Mataró | |||
---|---|---|---|
Municipality | |||
Port of Mataró
|
|||
|
|||
Location of Mataró within Catalonia | |||
Coordinates: 41°32′N 2°27′E / 41.533°N 2.450°ECoordinates: 41°32′N 2°27′E / 41.533°N 2.450°E | |||
Country | Spain | ||
Autonomous community | Catalonia | ||
Province | Barcelona | ||
Comarca | Maresme | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | David Boté Paz (2015) (PSC) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 22.5 km2 (8.7 sq mi) | ||
Elevation | 28 m (92 ft) | ||
Population (2014) | |||
• Total | 124,280 | ||
• Density | 5,500/km2 (14,000/sq mi) | ||
Demonym(s) | Mataroní | ||
Website | mataro |
Mataró (Catalan pronunciation: [mətəˈɾo]) is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, 30 kilometres (19 miles) north-east of Barcelona. As of 2010[update], it had a population of c. 122,932 inhabitants.
Mataró dates back to Roman times when it was a village known as "Iluro" or "Illuro". The ruins of a first-century BC Roman bath house (known locally as the Torre Llauder) were recently discovered and can be visited. The coastal N-II highway follows the same path as the original Roman road.
Mataró was declared a city by royal decree, even though at the time (nineteenth century) the population fell short of the requirement for city status.
The first railway in peninsular Spain was the Mataró – Barcelona line which opened on 28 October 1848 by the Catalan businessman and Mataró native Miquel Biada. This line now forms part of the RENFE/Rodalies de Catalunya R1 suburban service between L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Maçanet-Massanes. Mataró is also connected with Barcelona and Girona by the C-32 autopista (freeway) and with Granollers by the C-60 autopista.