The name of Sabadell is read for the first time in a manuscript from 1050. There are several theories explaining where the name comes from, but none of them is verified as of today. In the past, the villagers that could not read would use comparisons with objects, food or animals to remember the name of their village and the surrounding ones by similarity. In the case of Sabadell, people used the Catalan word "ceba" (pronounced as /sebə/ and meaning "onion"). This association between the village and the onion lasted long and reflects the modest origins of the city.
Knowing a little bit more about Sabadell
Some archaeological ruins show that Sabadell was already an important heart of farmers and shepherds 3800 years ago, in the times of the Iberians. Back then, it was not called Sabadell but Arraona. As in other many cities, the citizens adapted to the Roman traditions when the Romans arrived.
In the Middle Ages, Sabadell was an important meeting center of the zone of el Vallès thanks to its market called Forum Sabatelli, being today the Main Square (Plaça Major) of the village. Sabadell was enclosed by a wall, but due to the quick growth of the population in the 16th century, some houses started to be built outside the wall and expanded the area of the town.
When the first industries appeared and the steam engine arrived, Sabadell pioneered the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia in the textile sector, together with its archrival Terrassa. Sabadell was devoted to the woolen clothes industry and in the mid-19th century became the most important woolen city of Spain, being called even "the catalan Manchester". Even with the textile crisis, some industries could survive in Sabadell until nowadays, specially those placed near of the river Ripoll, being actually the most important colouring industries in Spain.
Concerning the architecture, Sabadell was clearly marked by the textile industry, with steam chimneys standing out in the city's skyline . Some of the chimneys survived until the present days, but most of the old industrial buildings have been converted and host local institutions. We can also notice some buildings with a strong influence of the Catalan Art Nouveau (called "modernisme"), the most known of which are the Hotel Suís, Edifici Caixa Sabadell (Bank of Sabadell Building), the Central Market and the emblematic Torre de l'Aigua.
In 1992, Sabadell hosted some football matches of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. Today, Sabadell is an important point of communication, having two important motorways that crosses all Catalonia and other roads linking nearby cities and towns. It also has two different kind of railroads and soon there will be a long metro line of the Vallès.
In the Middle Ages, Sabadell was an important meeting center of the zone of el Vallès thanks to its market called Forum Sabatelli, being today the Main Square (Plaça Major) of the village. Sabadell was enclosed by a wall, but due to the quick growth of the population in the 16th century, some houses started to be built outside the wall and expanded the area of the town.
When the first industries appeared and the steam engine arrived, Sabadell pioneered the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia in the textile sector, together with its archrival Terrassa. Sabadell was devoted to the woolen clothes industry and in the mid-19th century became the most important woolen city of Spain, being called even "the catalan Manchester". Even with the textile crisis, some industries could survive in Sabadell until nowadays, specially those placed near of the river Ripoll, being actually the most important colouring industries in Spain.
Concerning the architecture, Sabadell was clearly marked by the textile industry, with steam chimneys standing out in the city's skyline . Some of the chimneys survived until the present days, but most of the old industrial buildings have been converted and host local institutions. We can also notice some buildings with a strong influence of the Catalan Art Nouveau (called "modernisme"), the most known of which are the Hotel Suís, Edifici Caixa Sabadell (Bank of Sabadell Building), the Central Market and the emblematic Torre de l'Aigua.
In 1992, Sabadell hosted some football matches of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. Today, Sabadell is an important point of communication, having two important motorways that crosses all Catalonia and other roads linking nearby cities and towns. It also has two different kind of railroads and soon there will be a long metro line of the Vallès.
The archrival Terrassa
Its big rival of power has been since always Terrassa. Both cities were pioneers in the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia and they were the most important cities of the comarca (group of municipalities) of the Vallès Occidental in the early 20th century, so they have been discussing which one of them must be the capital of the Vallès. It is said villagers of both towns fought against each other throwing stones or insulting. Nevertheless, this rivalry contributed to the economical, urban and demographic growth of both cities, maintaining strongly their identity and preventing them from being absorbed by Barcelona.
Even today, popular culture keeps sayings that show this rivalry: the rhymes "Sabadell mala pell" and "Terrassa mala raça" (Sabadell bad skin and Terrassa bad race) and the saying "a Terrassa són senyors i a Sabadell són homes" (in Terrassa they are sirs and in Sabadell they are men) are good examples.
Even today, popular culture keeps sayings that show this rivalry: the rhymes "Sabadell mala pell" and "Terrassa mala raça" (Sabadell bad skin and Terrassa bad race) and the saying "a Terrassa són senyors i a Sabadell són homes" (in Terrassa they are sirs and in Sabadell they are men) are good examples.