Molins de Rei () or Molins de Rey in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

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 ...

located 18 km from

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 ...

's city centre, 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 ...

, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river, on the A-7 ''autopista'' 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 ...

to La Jonquera and the main N-II road. Its location has made Molins de Rei a strategic and dynamic municipality, with significant examples of commercial and industrial entrepreneurship.

History

Its name, Molins de Rei (which means King's Mills), has its origins in the royal windmills that existed in this area, documented as early as 1188. These mills were built by order of the King Alfonso II, and their construction essentially established the municipality. By 1208, a parish and church as well as a cemetery had been built in the town. In 1309, the town was part of the county of Pallars which belonged to the countess Sibil·la. When she died, the town changed owners to Hugo de Arborea and later on, it was transferred to the convent of Santa Clara in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

(Italy). Again in 1366, the lands were purchased by Berenguer de Relat. In 1430, it was again transferred to Galceran de Requesens i de Santacoloma who built a palace in the village, visited by personalities of the time such as the Catholic Monarchs or Christopher Columbus. In 1763, a bridge was built to cross the Llobregat river, by order of the King Charles III of Spain. This bridge turned the village into a strategic location during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, and the town was subjected to grave attacks and fires in several occasions. During these attacks, several significant buildings were destroyed, such as the Palace of Requesens.

Main sights

The Palace of Recasens, ruined by a looting during the 19th century, dates from the 15th century. Outside the town are the ruins of the Castellciuró castle, built in 1066—perhaps over a previous

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kn ...

fortification— and destroyed in 985 by troops of

al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri ( ar, أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر المعافري), nicknamed al-Manṣūr ( ar, المنصور, "the Victorious"), which is often Latiniz ...

. Remains include a tower and parts of the walls. The Romanesque chapel of Sant Pere de Romaní, known from 1011, has a rectangular shape, with a barrel vaulted ceiling, and a bell tower.

Transportation

The Molins de Rei

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing s ...

is served by RENFE railway lines R1 and R4 which run frequently to and from central

, taking roughly 25 minutes to and from Plaça Catalunya. Local

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es also connect the town to central Barcelona and since it is in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, a tourist will be able to find the distinctive yellow taxis in the square where the Avinguda de Barcelona and the Avinguda de València meet. In addition, the town is served by the C-1413 road to Sabadell.

Notable people

Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga (25 August 1528 – 5 March 1576) was a Spanish general, sailor, diplomat and politician. He served as governor of the Duchy of Milan (1572–1573) and as governor of the Spanish Netherlands (1573–1576). Biography ...

, 16th-century Spanish diplomat and politician *

Agustí Roc Amador Agustí Roc Amador (born 28 August 1971)View Racer: Agustí Ro ...

(born 1971), ski mountaineer and long-distance runner *

Margarita Xirgu Margarita Xirgu Subirá (18 June 1888, Molins de Rei, Barcelona, Spain – 25 April 1969, Montevideo, Uruguay), also Margarida Xirgu, was a Spanish stage actress, who was greatly popular throughout her country and Latin America. A friend o ...

(1888-1969), international actress. * Miquel Carbonell Selva (1854-1896), portrait and landscape painter *

Jordi Hurtado Jordi Hurtado Torres (Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Barcelona, 16 June 1957) is a Spanish radio and television presenter and voice actor. He is popular in Spain thanks to Televisión Española shows like '' Saber y ganar'' (''To Know and To Win''). ...

(1957-Present), radio and television presenter and voice actor.

Twin towns

* Lorca, Spain *

Chinandega Chinandega () is a city and the departmental seat of Chinandega department in Nicaragua. It is also the administrative centre of the surrounding municipality of the same name. It is Nicaragua's 2nd most important city (economy) and 6th largest ...

, Nicaragua

References

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

External links

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molins De Rei Municipalities in Baix Llobregat