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89-538: Lluís Companys i Jover ( Catalan pronunciation: [ʎuˈis kumˈpaɲs] ; 21 June 1882 – 15 October 1940) was a Catalan politician who served as president of Catalonia , Spain from 1934 and during the Spanish Civil War . Companys was a lawyer close to labour movement and one of the most prominent leaders of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) political party, founded in 1931. He had
178-517: A Catalan nationalist uprising . Companys proclaimed the Catalan State (Estat Català) within the "Spanish Federal Republic". The uprising was opposed by both the centrist and conservative Catalan representatives and the new centrist and right-wing republican government, led by Alejandro Lerroux . That government included ministers from the political party CEDA, which was considered by many left-wing sectors as nearly fascist. The attempt to form
267-540: A Catalan identity was increasingly suppressed in favor of a Spanish national identity. The Catalans regained autonomy during the Spanish Second Republic from 1932 until Francisco Franco 's nationalist forces occupied Catalonia by 1939. It was not until 1975 and the death of Franco that the Catalans as well as other Spaniards began to regain their right to cultural expression, which was restarted by
356-416: A Catalan writer, found that Companys and Colubí were relatives. Efforts to save Companys were useless, and at 6:30 a.m. on 15 October 1940 he was executed at Montjuïc Castle . Refusing to wear a blindfold, he was taken barefoot before a firing squad of Civil Guards, and, as they fired, Companys shouted 'Per Catalunya!' (For Catalonia!). The cause of death was given as 'traumatic internal hemorrhage'. He
445-547: A World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Because of their intertwining history, many of the traditional symbols of Catalonia coincide with Aragon, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. The oldest known Catalan symbol is the coat of arms of the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona, or bars of Aragon , one of Europe's oldest heraldic emblems; in modern times, Catalan nationalists have made it the main symbol of Catalan identity and it
534-576: A book. Historical memory is the second axis of celebrations in Catalonia, where the Catalan people reunite with their date of birth as a people. Among the religious celebrations, there are St. George's Day and the celebrations of Saint Vincent Martyr and Saint Anthony Abbot . The maximum expressions of this element are the Easter processions and performances of Passion Plays . Some festivals have
623-776: A clinic in Paris . His position became particularly perilous after Germany took France in June 1940. In collaboration with the Spanish police , the Gestapo arrested him in La Baule-les-Pins near Nantes on 13 August 1940. First detained in La Santé Prison in Paris , he was then extradited by Nazi German authorities to Spain in early September 1940. He was imprisoned at Puerta del Sol , Madrid 's central square, in
712-731: A complicated relationship with religion, such as Carnival and the Dances of Death , or specific aspects of Christmas such as the Tió de Nadal or the caganer in Nativity scenes . Other key elements of a Catalan celebration are: food, central to every party and especially to the pig slaughter and harvest festivals; contests such as the castells (human towers), choice of major and festive floats; music, songs and bands; processions; dances; and animals, especially bulls and representations of mythological creatures. The Patum of Berga has been declared
801-628: A consequence of the independently organized resistance, by the end of the fighting on 21 July some of the political parties wielded considerably more power than the government. These parties included: the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), an anarchist syndicalist trade union; the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), a Spanish anarchist organization; the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM),
890-534: A key role in the events of the proclamation and first steps of the Second Spanish Republic . Appointed president of the Generalitat of Catalonia in 1934, after the death of the previous president, Francesc Macià , his government tried to consolidate the recently acquired Catalan self-government and implement a progressive agenda, despite the internal difficulties. Opposed to the inclusion of
979-434: A local term seny meaning "common sense" or a pragmatic attitude toward life. The counterpart of Catalan "seny" is "rauxa" or madness, epitomized by "crazy", eccentric and creative Catalan artists like Antoni Gaudí , Salvador Dalí , Joan Miró or Antoni Tàpies . The masia or mas is a defining characteristic of the Catalan countryside and includes a large house, land, cattle, and an extended family, but this tradition
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#17327729642881068-460: A military trial held in Barcelona that lasted less than one hour and lacked legal guarantees, he was accused of military rebellion and sentenced to death. During the trial, Companys was courageously defended by Ramón de Colubí, a young soldier who had fought in the war for the rebels . Colubí sent a telegram to Franco pleading for clemency for Companys, to no avail. In 2015 Víctor Gay Zaragoza ,
1157-523: A number of linguistic varieties that are considered dialects of Catalan , among them, the dialect group with the most speakers, Central Catalan . The total number of Catalan speakers is over 9.8 million (2011), with 5.9 million residing in Catalonia. More than half of them speak Catalan as a second language, with native speakers being about 4.4 million of those (more than 2.8 in Catalonia). Very few Catalan monoglots exist; basically, virtually all of
1246-481: A revolutionary anti-Stalinist communist party; and others. Companys was instrumental in organizing an umbrella collaboration between these diverse groups called the Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias (CCMA). CCMA was formed on 21 July and sponsored by his Catalan government to reconcile the political tensions, recover the control of the situation, and organize the war effort. In November 1936,
1335-556: A rivalry between Terrassa and Sabadell, because both of them wanted to be capitals of the Vallés Occidental, as both were pretty relevant while this rise textile industry. Nowadays, still there are some popular sayings: "Sabadell mala pell" (Sabadell bad skin) and "Terrassa mala raça" (Terrassa bad race). The growth of industry and population favored the emergence of an important workers' movement , and Catalanist , socialist and anarchist parties were very influential up until
1424-567: A seat, he led the ERC representation and the Catalan minority group in the new Republican Parliament. He described his political objectives in Madrid: "We, the Catalan members of the Parliament, have come here not only to defend our Statute of Autonomy [law of self-government], and the fraternal and democratic understanding of the members of Parliament; but, also to participate in matters that affect
1513-626: Is a city and municipality in Catalonia , Spain . It is in the south of the comarca of Vallès Occidental , where it is one of the two capitals, the other being Terrassa . It is located on the River Ripoll , 20 km (12 mi) north of Barcelona , 190 m (620 ft) above sea level. Sabadell pioneered the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia with its textile mills, together with its archrival Terrassa. Thus, in
1602-597: Is among the most industrialized metropolises. A regional capital, it is a magnet for domestic and foreign migrants. Fire is the element used in most important traditional festivals, which are derived from pagan roots. These celebrations have a high acceptance of fire between the Catalans, like the Flame of Canigó to the Bonfires of Saint John . An important and well-known celebration is La Diada de Sant Jordi , held on 23 April, in which men give women roses, and women give men
1691-678: Is even associated with the Catalan language. As for anthems, "The Reapers" ( Els Segadors ) is the official national anthem of Catalonia and is also used in the other lands of the Principality; the Balanguera represents the people from the Balearic Islands and, in the case of Valencia, the official "Anthem of the Exhibition" ( Himne de l'Exposició ) alongside Muixeranga as symbols of the country. Sabadell Sabadell ( Catalan pronunciation: [səβəˈðeʎ] )
1780-558: Is in decline as the nuclear family has largely replaced the extended family, as in the rest of western Europe. Catalonia in Spain is officially recognised as a " nationality " and enjoy a high degree of political autonomy, which has led to reinforcement of a Catalan identity. The Catalan language is a Romance language . It is the language closest to Occitan , and it also shares many features with other Romance languages such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, Aragonese , and Italian . There are
1869-735: Is located in the CRAI Library of the Pavilion of the Republic at the University of Barcelona . It consists of correspondence about him, as well as discourses and declarations between 1936 and 1938. Catalans Catalans ( Catalan , French and Occitan : catalans ; Spanish : catalanes ; Italian : catalani ; Sardinian : cadelanos or catalanos ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia , who speak Catalan . The current official category of "Catalans"
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#17327729642881958-462: Is part of the Mediterranean diet and includes the use of olive oil . Catalan people like to eat veal ( vedella ) and lamb ( xai ). There are three main daily meals: In Catalan gastronomy, embotits (a wide variety of Catalan sausages and cold meats) are very important; these are pork sausages such as botifarra or fuet . In the past, bread figured heavily in the Catalan diet; now it
2047-549: Is sometimes called ollada . Other Catalan dishes include calçots (a type of onions that are similar in shape to leeks , often grilled and eaten with a romesco sauce ) and escalivada . Catalan music has one of the oldest documented musical traditions in Europe. The traditional religion in Catalonia is Roman Catholicism . However, in the course of recent history , Catalonia has undergone several waves of secularization. The first wave of secularization happened during
2136-619: Is that of the citizens of Catalonia , a nationality and autonomous community in Spain and the inhabitants of the Roussillon historical region in southern France, today the Pyrénées Orientales department, also called Northern Catalonia and Pays Catalan in French. Some authors also extend the word "Catalans" to include all people from areas in which Catalan is spoken , namely those from Andorra , Valencia ,
2225-445: Is used mainly in the morning (second breakfast, especially among young students and some workers) and supplements the noon meal, at home and in restaurants. Bread is still popular among Catalans; some Catalan fast-food restaurants don't serve hamburgers, but offer a wide variety of sandwiches. In the past, the poor ate soup every day and rice on Thursday and Sunday. The discipline of abstinence, not eating meat during Lent , once
2314-432: Is viewed as a martyr to Catalan nationalism and independence. In Spain, Companys’ legacy is divisive, however. While perceived favorably and with reverence by liberals, progressives and those favoring independence in Catalonia, conservative and right-wing factions in Catalonia and Spain view his memory as a threat to the unity of Spain. In recent years, multiple controversial and unsuccessful attempts have been made to rescind
2403-425: The barretina (a sort of woollen, long cap usually red or purple) and the faixa (a sort of wide belt) among men, and ret (a fine net bag to contain hair) among women. The traditional footwear was the espardenya or espadrille . Other items of clothing typical of Catalan female folk costume include the 'pubilla' dress; the 'catalana' also known as the 'payesa' and the 'gandalla' as headwear. The Catalan diet
2492-497: The .cat TLD, the first Internet language-based top-level domain, was approved for all web pages intending to serve the needs of the Catalan linguistic and cultural community on the Internet. This community is made up of those who use the Catalan language for their online communication or promote the different aspects of Catalan culture online. The traditional dress (now practically only used in folkloric celebrations) included
2581-571: The Balearic Islands , eastern Aragon , Roussillon , and the city of Alghero in Sardinia . The Catalan government regularly surveys its population regarding its "sentiment of belonging". As of July 2019, the results point out that 46.7% of the Catalans and other people living in Catalonia would like independence from Spain, 1.3% less than the year before. In 1500 BCE the area that is now known primarily as Catalonia was, along with
2670-584: The Conferència d'Esquerres (Conference of Leftists), held from 12 to 19 March 1931. The conference produced the political party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC, Republican Left of Catalonia ) by merging Estat Català (led by Francesc Macià), the Partit Republicà Català itself, and the journal L'Opinió . The latter included Joan Lluhí as prominent figure. Nevertheless, Companys was elected as an executive member of ERC, representing
2759-760: The Greeks that founded Empúries and the Phoenicians and Carthaginians , who set up colonies along the coast, including Barcino (present-day Barcelona). Following the Punic Wars , the Romans replaced the Carthaginians as the dominant power in the Iberian eastern coast, including parts of Catalonia, by 206 BCE. Rome established Latin as the official language and imparted a distinctly Roman culture upon
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2848-708: The Reconquista by Catalan forces over most of Catalonia by the year 801. As the border between Muslim and Frankish realms stabilized, Barcelona would become an important center for Christian forces in the Iberian Peninsula . In 1137, the County of Barcelona entered a dynastic union with the Kingdom of Aragon to form what modern historians call the Crown of Aragon in the so-called Reconquista . This allowed
2937-642: The Spanish Civil War . On the morning of 19 July, civil conflict began between Republican and Nationalist forces in Barcelona. When the Spanish Civil War began, Companys sided with the Spanish Republic against the Nationalist faction . Responding to the coup attempt in Barcelona, several Catalan political and workers parties independently fought to defeat the local Nationalist forces, subsequently causing tensions in political power. As
3026-500: The Spanish Constitution of 1978 . Since this period, a balance between a sense of Catalan national identity versus the broader Spanish one has emerged as the dominant political force in Catalonia. The former tends to advocate for even greater autonomy, national recognition and, part of it, independence; the latter tends to argue for maintaining either a status quo or removal of autonomy and cultural identity, depending on
3115-411: The 1980s. During the 1990s most of the population of Catalonia was non-practising Catholic. Nowadays 52.4% of Catalans declare themselves Catholic, practising or not, 30.2% of Catalans are agnostic or atheist , and there is also a considerable share of other religions, often connected to recent immigration: 7.3% Muslim , 2.5% Evangelical , 1.3% Buddhism , and 1.2% Orthodox Christians . According to
3204-400: The Catalan speakers in Spain are bilingual speakers of Catalan and Spanish, with a sizable population of Spanish-only speakers of immigrant origin (typically born outside Catalonia or with both parents born outside Catalonia) existing in the major Catalan urban areas as well. In Roussillon , only a minority of French Catalans speak Catalan nowadays, with French being the majority language for
3293-455: The Catalan state was seen as an attempt at a coup d'état , as Companys had revolted against the newly appointed center-right republican government and joined the Asturias miners' attempt at revolution. Companys asked Manuel Azaña , who happened to be in Barcelona during the events, to lead the newly-proclaimed Spanish Republican government, but Azaña rejected the proposition. The proclamation
3382-756: The City Hall's balcony and proclaimed the Republic. Shortly after, Francesc Macià proclaimed the Catalan Republic within the Federation of Iberian Republics, a project that was later abandoned after gaining the promise of regional devolution and the restitution of the Catalan Generalitat (as autonomous government) from the new Republican government. After controlling the Barcelona City Hall, Macià ordered Companys to take
3471-931: The First National Division (Group C) of the Spanish Handball League, the Unió Excursionista de Sabadell - UES (Hikers Club), with almost 3,000 associates, two basketball teams, the Sabadell Bàsquet and Sant Nicolau , both of them currently playing at EBA League , the Fourth Division of the Spanish Basketball League, and two historical tennis clubs, Cercle Sabadellès 1856 and Club de Tennis Sabadell , with 4,000 and 3,500 associates respectively. FC Barcelona player Sergio Busquets
3560-405: The Generalitat government was the target of a planned coup by members of the pro-independence party Estat Català , a break-away political party from Companys' ERC. Primarily objecting to Companys conciliation with anarchist groups, the conspirators intended to replace him with Prime Minister Joan Casanovas . The plot was exposed and some of its leaders jailed. Companys continued to try to maintain
3649-686: The Nationalists of Francisco Franco by crossing the Pyrenees of Catalonia to France. Companys crossed the French border at Coll de Lli, La Vajol with the Basque lehendakari (president) José Antonio Aguirre on 5 February 1939, thus beginning his exile. A refugee in France in 1939 after the Civil War, Companys passed up various chances to leave France because his son Lluís was seriously ill in
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3738-506: The Partit Republicà Català. Thanks to the bonds between the Spanish labor movement and the Spanish trade union movement, the election of Companys to this position gave the ERC great prestige in left-wing public opinion, as it would otherwise have been regarded as a party of the progressive petty bourgeoisie. In the 1931 Spanish local elections , the ERC won a surprise victory in Barcelona and other municipalities of Catalonia. After he learned
3827-541: The Republican Left of Catalonia and the other left-wing republican and catalanist parties. Under his presidency, the Parliament passed laws to improve the living conditions of the popular classes and the petite bourgeoisie. One example was the Crop Contracts Law , which protected the tenant farmers and granted them access to the land they were cultivating. The law increased tensions, however, after it
3916-737: The Spanish Civil War, loyal to the Republican faction. A refugee in France after the Republican defeat in 1939, he was arrested in 1940 by the secret police of Nazi Germany , the Gestapo . Extradited back to the Francoist Spain , he was executed on 15 October 1940. LLuís Companys i Jover was born in El Tarròs near Lleida in western Catalonia on 21 June 1882. His parents, Josep Companys and Maria Lluïsa de Jover, were peasants with aristocratic roots. The second child of ten, Companys
4005-579: The architecture of the city in the early 20th century and distinctive buildings such as the modernista Hotel Suís (1902), Despatx Lluch (1908), and the Caixa d'Estalvis de Sabadell (1915), as well as the Torre de l'Aigua (1918) and the Mercat Central (1930), were built during the first half of the century. In the early 20th century, Sabadell, with Terrassa , was the textile city par excellence, being
4094-601: The autonomous community of Catalonia, in the northeast part of Spain. At least 100,000 Catalan speakers live in the Pays Catalan in France. An indeterminate number of Catalans emigrated to the Americas during the Spanish colonial period and to France in the years following the Spanish Civil War . Described by author Walter Starkie in The Road to Santiago as a subtle people, he sums up their national character with
4183-659: The basement of the headquarters of the Dirección General de Seguridad (General Directorate of State Security) at the Real Casa de Correos ( Royal House of the Post Office ). Held there for five weeks, he was kept in solitary confinement, interrogated, starved, tortured and brutally beaten. Senior figures of the Francoist State visited his cell, insulted him and threw coins or crusts of bread at him. In
4272-403: The city (the Rodalies Barcelona line from Barcelona to Lleida ) and another one terminates in the city (the FGC line from Barcelona to Sabadell via Sant Cugat del Vallès). In Roman times, a little village called Arragone existed near where the church of La Salut now stands. This grew into the town called Arraona or Arrahona in the Middle Ages . Another little village was built just on
4361-435: The city to diversify its economic activities. New commercial and leisure areas (the Eix Macià ) appeared next to the traditional industries, leading to important economic development for the city. An ETA car bombing in 1990 killed six police officers. Sabadell is located in the middle of the comarca named Vallès Occidental , approximately 20 km (12 mi) from Barcelona . It borders (clockwise, starting from
4450-444: The city: the C-58 (from Barcelona to Manresa ) and the AP-7 (from France and Girona to Tarragona , Valencia , and Andalusia ), and some roads link Sabadell with nearby cities and towns: Barcelona, Terrassa, Cerdanyola del Vallès , Sant Quirze del Vallès , Barberà del Vallès , Sant Cugat del Vallès , Castellar del Vallès , Sant Llorenç Savall , Granollers , Rubí , Sentmenat , and Molins de Rei . A railroad line crosses
4539-485: The driving force of a territory poor in natural resources. The population was multiplied by eight, its industry boosted, particularly textiles and metals, and its economy was modernized in the service sector. Due to this industrial activity, Sabadell received massive waves of immigration in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s leading to uncontrolled urban expansion and the creation of some new neighborhoods such as Ca n'Oriac and Torre-Romeu. There has always been since those days
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#17327729642884628-418: The eighteenth century as a result of the enlightenment influence to the bourgeoisie . The second one happened during the nineteenth century, that had a huge impact on the lower and middle class , but was interrupted by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The end of the Francoist regime led to a loss of power by the Catholic Church and to another wave of secularization that extends since
4717-634: The fifth century, making their first capital in the Iberian peninsula Barcelona, and they later would move to Toledo. This continued until 718 when Muslim Arabs took control of the region in order to pass through the Pyrenees into French territory. With the help of the Franks, a land border was created commonly known nowadays as Old Catalonia (which would consist of the counties County of Barcelona , Ausona , County of Pallars , County of Rosselló , County of Empúries , County of Cerdanya and County of Urgell ) which faced Muslim raids but resisted any kind of settlement from them. The southern New Catalonia
4806-424: The greatness of Spain: the Constitution , the agrarian reforms and social legislation". In 1932, Companys was elected the first Speaker of the Parliament of Catalonia . After the death of Francesc Macià on 25 December 1933, who was presiding over the Generalitat of Catalonia, Companys was elected the successor President of the Generalitat by the Catalan Parliament. He appointed a new coalition government composed by
4895-543: The guilty verdict of Companys' court martial. In 1998 a monument to Companys was installed near Arc de Triomf , on Passeig de Lluís Companys in Barcelona. The poet Conxita Julià , who as a teenager had written to Companys while he was in prison in 1934-1936, is portrayed next to Companys' image in the monument. The main stadium used for the 1992 Summer Olympics , located on Montjuïc, was officially named in his memory in 2001. Many cities and villages of Catalonia have named streets and squares after him. His personal archive
4984-467: The imposition of absolutism and the abolition of Catalan political institutions and public law, thus ending the status of Catalonia as a separate state within a personal union. During the Napoleonic Wars , much of Catalonia was seized by French forces by 1808, as France ruled the entire country of Spain briefly until Napoleon 's surrender to Allied Armies. In France, strong assimilationist policies integrated many Catalans into French society, while in Spain
5073-465: The inhabitants after a continued process of language shift . According to a 2019 survey by the Catalan government, 31.5% of the inhabitants of Catalonia have Catalan as first language at home whereas 52.7% have Spanish, 2.8% both Catalan and Spanish and 10.8% other languages. The inhabitants of the Aran valley count Aranese –an Occitan dialect–rather than Catalan as their own language. These Catalans are also bilingual in Spanish. In September 2005,
5162-495: The late Middle Ages , the loss of hegemony within the Crown, as well as urban and feudal internal conflicts led to the Catalan Civil War in 1462. In the last quarter of the 15th century, the marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon led to the dynastic union of the Crown of Aragon with the Crown of Castille , in which each of the constitutive realm kept its own laws, policies, power structures, borders and monetary systems. Continuous unrest led to conflicts on
5251-415: The leanings of the current government. As a result, there tends to be much fluctuation depending on regional and national politics during a given election cycle. Given the stronger centralist tendencies in France, however, French Catalans display a much less dynamic sense of uniqueness, having been integrated more consistently into the unitary French national identity. The vast majority of Catalans reside in
5340-453: The local population, which merged with Roman colonists from the Italian peninsula . An early precursor to the Catalan language began to develop from a local form of popular Latin before and during the collapse of the Roman Empire . Various Germanic tribes arrived following nearly six centuries of Roman rule, which had completely transformed the area into the Roman province of Tarraconensis . The German Visigoths established themselves in
5429-443: The mid-19th century, it became the most important wool city in Spain, being nicknamed the "Catalan Manchester ". Today many mills from that period can still be seen, with most of them having been refurbished as residential buildings or other services. Nowadays, Sabadell is basically a commercial and industrial city; there are no significant agricultural activities. Sabadell is an important communications point. Two motorways run beside
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#17327729642885518-421: The most recent study sponsored by the government of Catalonia , as of 2016, 61.9% of the Catalans identify as Christians , up from 56.5% in 2014. At the same time, 16.0% of the population identify as atheists , 11.9% as agnostics , 4.8% as Muslims , 1.3% as Buddhists , and a further 2.4% as being of other religions. Catalonia is one of the richest and most developed regions in Southern Europe . Barcelona
5607-486: The next centuries, and in 1800 the town's population was about 2000 people. The 19th century brought two important developments to the town: in 1856 the railway arrived, and in 1877 the town was dubbed a "city". In the 1897 census the population of the city was 23,044 people. The city had become the most important producer of woolen clothing in Spain, and these clothes achieved worldwide fame. The modernisme movement (related to Art Nouveau ) had an important influence in
5696-442: The north) with Castellar del Vallès , Sentmenat , Polinyà , Santa Perpètua de Mogoda , Barberà del Vallès , Badia del Vallès , Cerdanyola del Vallès , Sant Quirze del Vallès , and Terrassa . The city covers an area of 37.79 km (14.59 sq mi) and its population density is 5,337.57/km (13,824.2/sq mi) as of 2007. The altitude is 200 metres (660 ft). During the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games , Sabadell
5785-441: The office of "Gobernador Civil" (civil governor) of the Barcelona Province, which at that time held considerable powers such as policing. It had been controlled by republican radicals during the proclamation of the republic. Macià probably wanted a less public office for Companys, whom he thought of as a political rival. Companys ran as a Barcelona provincial candidate in the December 1931 Spanish legislative election . After gaining
5874-421: The other side of the river. This second village, called Sabadell, located on a plain, began to grow and its population was about 600 people (152 houses) in 1378. Sabadell was enclosed by a wall, but due to population growth in the 16th century, some houses were built outside the wall. At that time the first textile industries appeared in the town, devoted especially to woolen clothing. The woolen industry grew over
5963-414: The passage of the repressive Ley de Jurisdicciones ("Law of Jurisdictions"), making speech against Spain and its symbols a criminal offense. In response to these events, he participated in the creation of the successful coalition Solidaritat Catalana . Later, he became affiliated with the ephemeral Republican Nationalist Federal Union ( Unió Federal Nacionalista Republicana ), where he was president of
6052-415: The reclamation of Muslim-dominated lands, eventually conquering the kingdoms of Valencia and Majorca (the Balearic Islands ). From the 13th century onwards, the territory of the County of Barcelona and the other Catalan counties progressively began to be identified as a single political entity and, from the mid-14th century, that polity began to be known as the Principality of Catalonia . The crisis of
6141-430: The removal of the central role played by the anarchist CNT-FAI, control of public order, defense, borders and war industries (in the hands of the Generalitat since the beginning of the war) was assumed by the Spanish Republican government. Companys could only protest, and political tensions with the Spanish Republican forces increased. As a consequence of Soviet/ COMINTERN and Spanish Communist Party (PCE) pressures, POUM
6230-412: The rest of Spain. The Parliament restored their legislative activities. As a response to the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics held in Nazi Germany , the government prepared the People's Olympiad in Barcelona, with Companys as its honorary president. The Olympiad was planned to commence on 19 July, but on that same day the Spanish Army began a national coup d'état that would fail but eventually precipitate
6319-402: The rest of the Iberian Peninsula , inhabited by Proto-Celtic Urnfield people who brought with them the rite of burning the dead. Much of the Pyrenees mountains was inhabited at the time by peoples related to modern Basques , and today many town names in the western Catalan Pyrenees can be linked to Basque etymologies. These groups came under the rule of various invading groups starting with
6408-654: The rest remained under Spanish Crown. The Catalan government took sides with the Habsburg pretender against the Bourbon one during the War of the Spanish Succession that started in 1705 and ended in 1714. The Catalan failure to defend the continuation of Habsburg rule in Spain culminated in the surrender of Barcelona on 11 September 1714 which came to be commemorated as Catalonia's National Day . The surrender led to
6497-457: The results, on 14 April, Companys, who was elected a city representative, and other ERC candidates together with the Party's leader Francesc Macià , decided to take over by surprise the office of mayor and entered the City Hall. After some dispute, the transitional Mayor of Barcelona was deposed, and Companys was proclaimed new mayor. Subsequently, he hung a tricolour Spanish Republican Flag from
6586-488: The right-wing CEDA party in the coalition Spanish government during the strikes and insurgency in October 1934 , on 6 October he proclaimed a new Catalan State . He and the Catalan government were subsequently arrested and imprisoned. After the left-wing Popular Front won the Spanish national election in 1936, Companys was pardoned, and he returned to head the fractious Catalan government. He remained president during
6675-852: The states of the Crown of Aragon, such as the Revolt of the Germanies in Valencia and Majorca, and the 1640 revolt in Catalonia known as the Reapers' War . This latter conflict embroiled Spain in a larger war with France as the Catalan institutions allied themselves with Louis XIII . The war continued until 1659 and ended with the Peace of the Pyrenees , which effectively partitioned the Principality of Catalonia as its northern strip came under French rule, while
6764-693: The support of the Roman Catholic Church . Sabadell was the host of some sessions of the Assemblea de Catalunya , a multi-party organization that brought together communists, socialists, Catalan nationalists, Catholics and others against the Franco regime. The 1973 oil crisis and Franco's death in 1975 meant an important change in Spain and, of course, in Sabadell. The economic crisis compelled
6853-522: The unity of his fragile political coalition, but after the Soviet Union 's consul, Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko , threatened to cut off Russian aid to Catalonia for his continued collaboration with the anti-Stalinist POUM, he sacked POUM leader Andreu Nin from his post as Minister of Justice in December 1936. After May Days , a series of clashes between Republican factions in early May 1937 which saw
6942-531: The upheavals of the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). The victory of the Fascist faction in the war was a step backwards for the city, but in the fifties industry recovered and grew once more. Industries needed workers, and many people came from Andalusia , Murcia , Extremadura , Castile and other parts of Spain to work in the textile and the metal industry. Again, a new workers' and Catalanist movement emerged, this time against Francisco Franco 's regime and with
7031-535: The youth section. He was investigated for his intense youth activities and was jailed fifteen times. After the violent confrontations in Barcelona during Tragic Week in 1909, he was classified as a "dangerous individual" in police records. With Francesc Layret, Companys represented the left-wing labour faction of the Partit Republicà Català (Catalan Republican Party), for which he was elected local councilor of Barcelona in 1916. In November 1920, he
7120-635: Was arrested together with Salvador Seguí (known as El Noi del Sucre ), Martí Barrera and other trade unionists , and he was deported to the Castell de la Mola in Mahón , Menorca . While Layret was preparing Companys' legal defense, he was assassinated by gunmen of the Sindicatos Libres . In the 1920 Spanish legislative elections Companys took the place of Layret, who would likely have won that election, and despite having been deported, Companys
7209-600: Was contested by the Regionalist League, and it provoked a legal dispute with the Spanish government led by Ricardo Samper. Meanwhile, the Generalitat established its own Court of Appeal ( Tribunal de Cassació ) and assumed executive powers in public order, according as the Statute of Autonomy stipulated. On 6 October 1934, with the support of the Worker's Alliance and the pro-independence Escamots , Companys led
7298-590: Was declared illegal on 16 June 1937; Nin disappeared soon thereafter, widely viewed has having been assassinated by Soviet agents. With the fall of Barcelona to the Nationalists in January 1939, Companys feared for his life and left the city, departing on 24 January, 2 days prior to the Nationalist takeover. Ten days later he joined the half-million Republican soldiers and civilians in La Retirada escaping
7387-507: Was elected member of parliament for Sabadell . As a member of parliament he had legal immunity, which secured his release from prison. In 1922 Companys was one of the founders of the peasants' trade union Unió de Rabassaires , where he worked as lawyer and director of the La Terra magazine during the years of the Primo de Rivera regime in the 1920s. Detained again, he was unable to attend
7476-873: Was one of the cities where the football competition took place. The matches were played in the Nova Creu Alta stadium, which is also home to the main football club in town: Centre d'Esports Sabadell . This local team, currently in the Segunda División , has played 14 seasons in the Primera División (First Division), once in the UEFA Cup and has even reached the final of the Copa del Rey . Other major sports clubs are Club Natació Sabadell (Waterpolo and Swimming Club), with more than 30,000 members, OAR Gràcia Sabadell (Handball), currently playing in
7565-512: Was sent to boarding school in Barcelona at the Liceu Poliglot . He obtained his law degree from the University of Barcelona , where he met Francesc Layret , another Catalan nationalist with an interest in politics. Companys participated in the political life of Catalonia from a young age. In 1906, the military pressured and attacked the offices of Catalan newspapers Cu-Cut! and La Veu de Catalunya , events which were followed by
7654-425: Was suppressed by the Spanish army, and the Catalan government members were arrested. Companys was sentenced to 30 years in prison. After the victory of the left-wing coalition Popular Front in the 1936 election , he was pardoned by the new Spanish government, and the Catalan government was restored. The period after that election until July 1936 is considered a time of relative peace in Catalonia, in contrast with
7743-513: Was the only democratically-elected president executed by fascism in Europe. Lluís Companys is buried near the castle at the Montjuïc Cemetery within the memorial space Fossar de la Pedrera , which is dedicated to Republican victims of the Civil War. An annual memorial to Companys and the 1700 Republicans executed for political reasons is held at his grave site on the anniversary of his execution on 15 October. In Catalonia, Companys
7832-620: Was under Arab/Muslim rule for about 4-5 centuries. The Franks on the other side of the Pyrenees held back the main Muslim raiding army which had penetrated virtually unchallenged as far as central France at the Battle of Tours in 732. Frankish suzerainty was then extended over much of present-day Catalonia. Larger wars with the Muslims began in the March of Barcelona which led to the beginnings of
7921-450: Was very strong, but today it is only practiced in the rural areas. Spicy food is rare in the Catalan diet but there are quite garlicky sauces such as allioli or romesco . One type of Catalan dish is escudella , a soup which contains chick peas, potatoes, and vegetables such as green cabbage, celery, carrots, turnips, and meats such as botifarra (a Catalan sausage), pork feet, salted ham, chicken, and veal. In Northern Catalonia, it
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