Send Gift Baskets to Sabadell, Spain

In Roman times, a little village called Arragone existed near the church of La Salut. Over time, Arraona or Arrahona developed into a town called Arraona or Arrahona. On the other side of the river, another little village was built. Its population of 1378 was approximately 600 people (152 houses), and it was located on a plain. Although a wall enclosed Sabadell, some houses were built outside the wall due to population growth in the 16th century. In those days, the first textile industries were established in the town, devoted mainly to woolen clothing. As the woolen industry grew over the following centuries, the city’s population reached about 2000 in 1800.

Two significant developments occurred in the town in the 19th century: the railway came in 1856, and the town became a “city” in 1877. The city’s population was 23,044 at the time of the 1897 census. The city became the most crucial producer of woolen clothing in Spain, and these clothes gained worldwide recognition.

The modernism movement (related to Art Nouveau) influenced the city’s architecture in the early 20th century. Distinctive buildings such as the modernista Hotel Suís (1902), Despatx Lluch (1908), and the Caixa d’Estalvis de Sabadell (1915), as well as the Torre de Lingua (1918) and the Mercat Central (1930), were built during the first half of the century.

A textile city par excellence, Sabadell was the driving force of land poor in natural resources in the early 20th century. There was an eightfold increase in population, a boom in textiles and metals, and a modernization of the economy in the service sector. In the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, Sabadell experienced massive waves of immigration due to this industrial activity, leading to uncontrolled urban expansion and the creation of some new neighborhoods like Ca n’Oriac and Torre-Romeu.

It has always been a rivalry between Terrassa and Sabadell, as both wanted to be the capital of the Vallés Occidental, as both were quite relevant during the rise of the textile industry. It is still common to hear the sayings “Sabadell mala pell” (Sabadell lousy skin) and “Terrassa mala race” (Terrassa bad race) today.

As industry and population increased, Catalanist, socialist, and anarchist parties became increasingly influential until the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). The victory of the Fascist faction in the war was a step backward for the city, but in the fifties, the industry recovered and grew. Many people came from Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura, Castile, and other parts of Spain to work in the textile and metal industries. With the support of the Roman Catholic Church, a new workers’ and Catalanist movement they have emerged, this time against Francisco Franco’s regime.

During the Franco regime, Sabadell hosted some sessions of the Assemblea de Catalunya, a multi-party organization that brought together communists, socialists, Catalan nationalists, Catholics, and others. Spain and Sabadell underwent significant changes after the 1973 oil crisis and Franco’s death in 1975. Due to the economic crisis, the city was forced to diversify its economic activities. A new commercial and leisure area (the Eix Macià) appeared next to the traditional industries, resulting in significant economic growth. In 1990, six police officers were killed in a car bombing by the ETA.