El Prat de Llobregat (), commonly known as El Prat , is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

located in the ''comarca'' of Baix Llobregat in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

. The

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (Catalan: ''Aeroport Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat'', Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat''), and also known as El Prat Airport, is an international airport located sou ...

largely lies within the municipal limits. It is part of the

Barcelona metropolitan area The Barcelona urban area is an urban area in Catalonia (Spain) centered on the city of Barcelona and located less than 100 km south of the border with France. With a population of over 5 million, it is the most populous urban area on the Me ...

Location

It is situated in the

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

of the

Llobregat The Llobregat () is the second longest river in Catalonia, Spain, after the Ter. It flows into the Mediterranean south of the city of Barcelona. Its name could have originated in an ancient Latin word meaning 'dark', 'sorrowful' or 'muddy', or ...

river on the right bank, bordering the coast of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

between

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Viladecans Viladecans () is a town near Barcelona, Spain. It is located between Sant Boi de Llobregat and Sant Climent de Llobregat, and is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between El Prat de Llobregat and Gavà. Viladecans is basically a service to ...

. More than a quarter of the area of the

is occupied by Barcelona–El Prat Airport. Apart from the transport links to the

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

, the town of El Prat is served by a railway station on the coast line from

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. The municipality also has a beach and a small nature reserve at the ''Llac'' (Lake) ''de la Ricarda i del Remolar''. El Prat is famous for its blue-legged chickens (known as ''gall potablava'' in Catalan). El Prat forms part of the metropolitan area of Barcelona.

History

El Prat was founded between the years 1720 and 1740, when the town started to grow besides a path crossing. The first buildings to appear were the church (dedicated to St. Peter and

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

), the hostel (which served as a school, bakery, and obviously as a hostel), and some other houses built by the farmers of the delta, who came to the church to pray. After this, the installation of a ferry to cross the river and, later, the construction of the Ferran Puig bridge, the arrival of the railroad and the discovery of underground water improved the communication of El Prat and consequently doubled its population. In 1917, the installation on the town of La Papelera Espanola, a factory producing paper and derivatives, started the industrial years of El Prat. Next, in 1923, three private aerodromes started operations in El Prat, due to the flat terrain of the municipality. That was the beginning of the connection between El Prat and the world of aviation, that would end up creating

Barcelona International Airport Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

after the unification of the three aerodromes in 1948. In 1926, another company, this time of the textile sector, called "La Seda de Barcelona", built a factory in the town. That caused the final spurt of growth of El Prat. With the immigration of people from the south of Spain (mostly

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

and

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

), the town almost doubled in size by 1930, and again by 1950, and then increased its size threefold in 1970 with the creation of the neighborhoods of Sant Cosme, Sant Jordi and La Granja, built to be the home of these immigrants. Finally, with the next expansion, the population doubled in size once again, although has now reached a period of stability.

Demography

Climate

Economy

At El Prat De Llobregat stands the ''Gearbox del Prat'' plant, fully owned by the Spanish car maker SEAT, which is one of the five production sites in the world manufacturing transmission parts and gearboxes for the

Volkswagen Group Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...

.
Also Vueling Airlines has its head office in the Parque de Negocios Mas Blau II in El Prat de Llobregat. Before its dissolution,

Clickair Clickair was a low-cost airline that was based in the ''Parc de Negocis Mas Blau'' in El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona, Spain. Clickair flew to nearly 40 destinations in Europe. The airline's main base was Barcelona–El Prat Airport with ...

had its head office in El Prat de Llobregat.

Schools and education

Public centers in El Prat de Llobregat ;Preschool * Sol Solet * Dumbo * El Cabusset * La Vailets * El Xumet del Prat * Llar d'infants Hello Kitty ;Kindergarten and primary education (CEIP): * Joan Maragall * Escola Mare de Déu del Carme *

Jacint Verdaguer Jacint Verdaguer i Santaló (; 17 May 1845 – 10 June 1902) was a Catalan / Spanish writer, regarded as one of the greatest poets of Catalan literature and a prominent literary figure of the Renaixença, a cultural revival movement of the ...

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

Josep Tarradellas Josep Tarradellas i Joan (), 1st Marquess of Tarradellas (19 February 1899 – 10 June 1988) was a Catalan politician known for his role as the first president of the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya), after its re-establishment ...

* Sant Cosme i Sant Damià * Bernat Metge * Escola del Parc *

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...

* Sant Jaume *

Jaume Balmes Jaime Luciano Balmes y Urpiá ( ca, Jaume Llucià Antoni Balmes i Urpià; August 28, 1810July 9, 1848) was a Spanish philosopher, theologian, Catholic apologist, sociologist and political writer. Familiar with the doctrine of Saint Thomas Aqui ...

Pompeu Fabra Pompeu Fabra i Poch (; Gràcia, Barcelona, 20 February 1868 – Prada de Conflent, 25 December 1948) was a Spanish engineer and grammarian. He was the main author of the normative reform of contemporary Catalan language. Life Pompeu Fabra w ...

* Ramón Llull ;Private schools (primary education and secondary education ) * Col·legi Seda * Acadèmia Nuestra Señora del Mar García-Lorca * Escola Mare de Déu del Carme ;Secondary education and baccalaureate (INS) * Estany de la Ricarda * Baldiri Guilera *

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

* Doctor Trueta * Illa dels Banyols * Institut Ribera Baixa ;Special education center (CEE): * Can Rigol ;Adult schools(EPA): * Sant Cosme * Terra Baixa

References

* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan).

External links

Artistic and historical buildings in Prat de Llobregat
(in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

)
El Prat City Council
(in Catalan)
Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prat De Llobregat, El Populated places in Baix Llobregat