L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (; ), often shortened to L'Hospitalet or just L'H, is a

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

in the

Barcelonès Barcelonès () is the most populated comarca of Catalonia, Spain. It contains Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well a ...

''comarca'', in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

(

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

). 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 one of the largest urban areas in Europ ...

, the Barcelona province, and of the Barcelona

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

. By population, it is the second largest municipality in Catalonia and the sixteenth in Spain. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Name

The name of L'Hospitalet (literally, 'the small hospital' in Catalan) makes reference to a

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

. The name of the river

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', 'muddy' or 'slippery', or ...

is added to differentiate it from other towns with the same name.

History

The first records of the settlement date to the

Neolithic era The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

with artefacts showing human habitation in the

river area. Roman artefacts have been found dating to the 2nd century BC such as a funeral decoration representing the head of

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...

, now in the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia. However it is not until the 10th century that written references to ''Provençana'' (the city's original name) appear. The place had about 5,000 inhabitants by the turn of the 20th century. Throughout the early 20th century, it consisted of three different urban settlements, Centre, Sta. Eulàlia and Collblanc. Local agricultural output and profitability experienced a peak in this period. A chunk of the municipality (900 ha) was lost to the municipality of Barcelona in 1920. L'Hospitalet then became a primarily industrial municipality, focused on textile, metalworking, ceramic and building materials industries. The 1960s and 1970s saw a second population boom, caused by immigration from poorer regions of Spain: however this was not matched by construction of the necessary amenities and it was only in the 1990s that public investment resulted in additional schools, leisure facilities and housing.

Demographics

As of 2020, the registered population stands at 274,320, of which 126,237 were born in Catalonia, 54,098 were born in other Spanish regions, 93,984 were born abroad and 1 person was born in former Spanish territories. As of 2020, the foreign population amounts for 67,213 people. The largest groups of foreign citizens are listed as follows:

Geography

L'Hospitalet's surface is . The area on which the city is constructed may be divided in two different geological areas. One of them follows the coast typology and is called La Marina, similarly to two coast areas of neighbouring

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 ...

's Zona Franca: La Marina del Prat Vermell and La Marina de Port. The latter half of L'Hospitalet is called El Samontà, which consists of hills and a more elevated area.

Economy

The city's reputation is largely still that of a depressed suburb, drawing on its proletarian origins and its reliance on Barcelona. But its economy has improved recently, as can be seen from the city's new skyline and relocation of companies to the city's new financial centre. Urban regeneration and construction took place during the 2000s, as well as ongoing work on improving

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...

in the second municipality of the

. The former airline

Spanair Spanair S.A. was a Spanish airline, with its head office in the Spanair Building in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona. Until 2009, it was a subsidiary of the SAS Group; the same parent company in control of Scandinavian Airlines and held ...

's headquarters were in L'Hospitalet. Former mayor Celestino Corbacho campaigned to improve the city's infrastructure from his position in the Ministry of Work.

Skyscrapers

* Hotel Porta Fira (2010) – – Completed * Torre Realia BCN (2009) – – Completed * Hotel Catalonia Plaza Europa (2011) – – Completed * Hesperia Tower (2006) – – Completed * Tower Caixa Catalunya (?) – – Planned * Torre Inbisa (2010) – – Completed * Torre Zenit (2009) – – Completed * Hospital de Bellvitge (1972) – – Completed * Tower Colonial (?) – – Under Construction (on hold) * Tower Fadesa I (2009) – – Completed * Tower Fadesa II (2009) – – Completed * Tower Fadesa III (2009) – – Completed * City Judicial Building A (2008) – – Completed * City Judicial Building C (2008) – – Completed * Torre Melina (Hotel Rey Juan Carlos) (1992) – – Completed File:Spain.Catalonia.Hospitalet.Hospital.de.Bellvitge.1.JPG, Hospital de Bellvitge File:Hesperia Tower.jpg, Hesperia Tower File:Barcelona 2010 August 005 Hotel.JPG, Toyo Ito Towers

Administrative units

District I

; El Centre Spain

El Centre is the historical centre of the city, the oldest neighbourhood, where the City Council is, as well as the centre of activities such as La Farga and many of the cultural buildings, such as the History Museum, the Can Sumarro library, the cultural centre ''Barradas'' or the ''Sala Alexandre Cirici''. It borders the district of Sanfeliu and Can Serra to the north, Bellvitge to the south, Sant Josep to the east, and the city of

Cornellà de Llobregat Cornellà de Llobregat (; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat River. It is in the south-western part of ...

to the west. ; Sant Josep Sant Josep remains framed by the square that is formed by the avenue of the Fabregada and that of Isabella The Catholic (''Isabel la Catòlica'') to the west, the Torrent Gornal to the east, the railroad on the north side Carrilet to the south. In this area, all the industrial activities that Hospitalet had through the ages left their mark: from the flour mills and the distilleries, up to the different energetic exploitation of the waterfalls of the Canal de la Infanta or the ceramic, textile, metallurgical and chemical industries. In fact, Sant Josep was originally an industrial suburb, but the subsequent disappearance of many factories, as well as the population increase, have given it a residential character. ; Sanfeliu Civic life in this quarter centres on the avenue of the Cirerers and the Communities Square (''Plaça de les Comunitats''). This public space is the scene of the greatest holiday celebrations, such as the festival of Sant Joan, the Carnival, and many other popular events. The cultural centre is also at the heart of many of the activities.

District II

; Collblanc This ward has a marked commercial character, centred near the Collblanc Metro stop. The Market Square (''Plaça del Mercat'') and the surroundings are the main centre of cultural life. ; La Torrassa Its origins has been linked to Collblanc. Today, the Spanish Square (''Plaça Espanyola'') and the new park of La Torrassa are at the heart of this neighbourhood and is where the holiday celebrations at the beginning of every summer are largest.

District III

; Santa Eulàlia Spain

Its origins are dated back to Medieval times thanks to the presence of the Santa Eulàlia de Provençana hermitage (dated in the 12th century thanks to an inscription in the façade). Also it was very important during the Industrial Revolution thanks to the presence of many industries in the quarter, such as Can Trinxet, L'Aprestadora or Can Pareto. ; Gran Via Sud It is the smallest quarter in the town.

District IV

; La Florida La Florida is a majority-immigrant neighborhood that is the densest neighborhood in Europe. ; Les Planes

District V

; Pubilla Casas ; Can Serra

District VI

; Bellvitge In 1964 the Inmobiliaria Ciudad Condal S.A. (ICC) company initiated the construction of this neighbourhood as it stands nowadays, beside the hermitage, on land which had been bought from local farmers. It was designed as a residential area to house the large number of immigrants who came to Catalonia from elsewhere in Spain – more than 126,000 people in 1964 – in search of work. ; Gornal

District VII

; Granvia l'Hospitalet

Transport

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

L'Hospitalet is twinned with the following cities: *

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

, France *

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Notes

References

External links

*
Artistic and historical buildings in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hospitalet De Llobregat Populated places in Barcelonès