View source for Mataró

{{Redirect|Mataro|the wine grape|Mourvèdre|ancient lake in the Andes|Mataro (ancient lake)}}
{{for|another wine grape that is also known as Mataro|Carignan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Mataró
| native_name             = 
| settlement_type         = [[Municipalities of Catalonia|Municipality]]
| image_skyline           = Mataro puerto.jpg
| imagesize               = 
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = Port of Mataró
| image_flag              = Flag of Mataró.svg
| flag_size               = 
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Coat of Arms of Mataró.svg
| shield_size             = 80px
| shield_alt              = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| image_map          = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=285|frame-height=180|frame-align=center|frame-coordinates={{Coord|39.5|N|3.7|W}}|zoom=4|type=point|title=Mataró|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|text=Interactive map of Mataró.}}
|map_caption              = Location of Mataró
| image_map1               = Localització de Mataró respecte del Maresme.svg
| map_caption1             = Location in Maresme county
| pushpin_map             = Spain Catalonia vegueries#Spain
| pushpin_map_caption     = 
| pushpin_label_position  = right
| subdivision_type  = [[Country]]
| subdivision_name  = [[Spain]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous Community]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Catalonia]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Vegueries of Catalonia|Region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Àmbit metropolità de Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Comarques of Catalonia|County]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Maresme]]
| subdivision_type4  = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name4  = [[Province of Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| coordinates             = {{coord|41|32|N|2|27|E|region:ES_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| leader_party            = [[Socialists' Party of Catalonia|PSC]]
| leader_title            = Mayor
| leader_name             = David Boté Paz (2015)<ref>[http://www.mataro.cat/web/portal/contingut/noticia/2011/06/9775_nou_ajuntament.html New Municipal Team] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717052536/http://www.mataro.cat/web/portal/contingut/noticia/2011/06/9775_nou_ajuntament.html |date=17 July 2011 }} {{in lang|ca}}</ref><ref name=municat>{{cite web|url=http://aplicacions.municat.gencat.cat/index.php?page=consulta&mostraEns=0812130008|title=Ajuntament de Mataró|publisher=[[Generalitat of Catalonia]]|access-date=2015-11-13}}</ref>
| area_footnotes          = <ref name=idescat>{{cite web|url=http://www.idescat.cat/emex/?lang=en&id=081213|title=El municipi en xifres: Mataró|publisher=[[Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya|Statistical Institute of Catalonia]]|access-date=2015-11-23}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 22.5
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 28
| 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      = Mataroní
| population_note         = 
| postal_code_type        = 
| postal_code             = 08301-08304
| area_code_type          = 
| area_code               = 
| website                 = {{URL|mataro.cat}}
| footnotes               = 
}}
'''Mataró''' ({{IPA|ca|mətəˈɾo}}) is the capital and largest town of the [[Maresme]] county in [[Catalonia]], Spain. It is located on the [[Costa del Maresme|Maresme coast]], to the south of [[Costa Brava]], between [[Cabrera de Mar]] and [[Sant Andreu de Llavaneres]], {{convert|30|km|0|abbr=off}} north-east of [[Barcelona]]. {{As of|2021}}, it had a population of 129,749.

==History==
Mataró dates back to [[Roman Republic|Roman]] times when it was a village known as "Iluro" or "Illuro". The ruins of a first-century BC Roman [[Thermae|bath house]] (known locally as the ''Torre Llauder'') were recently discovered and can be visited. The coastal {{nowrap|[[Carretera Nacional N-II|N-II highway]]}} follows the same path as the original Roman road, [[Via Augusta]].

[[File:Turó d'Onofre Arnau 2025.jpg|thumb|left|The Turó d'Onofre Arnau, an isolated hill which rises to an altitude of 131 metres and which is located close to Mataró. An eleventh-century fortification on the summit of this hill - the "Castell de Mata" - may have given its name to that of Mataró. The castle has since disappeared almost completely. The hill overlooks fields and greenhouses where fruit and vegetables are cultivated.]]
{{Clr|left}}

[[File:Catalonia Mataró Vil·laRomanaDeCanLlauder VistaGeneral.JPG|thumb|[[Roman villa of Can Llauder]].]]

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 [[Catalonia|Catalan]] businessman and Mataró native [[Miquel Biada]]. This line now forms part of the [[Renfe]]/[[Rodalies de Catalunya]] [[R1–RG1 (Rodalies de Catalunya)|R1]] suburban service between [[L'Hospitalet de Llobregat]] and [[Maçanet de la Selva|Maçanet-Massanes]]. Mataró is also connected with Barcelona and [[Girona]] by the {{nowrap|[[C-32 highway (Spain)|C-32 ''autopista'']]}} (freeway) and with [[Granollers]] by the {{nowrap|[[Autovia C-60|C-60 ''autopista'']]}}.

During the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in Barcelona, Mataró was the starting point for the [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics|marathon]] events.<ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1992/1992s2.pdf 1992 Summer Olympics official report.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528011647/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1992/1992s2.pdf |date=28 May 2008 }} Volume 2. pp. 204-6.</ref>

==Main sights==
Mataró is the birthplace of the ''[[noucentisme|noucentista]]'' [[architect]] [[Josep Puig i Cadafalch]], who designed the ''ajuntament'' (town hall) and several other notable buildings in the town:
* [[Casa Coll i Regàs]].
* {{ill|Casa Parera|ca|Can Parera (Mataró)}}
* {{ill|Casa Sisternes|ca|Casa Sisternes}}
* El Rengle
* [[Hermitage of St. Simon]]
* La Beneficiència
* Mataró City Wall. (was built between 1569 and 1600 and was designed by the military engineer Jorge de Setara. This wall is supposed to follow, to a large extent, the line of the old Roman wall. It was built with small stones bound with lime mortar. The Mataró City Wall had seven large gates, as well as attached towers that gave it greater defence.  During the 19th century, many sections of the old Mataró City Wall were demolished.)

Nearby the town are the archaeological remains of the [[Roman villa of Can Llauder]].

==Agriculture==
The traditional [[vineyard]]s were devastated by [[Phylloxera]] in the nineteenth century and only partially replanted, due to the growth of the tourist industry and the development of [[irrigation]] in the area. [[Potato]]es were one of the first replacement crops to be introduced, especially the ''[[Royal Kidney potato|Royal Kidney]]'' variety, and Mataró obtained a ''[[Protected Geographical Status|Denominació d'Origen]]'' in 1932.<ref>Source: [[:ca:Mataro|Catalan Wikipedia]]. This ''Denominació d'Origen'' is not currently (2006) protected at [[European Union]] level (see [http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/qual/es/es_es.htm list] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117133554/http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/qual/es/es_es.htm |date=17 January 2007 }}).</ref> ''[[Trocadero lettuce|Trocadero]]'' [[lettuce]] and [[pea]]s are also grown, mostly for export. The production of cut flowers is less important than in other towns of the [[Maresme]]. Irrigated land made up {{convert|9.13|km²|2|abbr=out}} of the {{convert|10.57|km²|2|abbr=out}} of agricultural land in the municipality in 1986 (47% of the municipal territory).

In modern [[viticulture]], the red [[mourvèdre]] grape variety is a better-known synonym for the grape known in Spain, the U.S., and Australia as mataro. Mataró, the city, is thought to be the likely origin of mataro, the wine grape.

==Climate==
Mataró has a borderline [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cfa'' in [[Köppen climate classification]]) bordering with a [[Hot-summer mediterranean climate]], ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csa'').

{{Weather box
|location = Mataró <small>(data from 1931 to 1969)</small>
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 14.0
|Feb high C = 13.7
|Mar high C = 15.8
|Apr high C = 17.2
|May high C = 20.3
|Jun high C = 24.0
|Jul high C = 26.8
|Aug high C = 27.3
|Sep high C = 25.1
|Oct high C = 21.6
|Nov high C = 16.9
|Dec high C = 13.8
|year high C = 19.7
|Jan mean C = 10.3
|Feb mean C = 10.2
|Mar mean C = 12.3
|Apr mean C = 14.0
|May mean C = 16.9
|Jun mean C = 20.7
|Jul mean C = 23.5
|Aug mean C = 23.9
|Sep mean C = 21.7
|Oct mean C = 18.0
|Nov mean C = 13.6
|Dec mean C = 10.6
|year mean C = 16.3
|Jan low C = 6.7
|Feb low C = 6.7
|Mar low C = 8.9
|Apr low C = 10.7
|May low C = 13.5
|Jun low C = 17.3
|Jul low C = 20.2
|Aug low C = 20.4
|Sep low C = 18.2
|Oct low C = 14.5
|Nov low C = 10.4
|Dec low C = 7.4
|year low C = 12.9
|Jan precipitation mm = 33
|Feb precipitation mm = 53
|Mar precipitation mm = 50
|Apr precipitation mm = 45
|May precipitation mm = 66
|Jun precipitation mm = 42
|Jul precipitation mm = 27
|Aug precipitation mm = 33
|Sep precipitation mm = 56
|Oct precipitation mm = 91
|Nov precipitation mm = 74
|Dec precipitation mm = 35
|year precipitation mm = 
|source 1 = Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/station/es-matar.htm
 |title=ESP BARCELONA – MATARO
 }}</ref>
|date=September 2012}}

==Festivals, celebrations and events==
[[File:Catalonia-Mataro-Beach.jpg|thumb|The beach]]
Several major events are celebrated annually in Mataró. Some of them are also celebrated in the rest of [[Catalonia]] and others, which have a religious origin, are part of the [[folklore]] and [[traditions]] of [[Spain]] and some other countries. Among all of them the most popular ones are:
* [[The three wise men]] in Mataró.
* [[Carnival]] in Mataró: celebrated immediately before Lent.
* [[Easter]] in Mataró: celebrated every year during one week on a movable date from the end of March to the very beginning of May
* [[Saint George]] in Mataró: celebrated on 23 April. It is a big celebration although it is not a bank holiday.
* [[St. John the Baptist]] in Mataró: celebrated on 24 June
* [[Les Santes]]: local festivity of the city celebrated at the end of July. It involves the recognition of [[Cucuphas|Saint Juliana and Saint Semproniana]].
* The caga [[Tió]]: celebrated in Catalonia on Christmas' Eve, 24 December.
* Mataró also celebrates several fairs such as: [[Tres Tombs]] and [[Saint Ponç]]. In May it is celebrated a fair called Mercat de Sant Ponç. At the fair handicraft products, medicinal herbs, natural products like: honey, cheese, fruits, flowers, jam and salami are sold. Sant Ponç is the patron saint of the herbalists and bee keepers. The fair has been done for centuries. Its origins date to the 16th century, when in Spring herbalists took medicine to the sick. Today Sant Ponç fair is celebrated to preserve the antique customs.
* Festival "[[Cultural Crossroad]]".
*International Dance Festival "[[Days of Dance]]".

==Twin towns==
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Cehegín]], Spain
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Dürnau, Göppingen|Dürnau]], Germany
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Gammelshausen]], Germany
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Créteil]], France
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Corsico]], Italy
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]], United States

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
*[[Adoración Apolo]] (born 1979), footballer
*[[:es:Miguel Biada|Miguel Biada]] (1789–1848), sea merchant and promoter of first Spanish train connection (Mataró-Barcelona)
*[[Manuel Bofarull Palau]] (1851-1929), Carlist politician
*[[Peret]] (1935–2014), musician
*[[Josep Puig i Cadafalch]] (1867–1956), Catalan ''[[Modernisme|Modernista]]'' [[architect]]
*[[Nacho Vidal]] (born 1973), pornographer
*[[Lamine Yamal]] (born 2007), footballer for [[FC Barcelona]].

==See also==
* [[Mataró Museum]]
* [[Roman villa of Can Llauder]]
* [[Can Marfà Knitwear Museum]]

==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}}
* {{Official website|http://www.mataro.cat/portal/en/index.html}}
* [http://aplicacions.municat.gencat.cat/index.php?page=consulta&mostraEns=0812130008 Government data pages] {{in lang|ca}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Mataró
|N  = [[Dosrius]]
|NE = [[Sant Andreu de Llavaneres]]
|E  = 
|SE = ''[[Balearic Sea]]''
|S  = 
|SW = [[Cabrera de Mar]]
|W  = [[Argentona]]
|NW = 
}}
{{1992 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{Olympic venues athletics}}
{{Maresme}}
{{Municipalities in Barcelona}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mataro}}
[[Category:Mataró| ]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic athletics venues]]
[[Category:Municipalities in Maresme]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in Spain]]