Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelonès, Catalonia, Spain

Santa Coloma de Gramenet (formerly Gramenet del Besos) is a municipality in the county of Barcelonès, within the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Santa Coloma de Gramenet is a city with many nooks and crannies that show its history, culture and traditions, its natural environment and its pole of knowledge.

Santa Coloma de Gramenet is located to the east of the river Besòs, between the Serralada de Marina and the plain of Badalona. The highest point of the municipality is Puig Castellar, popularly called Turó del Pollo, with 303 m.

It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Montcada i Reixac, on the west by Barcelona, on the east by Badalona and on the south by Sant Adrià de Besòs. The topography of the municipality is quite rugged. Perpendicular to the river Besòs there are three mountain ranges from north to south: the Serralada de Sant Mateu (which is part of the Serralada de Marina), the Serralada de les Mosques d’Ase (also called Montserrat dels Pobres), and the Serralada de Sistrells (or of Mena). These three mountains form two valleys (where their streams used to run): the Carcerenya valley (or Pallaresa valley) and the Sistrells valley.

Discover Iberian culture and its town in Puig Castellar; get to know its rural past through its farmhouses such as Mas Fonollar, Can Zam and Can Mariner, and delve into its 20th century history by visiting the Església Major or Can Roig i Torres. The city museum, in the Romanesque building of the Balldovina Tower, shows the unique pieces of this history.

Stroll through the Besòs River River Park and observe the unique flora and fauna of the Mediterranean region from the Sierra de Marina. Enjoy traditions, music and theater. I Come to the Torribera Campus and its university campus to delve into knowledge related to food, nutrition and health.

History
Various archaeological finds from the Neolithic and Eneolithic times, discovered within the Santa Coloma de Gramanet area, reveal the presence of human groups at least from the year 3500 BC. It seems that between the 10th and 6th centuries BC. Several migrations from the north arrived in the area that converged a short time later in the settlement of the Iberian tribe of Layetanos, established in the 6th or 5th century BC. C. in the town of Puig Castellar, in the extreme north of the current municipality. They occupied the entire coastal strip from Sitges to Blanes, and their culture survived until the strong impact of the Roman conquest (3rd century BC) marked the beginning of their progressive extinction. The town of Puig Castellar was probably abandoned at the beginning of the 2nd century BC.

There are hardly any data on the population in Roman and Visigothic times. It seems that there were several villages scattered in the valley, near the Besòs, very influenced by the neighboring cities: Baetulo (Badalona), active until the 2nd century AD. C., and Barcino (Barcelona).

After the relative abandonment of the Saracen invasion, from the 9th century the repopulation of the sector began. The new settlers, coming from the north, had to know the tradition of the martyrdom of Santa Coloma (Santa Columba de Sens, sacrificed by the Romans in Gaul in the year 274, when she was only 17 years old) and it is probable that a pre-Romanesque church was dedicated to her. which was destroyed by Almanzor in 985. A Romanesque temple was built in the same place, documented since 1019, which survived as a parish church for more than seven centuries. Around this church the first urban nucleus began to form, which coexisted with some old farmhouses.

Middle age
The history of the town began in the Middle Ages, a few years before the year 1000, when the repopulation of the area began; from this period is usually dated a roughly carved Romanesque capital near the Old Church that seems to indicate the existence of a small monastery and church that could have been destroyed in 985 due to the raid of Almansor. In 1019 the church is mentioned under the name of Santa Coloma in a parchment by Ramon Berenguer I and, especially, more precisely in the Cartulary of Sant Cugat del Vallèsreferring to the place of Gramenet was suffragan of Santa Maria de Badalona. In 1056 both were donated by Ramon Berenguer and Almodis to the canonry of the cathedral of Barcelona, with their tithes.

In the late Middle Ages Santa Coloma was formed by a set of houses and farmhouses around the church, located near the river Besòs, there were about fourteen or fifteen farmhouses or residential houses with major farms. Some have been preserved, such as Torre Balldovina, Mas Carcerenya, Torre Pallaresa, Mas Fonollar and Can Peixauet, and others have disappeared, such as Can Franquesa, Mas Marí, Torre Roja, Can Martí, Can Gener, among others. The mills were also importantflour mills on the left bank of the river. As the place was a lordship belonging to the Barcelona see, it was not subject to feudal servitudes, although some important houses, such as Torre Pallaresa, gradually acquired importance and hierarchical prevalence. The canons finally ceded Santa Coloma to the Pia Almoina, an institution that collected most of the tithes.

On the other hand, the rights that the Montcadas had over Santa Coloma, also over Badalona, Tiana and Alella, passed in 1225 to Ramon de Plegamans, who in 1240 left them in his will.in the cathedral of Barcelona. The population was considered a town outside the territory of the city of Barcelona, this entailed many franchises but also obligations: for example, it contributed financially to the construction of the walls. In addition, the Consell de Cent demanded the locks that Santa Coloma had made in the Besòs to direct the waters towards the mills.

Modern Age
The proximity of the town to the monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra made the town better known during the 15th century. During the Catalan Civil War against John II, there was a major battle at Torre Balldovina in 1471. Fra Aixelà, a member of the Murtra, relates that while there were remences revolts, looting, fires and persecutions took place in the town. On the other hand, the healthiest climate in the area often served as a refuge from the epidemics that took place in the capital: in 1589, the Consulate of Marhe took refuge in Santa Coloma.

However, the population did suffer some negative disorders throughout this period: the accommodation of Castilian troops in the seventeenth century, who committed excesses; the Reapers’ War, which ended in retaliation for acting against the royal army; and, also, the town rose and disarmed the Castilian thirds of the sector during the war of League of Augsburg, in 1689. Despite this, the population managed to increase and improvements were made in the agricultural sector: new vineyards were planted, wetlands were drained.and the increase of the kitchen garden favored the appearance of laundries and ponds for irrigation, at the same time as they increased the concessions of irrigation through the Rec Comtal. While the blockade and siege of Barcelona lasted during the War of the Spanish Succession, until 1714, it led to the disembarkation and occupation of houses in foreign villages.

Contemporary age
At the end of the 19th century, several families of the Barcelona bourgeoisie made summer in Santa Coloma fashionable: one of the pioneers was the historian Ferran de Sagarra, owner of the Torre Balldovina and father of the famous poet Josep Maria de Sagarra.

The geographical environment, the climate and the proximity to the big city facilitated this migration that was repeated every year between the months of June and September.

The lords bought land and built their playhouses that beautified the physiognomy of the village. The new constructions were grouped around the original nucleus of the town.

Some of these estates disappeared in the speculative effervescence of the 1960s (Can Gordi, Can Nohet). Others managed to save themselves and have been recovered and incorporated into the city’s heritage such as Can Muntlló, Can Sisteré, Can Franquesa or Can Mariner, an old farmhouse of the seventeenth century, which in the late nineteenth century was the second residence of the Roviralta, those who reformed and expanded it. In the eighties it became a neighborhood house (the recovery of the farmhouse and the adjacent square was the work of the Colombian architect Xavier Valls, who died in the ETA attack on the Hipercor warehouses).

The most emblematic building of that period is Can Roig i Torres. Today converted into a municipal music school, this mansion, one of the most beautiful in the city, harmoniously mixes the noucentista and modernist styles. It was built between 1906 and 1912 by Rafael Roig i Torres, a wealthy man who, among other positions, held the positions of consul of Uruguay in Barcelona and deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council.

The influence of the Barcelona colony was great, although the social relations between holidaymakers and natives were always very classist: some foreigners deliberately avoided contact with the plain people, took refuge in their towers with gardens and, at most, they showed up at Sunday Mass.

The temporary presence of these wealthy families meant an economic improvement for a sector of the population of Colomenca. At the request of summer visitors, the City Council created the Summer Festival in 1895 to compliment and dismiss such illustrious people. However, the old patron saint’s feast, on December 31, never ceased to be celebrated.

In contrast to these comings and goings of wealthy families, there are the first two modern waves of migration, although of very small proportions: one from the interior of Catalonia and another from Aragon, which was popularly known as the ‘appellation of Maños. In both cases the integration difficulties were minimal. They were day laborers, agricultural labor.

On October 27, 2009 its mayor, Bartomeu Muñoz (PSC), was arrested by the Civil Guard for alleged involvement in a corruption case (Pretoria case), along with Macià Alavedra and Lluís Prenafeta, both related to CDC.

Economy
The tertiary sector is the most present in the city with 78.12% of municipal licenses, the vast majority within the commerce and catering sector. Santa Coloma has a large commercial network of more than 1000 shops.

Tourism
Stroll through its streets and follow the cultural itineraries, visit its shopping areas and markets. Get to know the wide range of restaurants available and enjoy local cuisine and cultures from around the world. Cycle or walk along the Besòs riverbed, discover trails in the Serralada de Marina or practice some sport in the facilities and events hosted by the city.

Historical heritage
Santa Coloma de Gramenet enjoys a great patrimonial and historical wealth that allows it to show off and boast of cultural facilities and places of interest that make it a unique and essential city.

Balldovina Tower
The oldest and most significant element is the circular central tower of irregular stone, with a height of 19 m. It was built between the 10th and 11th centuries for the purpose of surveillance and protection of the territory. It is documented in 1020 as Turris Baldovin.

Between the 13th and 14th centuries, it lost its military character and new residential and agricultural outbuildings were added. However, the great transformation of the building took place in the 18th century at the hands of the Segarra family. It became a noble ground floor and two storey residence, with a modernist style perpendicular wing added between 1914 and 1918.

The building was acquired in 1972 by the City Council and since 1986 has become the Municipal Museum and Historical Archive of the City. The museum includes several collections, including the set of archaeological finds in the Iberian village of Puig Castellar.

Torre Pallaresa
The Torre Pallaresa is one of the most representative buildings of Catalan architecture of the 16th century, declared a historical-artistic monument of national interest in 1931. It is located on the outskirts of the city, in the heart of the Carcerenya valley.

Historians date its origins around the High Middle Ages. Later, at the end of the fourteenth century, it passed from the Carcereny family to Jaume Pallarès (hence the name). However, in 1520 the widow of Pallarès sold it to the Cardonas. The latter transformed the old house giving it its current appearance.

The structure of the building has a Gothic floor plan with a gallery of solarium on top and two side towers of unequal height also crowned with a gallery. The decoration of the building mixes Gothic and Renaissance elements (busts, medallions, floral motifs, etc.), where the main doorway and the inner courtyard stand out.

Plaza de la Vila
The square of the town, with its corresponding development emerges at the end of the nineteenth century in the grounds of the former farmhouse Can Pascali. The first nucleus of buildings, known as Casa de la Vila or Ajuntament Nou, dates from 1886 and consisted of municipal government offices, along with the court-prison, a school and a few houses. Since its constitution it has undergone numerous transformations. In 1915 the public square was developed and a year later, in 1916, the bell tower was built. In the late 80th century xx carries out the final transformation of the square is dominated by the waterfall, the metal canopy and the two towers of light.

As for the City Council, its current appearance is due to the reforms between 1943 and 1982, which have considerably modified the original appearance. The building, of plant and floor, presents / displays a sober facade, decorated only with the game of arches of the portal and the balcony, and with a balustrade with cornice. The façade of the bell tower is finished off, under which a bas-relief of the coat of arms of the municipality rests.

Molí d’en Ribé
It is an old flour mill from the late 13th or early 14th century that is located right next to the Balldovina tower which remained in operation until the beginning of the 20th century. The name comes from the Riber family, who owned the Balldovina tower during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Iberian village of Puig Castellar
The Iberian village is located at the top of Puig Castellar (or Turó del Pollo), 302 m high. These are the remains of a settlement of a Laietana tribe, founded around the 6th century BC and which lasted until the 3rd or 2nd centuries BC, precisely with the arrival of the Romans on land. With a surface area slightly higher than 4,000 m2, the magnificent defensive and territorial control conditions suggest that it must have been an important town. This location allowed him to see and communicate with the nearby settlements, as he controlled an important section of the coastline, the mouth of the Besòs, the plain of Barcelona and the passage inland, towards the Vallès.

It was occupied from the 6th century BC until the beginning of the 2nd century BC, when it was abandoned, possibly due to events related to the Second Punic War, and belonged to the Laietan people, who inhabited the territory that was it extended from the river Llobregat to La Tordera and inland through the valley of Llobregat and Vallès.

The village was medium in size, dedicated mainly to agriculture and livestock, although vestiges found confirm commercial activity with foreign civilizations such as the Greek or Carthaginian. The most important economic activity was agriculture, and they also practiced hunting, livestock and fishing as complementary activities. The urban organization of the village indicates that its inhabitants belonged to a complex and organized society. The urban structure adapts to the characteristics of the land and the houses are built on terraces that save unevenness. The structure of the town is elliptical, with three longitudinal streets and an area of about 4000 m 2, which was estimated at about thirty buildings and a population of about 200 inhabitants. For its defense and security, the village was surrounded by a stone wall.

The town was rediscovered in 1902 by Ferran de Sagarra, who carried out the first excavations and finds, ceded to the Institut d’Estudis Catalans. The work was continued by Serra-Ràfols and later by the Puig Castellar hiking center. Currently most of the objects discovered are in the Balldovina Tower Museum. In order to recover the historical heritage, in 2007 the first Iberian Festival was held in the city. Among the activities, designed for the whole family, were representations of the daily life of the Iberians.

Church
It is one of the last neo-Gothic buildings to be built in Catalonia. Francesc d’Asís Berenguer i Mestre, a close collaborator of the great Gaudí, with whom he worked for twenty-seven years, designed and directed in part the works of this temple. It was built between 1912 and 1915 thanks to the initiative and donation of Bishop Jaume Gordi i Vallès. Located in the city’s Eixample, it replaced the old Baroque temple destroyed in 1936. The building was signed by Miquel Pascual i Tintorer, but was directed and designed by Francesc Berenguer i Mestres in a neo- Gothic style. with touches of Catalan modernism.

The church has a single nave, with a polygonal apse and side chapels. The main façade with the cover of pointed arches, the large glazed window and the octagonal bell tower crowned with a conical needle gives a great feeling of verticality. Next to the church we find the rectory building, in modernist style, by the same author as the church, Francesc Berenguer. The building stands out for its irregular stone exterior and narrow windows like loopholes. In 2015, the 100th anniversary of the main church was celebrated.

Balldovina Tower
It is the only Romanesque building in the region that has survived intact to this day. Probably from the 11th century, it is a circular tower with an irregular façade made of stones of various sizes, crowned with modernly restored battlements. During the first half of the 20th century it was the residence of the Sagarra family, of which Ferran de Sagarra stands out for his influence in the then town of Santa Coloma, to whom the discovery of the Iberian village is attributed; his son, Josep Maria de Sagarra (renowned Catalan poet and writer, who gave his name to the city’s theater) and his landowner, Llorenç Serra, who was the first peasant mayor of Santa Coloma.

Pallaresa Tower
A flagship work of Catalan architecture of the 16th century, and one of the most important Renaissance houses in the country, it was declared a historical-artistic monument of national interest in 1931. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages and it was renovated in the 16th century. In the extension of Bishop Cardona he maintained the existing Gothic floor plan and added the two side towers and the gallery with lowered arches of the central body. There are various decorative elements throughout the building in fully Renaissance doors and windows (busts, medallions, floral motifs…) that coexist with traditional Gothic windows and arches. The main door and the shield of Joan Cardona in the outer portal of the enclosure stand out. In two of the windows of the tower are carved the portraits of Charles V and Elizabeth of Portugal, protectors of the bishop.

Other monuments
The city preserves a good number of buildings of architectural interest, some from the 18th and 19th centuries, but especially from the early 20th century.

Can Roig i Torres
Located in the old town, it is considered the most emblematic building of all the pigeon buildings of the beginning of the century. It was built between 1910 and 1913 on the initiative of Rafael Roig i Torres and won the prize of the City Council and the Diputació de Barcelona. The structure of the house is V-shaped and in the center stands a central tower. highest crowned with a pinnacle. The building mixes modernist and noucentista elements.

Emblematic building built between 1910 and 1913 on the initiative of Rafael Roig i Torres. It consists of two wings arranged in a “V” shape, in the center of which rises a higher central tower crowned with a pinnacle. The building is stylistically eclectic, as it mixes architecture based on classical terms with modernist decorative elements.

For years it has had several uses: hospital during the Spanish Civil War, headquarters of the Phalange, school and, once acquired by the council, headquarters of the Municipal School of Music. In 2007, the city’s new Auditorium was inaugurated in the basement of the building.

Can Mariner
Can Mariner is an 18th century farmhouse with later additions. Its name comes from its 19th century owner, Francesc Salvatella, called the Mariner.

It consists of a central body on the ground floor and first floor and a three-story tower, with asymmetrically distributed windows.

In 1985 it was restored by Xavier Valls and a square was built around it. It is currently the headquarters of the Civic Center of the neighborhood of the same name.

Mas Fonollar
This farmhouse was built before the 14th century and was the center of an agricultural heritage. Its name comes from its nineteenth- century owners, the Funullà or Fonollar. The building is the typical Catalan farmhouse with a ground floor and an upper floor with a gabled roof. Exponent building of the rural architecture of Colomenca built with plastered walls and exposed stone in the openings and corners. It has a gabled roof with a cornice made of tile overlays parallel to the ridge and a round-pointed voussoir portal and windows with lintels and stone jambs. Inside are preserved the original arches of the two floors and an oven and a hypogeum or tunnel, probably used as a refuge in times of war.

The farmhouse was renovated in 1982 and transformed into the Youth Resource Center. In 2005 it suffered an unfortunate fire, with which it was closed and reformed a year later. The building now houses the Mas Fonollar Youth Resource Center.

Can Sisteré
House built in the 19th century as a summer residence following the typology of an isolated residential tower surrounded by a garden. It is currently a cultural center.

Torribera site
The complex is located on the grounds of the Torribera farmhouse, located in the Carcerenya valley. In 1916 the Diputació de Barcelona acquired this land to build a mental sanatorium, still in force. The site has its origins in the old property of Torribera, a medieval farmhouse rebuilt in the eighteenth century. In 1922 the Mancomunitat de Catalunya bought the property to build a Mental Clinic, according to an arrangement of isolated pavilions in the noucentista style that, symmetrically, are composed creating a central axis for pedestrians that climbs from the ‘main access to the Serra de Marina, seated on a series of platforms that take advantage of the cultivation of the old estate.

The project was carried out by the architects Josep Maria Pericas and Rafael Masó in accordance with Noucentista values. It consists of five isolated pavilions, the porter’s lodge and the director’s house. The complex is designed as a garden city structured according to the topography of the land. Later, completely different style pavilions were added. Today, the site houses various facilities that make up Santa Coloma as a university city, such as the Food Campus of the University of Barcelona, the UNED and the Dr. Emili Mira i López-Parc de Salut Mar; in addition to Ecometropolis and the Torribera Sports Complex.

Former hospital of the Holy Spirit
The site was built in 1917 as an anti-tuberculosis sanatorium, on the Puig Fred mountain. The project was promoted by Bishop Josep Pons i Rabada, who together with other institutions acquired and renovated the old farmhouse of the Red Tower.

Contemporary architecture
In recent years, Santa Coloma de Gramanet has changed significantly, betting on the integration of new public and private buildings designed by prestigious architects. The Barcelona architecture studio Alonso & Balaguer Arquitectos Asociados, who collaborates with Richard Rogers in the future Arenas Plaza shopping center, is the author of the municipal sports center “Duet Sports” which stands out for its graphics and colors, a block of officially protected housing and the housing project for those affected by an explosion gas station in the Fondo neighborhood. The new courts designed by the BitSCP studio (Joan Tarrús and Jordi Bosch), visible from the junction of the Trinity, have recently been inaugurated, as well as a housing complex, hotel and shopping center by the hand of Catalan architects Robert and Esteve Terradas (Cosmocaixa), and the Portuguese Eduardo Souto de Moura, author of the Municipal Stadium of Braga, a work that earned him an architecture FAD.

The Pich-Aguilera studio is behind a multi-equipment that brings together the renewed market, a library and the first nursery school in the Fondo neighborhood of the city of Coloma. And finally,Patxi Mangado (Navarrese architect who is working in the Palacio de Congresos de Palma de Mallorca) will also be the author of several buildings of officially protected housing. With all this, the urban projection of the city is significantly updated, because it is at the same level as many other cities, with skyscrapers and other modernized equipment.

The installation of the Neoplan N6321 Electroliner bi-articulated trolleybus is being studied to link Santa Coloma de Gramanet with San Martín de Provensals.

Culture
Enjoy Santa Coloma through the wide range of cultural activities on offer. Get to know its traditions and festivals, delve into its history and let yourself be carried away by the music, dance and theater of a consolidated program in its cultural spaces.

Balldovina Tower Museum
Located in the Balldovina tower, the local museum, multidisciplinary, is responsible for protecting, conserving, studying and disseminating the cultural and natural heritage of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, collaborating with public and private entities that bring together cultural life. and civic of the city.

Joan Peiró Center
Dedicated to the Colombian musician and composer Joan Peiró, the center promotes tracidional and popular Catalan culture by hosting the headquarters of the city’s groups of draconaires, giants, castellers, capgrossos, puntaires, grallers and trabucaires.

Can Sisteré
Santa Coloma has a quiet space in the city center where you can live interesting visual experiences, the Can Sisteré Center for Contemporary Art. Located in a building dating from the nineteenth century and originally built as a residential house, it is a space for cultural dissemination and meeting of artists and spectators that offers a stable annual program that is complemented by conferences, debates and cycles of readings, concerts, performances and small-scale stage performances.

Music
At the Can Roig i Torres Auditorium you can enjoy sounds and styles such as pop-rock, flamenco, jazz, blues, root music and original song that are added to its already consolidated programs. classical disciplines such as chamber music. The Auditorium has a capacity of 216 seats and various spaces aimed at creating and disseminating music.

Theater
Santa Coloma is a city with a well-established tradition of theater and dance with avant-garde and highly experienced companies. Throughout the year, it offers different stage proposals for the city’s spaces and, on a regular basis, at the Sagarra Theater, the city’s theater, which occupies a prominent place in the metropolitan scene for its quality programming. The theater has two spaces: the Sala Sagarra, with a capacity of 550 seats, the Sala Miquelet, with 120 seats.

Festivals and Traditions
The most popular and important festive event in the city takes place on the first weekend of September. Large-format concerts, space for local talent, the contribution of organizations and a wide and eclectic range of activities, make the Summer Festival an unmissable event. Santa Coloma also lives the festivities rooted in the culture of its citizens. From the Carnival, in which the crowded parade stands out, full of joy and colors, starring local entities; until the celebration of Sant Jordi, Sant Joan or the Sant Ponç fair.

In June, there is an exhibition of flower carpets in the streets of the city center, made by traders in the area. And in May and October there are various activities related to the Iberian civilization and its passage through the Colomenco territory. Also coinciding with the Christmas and New Year festivities, during the last fortnight of December, a series of activities is organized around the Day of Santa Coloma and the city’s main festival -on December 31- which culminates with the high point of the Cavalcade of Kings.

Major Festivities
Santa Coloma de Gramanet has two major festivals:
The Summer Festival is held in early September. This festival arose in the 19th century when Santa Coloma de Gramanet became a summer resort.
The Winter Festival is celebrated at Christmas time, December 31 is the central day of the festival. It is a festivity centered on the patron saint, Santa Coloma.
Also, most neighborhoods in the city hold their own Major Festivals.

Religious processions
In October there is the Procession of Our Lady María Santísima del Pilar, organized by the Casa de Aragón the Virgen del Pilar leaves the Casa de Aragón towards the Main Church where the Baturra Mass is celebrated around 1:00 p.m. in her honor. During the procession through the streets the sounds of bandurrias, guitars and castanets are heard accompanied by the voices of all our members to the sound of the jotas. After the Mass, a floral offering is made to Our Lady of Pilar and to Our Patron Saint Coloma Mártir. It is a procession of great attendance either by partners, friends or curious. He is accompanied musically by the Band of Bass Drums and Drums of the House of Aragon
Procession of María Santísima de Guadalupe organized by the Extremadura Regional House in Santa Coloma de Gramanet. This procession is organized on October 12, Hispanic Day, since the Virgin of Guadalupe is the patron saint. The Virgin of Guadalupe leaves the entity that is located on Calle San Ignacio, 34. The departure time is around 11:30 or 12. This procession goes through various streets of the city until it reaches the Iglesia Mayor where a typical Extremaduran mass is performed, with its songs and its typical instruments of the land, which The choir of the entity called the “Miajón de los Castuos” plays and sings them. The size of Our Lady of the Holy Mary of Guadalupe is a small size but with great fervor among the members and countrymen who come from many parts of Catalonia to this mass.
Corpus Christi procession takes place on Sunday followed by Corpus Christi Day, the streets are adorned with floral carpets, while bells ring, making way for the Body of the Blessed Sacrament among the people. It leaves the Parish of San Juan Bautista in the Fondo neighborhood around 6:45 p.m. accompanied by women dressed in white mantilla and with candles and ends around 8:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. before the end of the Procession, they let go White dove. It is the longest Corpus Christi procession in the entire province of Barcelona
Procession of the Pure and Clean Concepción de María, leaves on the eve of December 8 from the Parish of San Juan Bautista del Fondo, accompanied by prayers and songs throughout the neighborhood and city, is accompanied by processional marches interpreted by a Musical Band, at the exit and at the entrance the National Anthem is played.

Pilgrimages

Pilgrimage of the Holy Mary of the Sierra
The acts of the Pilgrimage begin on Friday night at the distinguished member dinner. On Saturday morning, the Musical Group N.ª S.ª de la Sierra performs a parade through the city. Also a Festival of Bands. On Saturday, at 7:00 p.m., the floral offering to N.ª S.ª, the Virgen de la Sierra, takes place in the Iglesia Mayor.

At 9:00 p.m. the Godmother of the Pilgrimage is presented and then the Proclamation of the Pilgrimage is delivered. On Sunday morning, at 7:30 am, the AMNª S.ª de la Sierra will awaken the City with Diana Floreada. At 8:15 a.m. a prayer will be held in the Main Church at the feet of Our Lady. At 8.30, just when the Musical Group plays its last Diana in front of the doors of the Church, the Image of María Santísima de la Sierra will appear in the direction of San Jeronino. He is scheduled to arrive at the castle of Ca l’Alemany at 11.00, where “la Salve” is sung to him. Arrival in San Jeronimo is usually scheduled at 12.00. This is followed by the MISA DE ROMEROS sung by the Coro Romero de la Colonia Egabrense. The SEVILLANAS FESTIVAL continues the day

The return to the City begins at 6:00 p.m., with the farewell in San Jeronimo, and arriving in the City around 8:30 p.m., which will be when the AM Ntra Sª de la Sierra receives the entourage, to continue in procession to the Greater Church. As it passes through the arches of the C / Napoles, the AM N.ª S.ª de la Sierra plays the Royal March while the costaleros of Our Lady dance it, then the Coplas in Honor of Our Excelsa Patrona, Hymn will be sung Andalusia and Els Segadors. Upon arrival at the Iglesia Mayor at around 11:30 pm or 00:00 am, there will be a FIREWORKS CASTLE, as the final touch to the Pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage from Rocío to Moncada and Reixach
The wagons are arranged with fabrics and flowers. When around 5:00 p.m. they set out on their way to the Main Church to attend the Romeros Mass that is celebrated together with all the Rocieras brotherhoods and devotees of Santa Coloma. Once the Romeros Mass is over, the road to the Aldea del Rocío begins. You walk through the streets of the city (the route may vary): Plaza Pío XII, Rafael Casanovas Street, Ireland, Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer, Avda. Generalitat and Paseo Lorenzo Serra, until you reach Can Zam, where the first stop is made to rest a little and take advantage of dinner. At 9:00 p.m. The Brotherhoods begin to walk along the river (parallel to the Carretera de la Roca), where they will make the necessary stops until they reach the Choperas where several Brotherhoods spend the night.

Other Popular Festivities
They are those that are organized by the people with the economic collaboration of the Colomense council or that simply take place in the city.

February
Carnival

March
Women’s Day

April
Proclamation, and Holy Week processions (depending on the year, the month changes)
Sant Jordi (Saint George’s day)
Earth day

May
Boas festas Galegas
Iberian Festival (depending on the year, the month changes)
Pilgrimage of María Santísima de la Sierra (depending on the year, the month changes)
San Ponce Fair
Sardana Aplec

June
Romería del Rocío to Moncada and Reixach.
Arrival of the Canigou Flame
World Environment Day

September
National Day of Catalonia

October
Pilar Day (organized by the Casa de Aragón)
Hispanic Heritage Day (Organized by the Extremadura Regional House)
Extremadura Cultural Week
French War) (depending on the year, the month changes)

November
City of Santa Coloma Awards
Climent Mur Awards
Integrative Theater Fair

December
Tree Fair
Sample of Cribs, Song of Christmas Carols.

Shopping
Santa Coloma has its largest commercial offer located in three central shopping areas: Center, Fondo and Singuerlín are the areas of the city that host, in addition to municipal and street markets, all kinds of shops that offer from the most basic products to more exotic. In the Center, you can find about two hundred establishments dedicated to the equipment of people and the home. In the Fondo, in addition, an abundant supply of products of Asian origin, North African handicrafts and establishments specializing in the import of South American products. And in the commercial axis of Singuerlín, a great variety of food products typical of Catalan and Mediterranean gastronomy and culture.

Also discover the particularities of the city’s municipal markets where culture and history merge. Culture because the buildings that house the markets of Singuerlín and Fondo, rehabilitated and newly built, are equipped with modern facilities that are complemented by the location of two libraries specializing in film and food, respectively.

The Sagarra market is the oldest in the city. It was set up in 1934 and, after its rehabilitation, retains its Noucentista-style façade with a finish that alternates the brick seen with the stucco and where we can see straight moldings, cornices or glazed ceramics. And once a week, during the morning, street markets (mercadillos) take place in the city, with great commercial and social activity. You’ll find them on the streets surrounding Sagarra Market on Monday; around Singuerlín, on Thursday; and that of the Fund, on Saturday.

Nature space
The natural spaces of Santa Coloma are a great attraction to enjoy the city outdoors and learn about the biodiversity of the territory. Currently, these spaces represent more than 28% of the total area of the municipality. The two large areas that make up the natural environment of Santa Coloma are the Marina mountain range and the Besòs riverbed.

Marine Mountain Range Park
The Parc de la Serralada de Marina is an important ecological reserve that includes the municipality of Santa Coloma and has a key role as a green space within the metropolitan area. The Serralada de la Marina Park is a privileged place for the observation of a unique flora and fauna of the Mediterranean biogeographical region: holm oaks, oaks, pines are some of the plant species that can be found there.. In addition, the Park is part of the migratory route of the birds of the western Mediterranean. Within the territory of Santa Coloma, the Park has its own viewpoints, picnic areas, fountains and facilities, as well as well-signposted paths and routes, to enjoy the mountain in a sustainable way. There is an information point in the Font de l’Alzina leisure area.

Besòs River Park
The banks of the river Besòs are today a space of reeds, wetlands, river meadows that have favored the continued presence of bird species that a few years ago were not seen. They are also a leisure space for visitors and within the city has 12 kilometers of bike lanes that connect it with Montcada i Reixac and Sant Adrià del Besòs.

The River Park also represents an important change in the city’s conception of mobility. The Carril Bici that runs through the park connects Sant Adrià, Santa Coloma and Montcada i Reixac, also through the Parc de Can Zam allows you to cross the city quickly, pleasantly and without cars. The Besòs riverbed, which in the 1970s was the most polluted in Catalonia, and represented a barrier between the citizens and the river, is now a 70 ha park as it passes through Santa Coloma de Gramenet. In 2004, coinciding with the Forum of Cultures, its extension to the sea was inaugurated. Of the initial 6 kilometers of the park, 12 have been reached.

To improve the quality of the waters of the Besòs river through its purification and regeneration incorporating wetland areas on both sides of the river. Through these plots of reeds, the waters of the Montcada i Reixac treatment plant are filtered, increasing their quality. In the time it has been in operation, it has been possible to see an increase in the biodiversity present in the area, mainly bird and amphibian species. The landscape and environmental recovery of the Besòs riverbed has made possible the regeneration of new habitats: reeds, wetlands, river meadows and has favored the continued presence of bird species that were not seen a few years ago.

Can Zam Park
With an area of 11 hectares, the main feature of the park is its proximity to the river, which gives it the character of a connecting element between the city and the river space. It has an irregular square shape with a geometric design of very marked lines. A central promenade, which follows the route of Victor Hugo Street, marks the divide between two sectors of different characteristics. The first, closer to the mountain, with a large square and vegetation; the lowest and closest to the river, with a large lake and predominance of riparian plant species.

La Bastida Forest Park
The park is a natural and leisure space of more than 85,000 m2 that represents a green lung for the city. It is located at the end of Lincoln Street and the road to Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, with trails, leisure and recreation areas for all families.

Ecometropolis
Ecometropoli is the environmental education center of Santa Coloma, a space dedicated to sharing knowledge and promoting the values of caring for nature and urban sustainability. Located in the Montserrat Pavilion of the Torribera Precinct, it has a permanent exhibition dedicated to the different ecosystems of the Sierra de la Marina, an aquarium with fish from the river Besòs and different spaces dedicated to environmental education and research.