Esplugues de Llobregat () is a municipality 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 Med ...

. Formerly in the ''Barcelonès'', since 1990 it has been part of the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

Baix Llobregat Baix Llobregat () is a comarca (county) on the coast of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Sant Feliu de Llobregat. Municipalities Proposed changes It has long been proposed to split the northern part of Baix Llobregat into a separate comarca ...

. During recent decades Esplugues has evolved from a predominantly industrial town to a more diverse service area, preserving, however, its cultural and historical identity. It is known for its characteristic old quarter, the only one in the

area with such evocative and romantic areas. The winding ''Carrer de Montserrat'' goes through the sprawling architectural complex built between 1968 and 2017 by sculptor Xavier Corberó. The mansion of ''Can Cortada'' was home to the Baron Maldà, author of Calaix de Sastre, the most representative work of Catalan literature of the late 18th century. Esplugues holds a remarkable natural area with parks and green spaces such as the Park of Solidarity, the Park of Torrents and the Can Vidalet Park. From the mountain of Sant Pere Màrtir, it is possible to enjoy a picturesque viewpoint of the entire town. The German School of Barcelona and the American School of Barcelona are located in town and attract wealthy expatriate families who decide to get their kids educated there. Due to its proximity to the

Camp Nou Camp Nou (, meaning ''new field'', often referred to in English as the Nou Camp), officially branded as Spotify Camp Nou for sponsorship and financial reasons, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. It has been the home stadium of FC Barcel ...

stadium, many famous footballers reside in Esplugues, such as

Gerard Piqué Gerard Piqué Bernabeu (, ; born 2 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is considered one of the best defenders of his generation. Initially a highly promising student at La Masia, Piqu ...

and his wife

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

Andrés Iniesta Andrés Iniesta Luján (; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and is the captain of J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Iniesta has spent most of his ...

, and

Dani Alves Daniel Alves da Silva (born 6 May 1983), known simply as Dani Alves (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Liga MX club UNAM and the Brazil national team. Widely considered one of the greatest full-backs of ...

, as well as the motorcycle racer

Sete Gibernau Manuel "Sete" Gibernau Bultó (born 15 December 1972) is a Spanish former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who is a 9-time 500cc/MotoGP race winner and a two-time overall runner-up in and . His racing career spans three different ...

, the former World Number 1 tennis player Arantxa Sánchez, and other personalities in Spanish showbiz.

City connection

Esplugues de Llobregat has an excellent road network, being connected to the highways B-20 and B-23, the N-340 road, and its location right across from the

Avinguda Diagonal Avinguda Diagonal (, in Spanish language, Spanish Avenida Diagonal) is the name of one of Barcelona's broadest and most important avenues. It cuts the city in two, diagonally with respect to the grid pattern of the surrounding streets, hence the ...

, the most important avenue in

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 c ...

. The city resides away from the Airport of Barcelona, it is away from the

port of Barcelona Managed by Spanish Government The Port of Barcelona ( ca, Port de Barcelona, ; es, Puerto de Barcelona) has a 150-year history and great contemporary commercial importance as one of Europe's major ports in the Mediterranean. It is also Spain's th ...

, and away to the Catalan capital downtown. It is linked to

through the following bus lines: 57, 63, 67, 68, 157, metropolitan buses, and T1, T2 and T3 Trambaix lines. The only metro station in the area is Can Vidalet, on the L5 line. Two other stops are under construction and will be opened in 2018.

History

The first nominal legal land section, a little portion of land with a few homes and a few inhabitants, in what is today Esplugues was made in 1096. The first documents which talk about a town called Esplugues de Llobregat date from the 14th century.

Demography

Education

International schools in the municipality include: * German School of Barcelona * American School of Barcelona

Twin towns

* Ahrensburg, Germany * Macael, Spain

Notable people

Ailyn Pilar María Del Carmen Mónica Giménez García (born 29 May 1982), known professionally as Ailyn Giménez or simply Ailyn, is a Spanish singer. She is the current vocalist of Her Chariot Awaits and the former vocalist of the Norwegian sympho ...

, singer and songwriter * Carme Chacón, politician and minister of Defence * Xavier Corberó, sculptor * Óscar Jaenada, actor * Mercedes Milá, journalist * Lorenzo Milá, journalist * Pilar Giménez García, musician *

, football player * Víctor Ruiz, football player

References

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

External links

Official site
(''in Catalan'')
Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esplugues De Llobregat Populated places in Baix Llobregat