festivities of Santa
Tecla, Corpus, the arrival of kings and the entry of new
archbishops. In the middle of the 16th century , the Confraria de la
Sang was founded, whose social relevance far exceeded the
participation in the Holy Burial procession.
In 1786
Tarragona was granted permission to trade freely with America and
economic activity was oriented towards the wine and brandy trade .
This fact led to the expansion of vine cultivation to the detriment
of other products. With the appearance of phylloxera in France,
around 1870, the cultivation spread excessively to the point that
vines were planted in unsuitable places. The advantage of the
proximity of the export market and the ease of transportation made
it a profitable crop, so Tarragona benefited greatly economically.
This economic movement motivated the appearance of a new social
class of workers and craftsmen., while the bourgeoisie took the
opportunity to invest in various companies.
The 19th century began with a war with devastating consequences for
the city: the War of Independence or the French War. After a long and
terrible siege for the population, Tarragona was assaulted by the French
army on June 28, 1811. From that moment on, the French occupied the city
for more than two years, after which they left a trail of misery and
hunger, aggravated by the blowing up of strategic points in the city
that accompanied his departure, on August 19, 1813.
The economic
and demographic recovery was slow, despite the fact that the city was
exempted from paying taxes between 1816 and 1826. With the improvement
of the situation, the port works and others that had been stopped due to
the conflict will be resumed. This fact will allow the establishment of
foreign merchants and the formation of an enterprising commercial petty
bourgeoisie that will make possible the modernization of Tarragona
during the 19th century .
During the second half of the 19th
century , fluctuations in the price of wine conditioned the city's
economy and demography, as well as its urban expansion. In periods of
euphoria, the population increased, auxiliary industries related to the
export of wines were promoted and numerous companies and entities linked
to this trade were established. Starting in the middle of the century,
economic growth made possible urban improvements that changed the
appearance of the city.
In 1868 Tarragona ceased to be a
stronghold, which allowed the construction of buildings and houses
outside the wall. Militarily, the walls were no longer necessary, since
the new technologies of war had shown them to be useless. On the other
hand, demographic pressure made it essential to urbanize that area of
the city. Only after 1854 and intermittently and irregularly, due to
the high economic costs involved, did the demolition of the wall of San
Juan begin, which allowed urbanization and the construction of new
buildings on the current Rambla Nova and the projection of new streets,
such as Unión, which will make it possible to connect the Part Alta with
the Marina. The upper part of the city, more static, continued to be the
space preferred as a residence by the nobility, by the ecclesiastics and
also, by sectors, by the peasants and artisans. The newly built, more
dynamic Lower Part or Marina, became the place where the commercial
bourgeoisie would settle with its workshops and shops.
The works
of the port and the expansion of the city lead to the discovery of
numerous archaeological remains. At this time, many remains of ancient
Tarraco could be saved , which served as the base of the first
Archaeological Museum .
Throughout the centuries, the presence of
the port was decisive for the trade of Tarragona. Improvements to the
port's infrastructure during this period allowed the introduction of new
companies and, therefore, the modernization of the city.
During
the first third of the 20th century , political and social changes took
place in the country that had a decisive influence on the life of the
people of Tarragona: the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera , the
proclamation of the Second Republic and the Spanish Civil War
(1936-1939) . ). The conflict was a serious setback and setback in the
economic and social development of Tarragona. The city was bombed on
numerous occasions, with which, in addition to suffering a considerable
number of fatalities, its urban structure was seriously damaged with the
destruction of infrastructures that had to be rebuilt during the
difficult post-war years.
At the end of the 1950s, some chemical
industries began to settle in the area and in 1975 the ENPETROL refinery
began operating . The push of the industrial sector also had a notable
influence on the urban and construction aspect in general; since the
increase in population, due to the increase in immigration, led to the
creation of new peripheral neighborhoods that were built, to the west,
on the Valencia highway ( Torreforta , Campclar , Bonavista , Icomar,
Riuclar, La Floresta and La Granja ) and to the north of the city (San
Salvador and San Pedro and San Pablo).
Tarragona will become an
industrial city specialized in the petrochemical field. In these
industries, the output and input of the manufactured products is done
through the port of Tarragona, which will become the second Spanish port
in terms of tons per year.
In October 2011, in the Turkish city
of Mersin , the city of Tarragona was selected to host the 2017
Mediterranean Games . In November 2016, at a meeting in Oran (Algeria),
the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games, the Spanish
Olympic Committee and the mayor of Tarragona himself, Josep Fèlix
Ballesteros , decided to agree to postpone the Games until the summer of
2018 due to the lack of 12 million euros that the central government had
to provide, which at that time was in office and on the brink of a third
election.