...a Catalan country retreat
Tarragona
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History
Tarragona is one of Catalonia's most historical cities. In Roman times, this city, known as Tarraco, was the capital of Hispania Tarraconensis and is one of the most interesting and complete in Roman Hispania. Tarraco experienced rapid growth during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, and it was here that Caesar gathered his troops during the civil war against Pompey. The panorama changed radically with the conquest of the city by the armies of Islam in about 713, and its incorporation into Al-Andalus. In mediaeval times, the Metropolitan See of Tarragona was an important archbishopric of the Catalan-Aragonese court. The War of the Reapers broke out in 1640 between the Catalans and the French on one side and the Spanish monarchy on the other. It lasted until 1659. The 19th century began with a conflict of devastating consequences for the city of Tarragona - the War of Independence or French War. The final assault was made on 28 June 1811, following a terrible siege. There followed more than two years of French occupation that left the city in a state of misery and famine, aggravated by the blowing up of strategic points when the occupying army left on 18 August 1813. The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) caused considerable setback to economic and social development. The city was repeatedly bombed causing many deaths and severe damage to the urban structure, which would have to be repaired during the difficult post-war years. Later, towards the end of the nineteen-fifties, chemical industries began to set up in the area, and in 1975 the Enpetrol refinery went into service. Tarragona became a city specializing in the petrochemical industry. The raw materials used and products manufactured by these industries passed through the port of Tarragona, making it the second busiest port in Spain in terms of annual tonnage handled.
In 2000, the city of Tarragona was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in
l’Ametlla de Mar - el Perello - Ebro Delta - els Ports - Tortosa - Tarragona - Barcelona - Morella - Miravet - Benifallet