El Masnou (; ) 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 ...

in the province of Barcelona,

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 , 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 ...

. It is situated on the coast between

Montgat Montgat () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Badalona (Barcelonès) and El Masnou, to the north-east of Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of nor ...

and

Premià de Mar Premià de Mar () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between El Masnou and Vilassar de Mar, to the north-east of Barcelona. The town is both a tourist centre and a dormitory tow ...

, to the north-east of the city of

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 ...

, in the ''comarca'' (

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

) of el Maresme. The town is both a tourist centre and a dormitory town in 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 ...

. The main N-II road and a RENFE railway line run through the town, while a local road links it with the A-19 ''autopista'' at

Alella Alella () is a village in the ''comarca'' of Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast on the southwest side of the granite Catalan Coastal Range. The town is known for its wines, cava and perfumes, but is also a commuter town ...

. The town center has buildings in a wide range of styles: neoclassical, ''modernista'', ''noucentista'' and simply eclectic. The municipal museum has collections of archeology and of Catalan ceramics, and there is also a private museum of pharmacy and medicine. A Roman village called ''Cal Ros de les Cabres'' was one of the first settlements located on the site of the current town. The agriculture of El Masnou is mainly of flowers, especially

carnations ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of '' Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.M ...

, and the industry has a predominance of

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

, with several industries about ceramics, glass and pharmaceutical products.

Demography

Historical and interesting buildings

* Casa de la Vila. Neoclassical style town hall of the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Miquel Garriga i Roca Miquel may refer to: * the Catalan form of the given name Michael * Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (1811–1871), a Dutch botanist * Gérard Miquel (born 1946), a member of the Senate of France * Ignasi Miquel (born 1992), a Spanish football player ...

. * Museu Cusí de Farmàcia.

Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

of Pharmacy which is the exponent of the historical and museological

vocation A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious ...

of a pharmacist, Joaquim Cusí and Furtunet. * El Masnou Municipal Nautical Museum. Museum which permanent exhibition is organised around the relationship between the town of El Masnou and the sea. * Casa del Marquès del Masnou. This building belonged to Romà Fabra i Puig, who received the title of Marquis of El Masnou in 1922.

Notable people

Current

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

star Ricky Rubio was born in El Masnou. Also Bruno Saltor Grau, a professional football coach and former player who is currently a coach for

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. Other famous people who were born in El Masnou are: * Ricky Rubio (1990), First round draft pick of the NBA. * Fèlix Oliver (1856 – 1932), a pioneer of cinema in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. * Lluís Millet i Pagès (1867–1941), musician, founder of the Catalan choir Orfeó Català. *

Rosa Sensat Rosa Sensat i Vilà (17 June 1873 – 1 October 1961) was a Catalan teacher. She contributed to the development of the Catalan public schools during the first third of the 20th century. Biography She undertook education studies in Barcelona and ...

(1873 – 1961), teacher who contributed to the development of the Catalan public schools during the first third of the 20th century. * Jordi Pericot i Canaleta (1931), plastic artist and designer. * Jordi Pagans i Monsalvatje (1932-2017), contemporary figurative painter, cousin of the renowned classical music composer Xavier Montsalvatge i Bassols.

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 website

Government data pages

Historic-artistic heritage
{{Authority control Municipalities in Maresme