Ripoll
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Ripoll is the capital of the comarca (county) of Ripollès, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located 691 metres above the sea, on the confluence of the Ter River and its tributary Freser, next to the Pyrenees near the French border. The population was 10,908 in 1996.
It has a famous Benedictine monastery built in the Romanesque style, founded by the count Wilfred the Hairy in 879.
An abundance of coal and iron ore, coupled with the ample water supply of the rivers Ter and Freser, encouraged a metal-working industry in the early Middle Ages. A prime source of nails for the peninsula came from the furnaces of Ripoll. Later, pole arms and crossbows, always in demand, were added to Ripoll’s exports. Ripoll enjoyed a reputation throughout Europe for the production of firearms. Unfortunately, that very success as a manufactory of firearms brought endless trouble to the city. French invasions in 1794, 1809, 1812, and 1813 crippled the city industries. However, the final and utter destruction of Ripoll from mines and blasting occurred in 1839 during the Carlist Wars. Due to the loss of records and achieves, not much is known of Ripoll and its industry to this day.
Ripoll is also the name of a river in the comarca of Vallès Occidental, Catalonia, Spain. The river crosses the comarca from north to south, and flows into the river Besòs, near Barcelona. This river is about 40 km long and its source is in Sant Llorenç Savall. The Ripoll crosses the towns and cities of Castellar del Vallès, Sabadell, Barberà del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Ripollet and Montcada i Reixac.