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| Missing image Catalan_comarca_Baix_Penedes.png Map of Catalonia with Baix Penedès highlighted Other Catalan comarques | |
| Province | Tarragona |
| Capital | el Vendrell |
| Largest city | el Vendrell |
| Demonym | |
| Population (2001) | 61,256 hab. |
| Area | 295.5 km2 |
| Pop. density | 207.3 hab/km2 |
| Municipalities | 14 |
Baix Penedès is a comarca (county) on the coast of Catalonia. The area has been settled since the times of the Ibers, with ancient ruins remaining in Banyeres at Can Canyís, in the capital el Vendrell at the village of Guàrdies and in Calafell at the villages of Toixoneres and la Ciutadella ("The Citadel").
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Municipalities
Populations are for 2001.
- Albinyana - pop. 1780
- Arboç - pop. 3977
- Banyeres del Penedès - pop. 1862
- Bellvei - pop. 1532
- Bisbal del Penedès - pop. 2349
- Bonastre - pop. 424
- Calafell - pop. 15883
- Cunit - pop. 7339
- Llorenç del Penedès - pop. 1821
- Masllorenç - pop. 453
- Montmell - pop. 784
- Sant Jaume dels Domenys - pop. 1637
- Santa Oliva - pop. 2422
- Vendrell - pop. 26,820
Gastronomy
Typical dishes of this region include:
- el xató (a dish with vegetables)
- la coca de verdures (cake of vegetables)
- el civet de senglar (a way of cooking wild boar)
- el bull de tonyina (a type of sausage of tuna)
- l'arròs a banda (a way of cooking rice)
Desserts include:
- els bufats (?)
- les orelletes (?)
Castellers
Baix Penedès has one of the longest-lived traditions of castellers in Catalonia. (Castellers practice the traditional Catalan art/sport of making human pyramids.) The comarcal capital, el Vendrell, has a monument dedicated to castellers.
Present-day teams:
- els Nens del Vendrell (founded 1926)
- la Colla Nova
- els minyons de l'Arboç
The most important competitions of Castellers in the comarca occur each year as part of the August festival in honor of the Virgin Mary at Bisbal and on the fourth Sunday of August at l'Arboç del Penedès, with castellers from all over Catalonia.
People from Baix Penedès
Among the most important historical figures from Baix Penedès are:
- Àngel Guimerà (1845-1924): writer. Guimerà was originally from the Canary Islands, but his mother was from el Vendrell, and he eventually settled there in his ancestral home, cal Guimerà.
- Pau ("Pablo") Casals (1876-1973): cellist and composer. The house-museum vila Casals is at Sant Salvador, as is a concert hall, l’Auditori Pau Casals.
- Aureli Maria Escarré (1908-1968): abbot of Montserrat. Since 1978, there has been a monument to him in his home village of l'Arboç, where his ancestral home is on the main street.
External links
- Official comarcal web site (in Catalan) (http://www.ccbp.altanet.org/consells/bpenedes/)
- Map, on the site of the Generalitat de Catalunya (http://www.municat.net:8000/omunicat/owa/mun_p03.mapa_comarques?via=1&codcoma=8101200000&err=0)
- IDESCAT: statistical information about this comarca (http://www.idescat.es/servlet/BasicTerr?TC=3&V0=2&V1=12)