See alsoThe City - Terrassa
Situated at the foot of the Natural Park of Sant Llorenç de Munt, surrounded by forest and mountains, Terrassa was one of the most important Catalan cities involved in the 19th century Industrial Revolution. However, nowadays Terrassa is more than just an industrial city - it is the Catalan capital of Jazz.
This ancient Roman municipality, home to the Egara diocese back in the 5th century, has a rich monumental heritage which includes Visigothic and Romanesque churches of great interest. Sant Pere, Sant Miguel and Santa Maria have elements from the 6th and 7th centuries, combined with later modifications from the pre-Romanesque, Romanesque, Gothic and even Baroque periods.
Medieval Terrassa has left in its city centre many other important monuments, such as the Palau Defence Tower and the castle-Carthusian monastery in Vallparadís Park. Modernist aesthetics from the late 19th century to early 20th century have left a rich artistic legacy which includes houses owned by the wealthy bourgeoisie, factories and public buildings.
Modern-day Terrassa is a lively city with a wide range of cultural and sporting activities and with many squares and green areas where people can meet and socialise.
Some important places and events include:
- A regular dance and theatre season, involving both local and international groups
- The Kings Parade – on the evening of 5th January there is a popular street parade with the coming of the three wise men and their pages to bring sweets and presents for all of the children
- Carnival – the arrival of Carnestoltes is celebrated with a street parade including many groups and individuals in fancy dress
- The Nova Jazz Cava holds regular jazz concerts and there has been an international jazz festival every March since 1982. With the intention of bringing jazz to a wider public, there are free open-air concerts at weekends during the festival.
- The Modernist Fair is held every May. This is an interesting event where visitors can travel back in time and relive a weekend in Terrassa, as if it were 100 years ago.
- The annual city festival, la Festa Major, is on the first weekend in July. The festival lasts for 6 days and offers a range of cultural and sports activities for all tastes and ages.
- Exhibitions of Human Castles (Castellers). There are two well-known groups in Terrassa, Castellers and Minyons, who do this popular Catalan activity in and around Catalonia.
- There are now 5 universities with centres in Terrassa offering an extensive range of studies including technology, science, image, health sciences, computer science, management etc.
- The ESCAC cinema school runs courses in production, direction, photography etc.
