View source for Castelldefels

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Castelldefels
| official_name            = <!-- if different from name -->
| native_name              = 
| settlement_type          = [[Municipalities of Catalonia|Municipality]]
| image_skyline            = Spain.Castelldefels.Castell.jpg
| image_alt                = 
| image_caption            = Castelldefels
| image_flag               = Bandera de Castelldefels.svg
| image_shield             = Escut de Castelldefels.svg
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = 
| image_map                = 
| map_caption              = 
| pushpin_map              = Spain Province of Barcelona#Spain Catalonia#Spain
| pushpin_label_position   = 
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the Province of Barcelona##Location in Catalonia##Location of Spain
| coordinates              = {{coord|41.286|1.982|region:ES_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes    = 
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{ESP}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous community]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_type3        = [[Comarques of Catalonia|Comarca]]
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Catalonia}}
| subdivision_name2        = [[Province of Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| subdivision_name3        = [[Baix Llobregat]]
| established_title        = <!-- Founded -->
| established_date         = 
| seat_type                = <!-- [[Capital (political)|Capital]] -->
| seat                     = 
| leader_party             = [[People's Party (Spain)|PP]]
| leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Manuel Reyes (2023–2027)
| area_footnotes           = <ref name=idescat>{{cite web |url=http://www.idescat.cat/emex/?lang=en&id=080569 |title=El municipi en xifres: Castelldefels |publisher=[[Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya|Statistical Institute of Catalonia]]|access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 12.9
| elevation_m              = 3
| elevation_min_m          = 
| population_as_of         = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes     = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| population_total         = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_density_km2   = auto
| population_demonym       = ''castelldefelenc,&nbsp;castelldefelenca''&nbsp;([[Catalan language|Ca]])<br />''castelldefelense,&nbsp;castelldefelensa''&nbsp;([[Spanish language|Es]])
| population_note          = 
| postal_code_type         = [[List of postal codes in Spain|Postal code]]
| postal_code              = 08860
| area_code                = 
| area_code_type           = [[Telephone numbers in Spain|Dialing code]]
| blank_name_sec1          = [[Languages of Spain|Official language(s)]]
| blank_info_sec1          = [[Catalan language|Catalan]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| website                  = {{url|castelldefels.cat}}
| footnotes                = 
| elevation_max_m          = 
| timezone                 = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset               = +01:00
| timezone_DST             = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST           = +02:00
}}
'''Castelldefels''' ({{IPA|ca|kəsˌteʎðəˈfɛls}}) is a municipality in the [[Baix Llobregat]] [[Comarques of Catalonia|comarca]], in the [[province of Barcelona]] in [[Catalonia]], Spain, and a suburban town of the [[Metropolitan Area of Barcelona]]. Its population is 65,954 ([[Statistical Institute of Catalonia|IDESCAT]], 2017).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.idescat.cat/emex/?id=080569&lang=en |title=The municipality in figures |date=2017 |website=[[Statistical Institute of Catalonia]]}}</ref>

== Geography and location ==
[[File:CastilloCastelldefels.jpg|thumb|[[Castelldefels Castle|Castle of Castelldefels]]]]
[[File:Plaça de les Palmeres Castelldefels 8.jpg|thumb|Castelldefels beach]]
It is located about {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Barcelona]], 25 minutes south of Barcelona,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://findholiday.net/discover-the-best-beaches-near-barcelona/ |website=findholiday.net |title=Castelldefels | access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>just to the south of the [[massís del Garraf]] and is the last town on the coast before the comarca of [[Garraf]]. The town is famous for its long beach (more than 5&nbsp;km) and well known for being an affluent area, as the place of residence of many famous sportsmen, such as [[Lionel Messi]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Lionel Messi admits he sees 'weird things happening' at Barcelona |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/19/lionel-messi-peturbed-by-weird-things-happening-at-barcelona |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref> [[Luis Suárez]], [[Philippe Coutinho]], or formerly [[Ronaldinho]];{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} and for being the city which inspired the creation of the character "El Neng de Castefa" who used to appear on the late night show called "BFN" hosted by the showman and presenter [[Andreu Buenafuente]].{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} During the summer, many people from Barcelona and the countryside visit it. Nearby towns include [[Gavà]], [[Viladecans]], [[Sant Boi de Llobregat]], [[Sitges]] and [[el Prat de Llobregat]]. Castelldefels borders the coast of the [[Mediterranean Sea]] between [[Sitges]] and [[Gavà]] with a major beach. Castelldefels also enjoys close proximity to the major international airport of Barcelona, as [[Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport|El Prat Airport]] is about 15&nbsp;km of a drive.

The Olympic canal, called Canal Olímpic de Catalunya, built for the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Summer Olympic Games of Barcelona]] is in the town.

The [[Asteroid belt|main-belt]] [[asteroid]] [[72037 Castelldefels]], discovered in 2000, is named after the town.<ref>{{JPL|72037|72037 Castelldefels}}</ref>

== Demography and governance ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Population{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
! width=50px | 1900
! width=50px | 1930
! width=50px | 1950
! width=50px | 1970
! width=50px | 1986
! width=50px | 2005
|-
| align="center" | 289
| align="center" | 797
| align="center" | 2039
| align="center" | 13,219
| align="center" | 27,932
| align="center" | 56,718
|}

Between 1979 and 2011, the town was governed by the [[Socialists' Party of Catalonia]] (PSC). The first democratic mayor after Constitution was {{Interlanguage link multi|Agustín Marina Pérez|ca}}. In 2011, the conservative [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]] (PP) won a plurality of seats for the first time, and Manuel Reyes of the PP was elected mayor of the town.<ref>[http://www.ara.cat/especials/eleccions22m/ELECCIONS-MUNICIPALS-CASTELLDEFELS-POPULAR_0_497350613.html "El PP promet austeritat a Castelldefels després de conquerir la històrica alcaldia socialista"], ara.cat, 11 June 2011</ref> In 2015, the eco-socialist [[Candela López]] of the ICV was elected mayor by a leftist government coalition.

=== Summary of council election results ===
{| class="wikitable"
! !! 1979 !! 1983 !! 1987 !! 1991 !! 1995 !! 1999 !! 2003 !! 2007 !! 2011 !! 2015 !! 2019 !! 2023
|-
| [[Socialists' Party of Catalonia]] (PSC) || 8 || 15 || 12 || 11 || 9 || 9 || 8 || 9 || 7 || 4 || 6 || 4
|-
| [[Initiative for Catalonia Greens]] (ICV) || rowspan=2|5 <sup>(a)</sup> || || rowspan=2|2 || || rowspan=2|3 || 1 || rowspan=2|2 || rowspan=2|3 || rowspan=2|3 || rowspan=2| || rowspan=2|
|-
| [[United and Alternative Left]] (EUiA) || 1 <sup>(b)</sup>|| 1 <sup>(b)</sup>|| 1
|-
| [[Movem Castelldefels]] (with ICV-EUiA) || || || || || || || || || || 4 || 4 || 3
|-
| [[Union of the Democratic Centre (Spain)|Union of the Democratic Centre]] (UCD) || 4 || || || || || || || || || || ||
|-
| Independents/Residents groups || 2 || || || || || 1 || 2 || 2 || 2 || || ||
|-
| [[Convergence and Union]] (CiU) || 1 || 3 || 5 || 6 || 4 || 4 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 2 || ||
|-
| Together for Castelldefels ([[Together for Catalonia (2020)|Junts]]) || || || || || || || || || || || 1 || 1
|-
| [[Republican Left of Catalonia]] (ERC) || 1 || || || || || || 1 || 1 || || 3 || 4 || 2
|-
| [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]] (PP) || || 2 <sup>(c)</sup> || 1 <sup>(c)</sup> || 3 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 8 || 8 || 8 || 12
|-
| [[Democratic and Social Centre (Spain)|Democratic and Social Centre]] (CDS) || || || 1 || || || || || || || || ||
|-
| [[Citizens – Party of the Citizenry]] (C's) || || || || || || || || 1 || || 2 || 2 ||
|-
| Castelldefels Si Pot (CSPOT) || || || || || || || || || || 2 || ||
|-
| Som Castelldefels (SFELS) || || || || || || || || || || || || 3
|-
! Total number of seats<ref>[http://www.historiaelectoral.com/municat.html Eleccions municipals 1979–2011, Ciutats catalanes de més de 25.000 habitants], Historiaelectoral.com, accessed 4 September 2011</ref>|| 21 || 21 || 21 || 21 || 21 || 21 || 21 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25
|}
<sup>(a)</sup> results for the [[Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia]]<br />
<sup>(b)</sup> results for the [[Party of the Communists of Catalonia]]<br />
<sup>(c)</sup> results for the [[People's Alliance (Spain)|People's Alliance]]

== Education ==
[[Castelldefels School of Technology]] provides higher education in aeronautics and telecommunications technology.

The town is also the location of the Castelldefels and Nexus ([[sixth form college]]) campuses of the [[British School of Barcelona]] (BSB).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishschoolbarcelona.com/contact-us/ |title=Contact Us |publisher=[[British School of Barcelona]]|access-date=25 May 2020 |quote=The British School of Barcelona Castelldefels Carrer Ginesta, 26 08860 Castelldefels Barcelona, Spain[...]BSB Nexus Carrer Ginesta, 2-10 08860 Castelldefels Barcelona, Spain}} - This is visible by clicking the contact address information tabs at the footer of the page.</ref>

There are ten public primary schools and three public secondary schools.

== Transport ==
{{Main|Transport in Castelldefels}}
Transport links include two stations ([[Castelldefels railway station|Castelldefels]] and [[Platja de Castelldefels railway station|Platja de Castelldefels]]) on [[Renfe]] line R2 from [[Sant Vicenç de Calders]] to [[Maçanet-Massanes]] via [[Barcelona]], bus routes to Barcelona (L94, L95, L97), [[Barcelona Airport]] (L99) and [[Sant Boi de Llobregat]] (L96), as well as an urban bus route connecting the rest of the town (CF1), the C-32 motorway and the C-31 and C-245 dual carriageways. A second railway line is due to be constructed from [[Cornellà de Llobregat]] to Castelldefels.

=== 2010 accident ===
{{Main|Castelldefels train accident}}
On 23 June 2010, 12 young people were killed, and 14 injured, when they were hit by an express train as they crossed the tracks in the railway station at [[Platja de Castelldefels railway station|Platja de Castelldefels]], while on their way to a summer solstice bonfire party on the beach.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/24/spain-train-teenagers-killed "Twelve Spanish Teenagers Killed by Express Train"], ''The Guardian'', 24 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. {{ISBN|84-87135-01-3}} (Spanish). {{ISBN|84-87135-02-1}} (Catalan).

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Castelldefels}}
* [http://www.castelldefels.cat/ Official site] (in Catalan and Spanish)
* [http://www.poblesdecatalunya.cat/municipi.php?m=080569 Artistic and historical buildings in Castelldefels] (in Catalan)
* [http://aplicacions.municat.gencat.cat/index.php?page=consulta&mostraEns=0805690004 Government data pages] {{in lang|ca}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Castelldefels
|N  = 
|NE = [[Gavà]]
|E  = 
|SE = 
|S  = ''[[Balearic Sea]]''
|SW = 
|W  = [[Sitges]]
|NW = 
}}
{{Castelldefels}}
{{Baix Llobregat}}
{{Municipalities in Barcelona}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Castelldefels| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities in Baix Llobregat]]