SABADELL
website: http://www.sabadell.net/eng/Homeeng  

Sabadell is one of the largest cities in the comarca (similar to the UK counties) of Vallès Occidental in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the comarca, on the Ripoll river, 20km north-west of Barcelona.

Sabadell is located 190 metres above sea level. It is the capital of the comarca, sharing this title with the city of Terrassa. Sabadell is basically a commercial and industrial city, home to 200,905 people as of 2006, and it is 37.9 sqr km. There are no significant agrarian activities.

In Roman times a little village called Arragone existed near where the church of La Salut is now placed. This grew into the town called Arraona or Arrahona in the Middle Ages. Another little village was built just on the other side of the river. This second village, called Sabadell, located on a plain, began to grow and its population was about 600 people (152 houses) in 1378. Sabadell was enclosed by a wall, but due to population growth in the 16th century, some houses were built outside the wall. At that time the first textile industries appeared in town, dedicated especially to wool clothing. This industry increased over the next centuries, and in 1800 the town population was about 2000 people. The 19th century brought two important developments to the town: in 1856 the railroad arrived, and in 1877 the town was dubbed a "city". In the 1897 census the population of the city was 23,044 people. The city had become the most important producer of wool clothing in Spain, and these clothes achieved worldwide fame.

The modernism movement (related to Art Nouveau) had an important influence in the architecture of the city in the early 1900s. The growth of industry and population favored the emergence of an important workers movement, and catalanist, socialist and anarchist parties were very influential up until the upheavals of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). The victory of the fascist faction in the war was a step backwards for the city, but in the fifties the industry was recovered and increased. Industries needed working hands, and many people came from Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura, Castile and other parts of Spain to work in the textile and metal industry. Again, a new workers and catalanist movement emerged, this time against Francisco Franco's regime and with the support of the Catholic Church. Sabadell was the host of some sessions of the Assemblea de Catalunya, a multi-party organization that joined communists, socialists, Catalan nationalists, Catholics and others against the Franco regime. The 1973 oil crisis and Franco's death in 1975 meant an important change in Spain and, of course, in Sabadell. The economic crisis compelled the city to diversify its economic activities. New commercial and leisure areas (the Eix Macià) appeared next to the traditional industries, leading to important economic development for the city.

There are some historic and artistic buildings in the city. The little church of Sant Nicolau (11th century) is a remainder of the town of Arraona. The Casa Duran is a traditional rural house (16th century) placed in the middle of the city. There are some beautiful modernist buildings, like the Hotel Suís (Swiss Hotel, 1902), the Caixa d'Estalvis (1915), the Torre de l'Aigua (a nice water tower, 1918) and the Mercat Central (Central Market, 1930).

Language
In Sabadell, as in the rest of Catalonia, there are two official languages, Spanish and Catalan, both coming from Latin but quite different from one another. Catalan is an original Romance language with strong Provençal influence. Road signs and other informative text may be only in Catalan. In the most tourist places, you should have no trouble finding people who speak English.

Climate
Sabadell enjoys a mild climate and an average annual temperature of 17ºC. The sun shines on most of days of the year. Average temperatures in March: 13º C / 56º F.

Transportation
Barcelona is served by El Prat International Airport, which is six miles southwest of the center of Barcelona. It takes about 20 minutes to travel from the airport to the Area Metropolitana (Venue). Taxis are available at the airport 24 hours a day. There is a bus every 15 minutes from the airport to the city center (Plaza Catalunya) with a stop at Plaza Espanya near the meeting venue location, and a train every 30 minutes to Sants Station (Central Train Station-Barcelona) from 6:00 to 22:30h. Barcelona is accessible from all directions by the Spanish road and rail networks. There are multiple subway (metro) systems for transportation within Barcelona, operating daily from 05:00 to 24:00h. Ten-trip cards (metro and bus), which are cheaper than buying individual tickets, are available at any metro station. Taxis are moderately priced.

Currency
The currency in Spain is the Euro (€). The banknotes circulate in denominations of €5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 and the coins are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents, €1 and €2. Except in small businesses, credit cards are widely accepted in almost every restaurant and shop in Barcelona. Business is transacted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday. Money can be exchanged in banks, airport, major railway stations, and exchange offices displaying a “Cambio/Canvi” sign. You can also use cash-points to withdraw money, since most of them are connected to national and international networks.

Business opening hours, sale taxes, and tips
In general, shops in Sabadell and Barcelona open in the morning from 10h to 14h and in the afternoon from 17h to 20h. Some shops do not close for lunch and others (mainly in the center) do not close on Saturday afternoon. Sunday is the rest day. Nearly all museums close on Mondays.

Value Added Tax (in Spanish IVA) for general goods (16%) and hotels and restaurants (7%) is charged on the consumption of products in the European Union, and only visitors resident in other countries are therefore exempt, when the purchase exceeds €90.15 in the same shop. A Tax-Free sticker is displayed in more than 700 establishments in the city’s main shopping areas, including the airport. Ask for details for reimbursement when you make your purchase.

Because the service charge is normally included in most bills, tipping is not compulsory, but it is customary to leave a small additional amount when you are happy with the service. Tip taxis up to five percent of the total fare. Tip hotel porters for assistance with bags, and room service attendants for their assistance.

Power supply
220 V. Frequency 50 Hz.

Telephone calls
Pay phones are available all over the city for local and long distance calls. Public phone boots are light blue or grey. They operate with coins or cards. For international calls dial 00, then, dial the country and area codes.