Terrassa
At first sight, Terrassa seems little more than a dull industrial centre. Massive industrial development in the mid-19th century turned the traditional spinning and weaving of Terrassa and neighbouring Sabadell into a huge textile industry. This development continued through the 20th century and today the population stands at 165,000. Major redevelopment has also taken place and the council has taken pains to ensure that the city is well looked after with old industrial buildings being utilised for other purposes such as museums. There are important modernist buildings in the town, but of particular interest in Terrassa are the three unusual pre-Romanesque churches with murals and exquisite gothic altarpieces that were constructed on the site of the old Roman town of Egara. Today, Terrassa is a diverse city with a varied artistic and cultural heritage and a range of services including sports facilities, parks and a university. Close to the Sant Llorenç del Munt Natural Park, The countryide surrounding Terrassa consists of forested areas and mountains.
Terrassa is 20km from Barcelona on the A-18 motorway and 30 minutes from El Prat airport.

Sabadell
The history of Sabadell is similar to that of Terrassa, the two towns being only a few kilometres apart, and today Sabadell’s population has reached 185,000. With an important industrial tradition, Sabadell has developed as a big city with a thriving cultural life and regular theatrical productions. Though there is little of interest for people seeking a quiet pace of life, Sabadell is another major service centre with modern hypermarkets and traditional shops, many discos and bars and a variety of restaurants.
In May, La Salut gathering takes place in Sabadell.
The town is very well connected, being located next to the Barcelona-Manresa motorway. The railway linking Barcelona with Lleida traverses the city and Sabadell has three Renfe stations as well as 2 smaller stations.

Around Sabadell and Terrassa
The towns surrounding the 2 main cities are virtually indistinguishable from one another and all are important industrial centres or commuter belt towns. There is little enticing about these towns apart from the obvious attraction and convenience of living in easy reach of services and amenities.

To the north-east of Sabadell is the industrial centre of Polinya with a population of 4000. Near Polinya is Palau de Plegamans, 25km from Barcelona with a population of 13,000. This town dates back to the 10th century. It used to be an agricultural village but is now an industrial town. There are several important monuments in the town including the Romanesque church of Santa Maria de Palau Solitar and a restored 12th century castle. Palau de Plegamans has several schools, a sports centre and the huge mansion of Can Cortès with its library, recreation centre and gardens.
North of Palau, Sentmenat is an industrial town of 5300 people with an old centre and a medieval castle on a hill nearby. Festa Major is celebrated enthusiastically in Sentmenat with three days of festivities taking place on the last Sunday in August.

South-east of Sabadell, the city of Ripollet is part of the industrial belt of Barcelona with a population of 30,000. It has excellent road connections, being adjacent to the A-18 motorway. Montcada I Reixac with its industrial architecture and population of 27,000 is part of the same belt and also has good transport links. Cerdanyola Del Vallès is again part of the same belt. This town has 51,000 inhabitants and it is home of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Sant Cugat Del Vallès nearby is basically a rich suburb of the city of Barcelona. With a population of 50,000, Sant Cugat has an interesting Benedictine monastery. Its magnificent cloisters are covered with carvings of mythical beasts and biblical scenes. Sant Cugat can be reached in twenty minutes by train from the centre of Barcelona. There is also an 18-golf course nearby, Club de Golf Sant Cugat.

South of Terrassa, the towns of Rubi (55,000 people), where the Golf Sant Joan golf course is located, and Castellbisbal (6,300 people) are also suburbs of Barcelona. In Castellbisbal there is a bridge of Roman origin known as Devil’s Bridge, that spans the river Llobregat.

North of Terrassa and Sabadell, as you move further away from Barcelona, the industrial and residential sprawl begins to thin out. The amazingly beautiful Parc Natural Sant Llorenç de Munt is on the border of Vallès Occidental and Bages. Some of the villages surrounding the park are Catalonian treasures with narrow, cobbled streets and ancient arched arcades.

Matadepera (7000 people) is something of a summer resort for the city of Barcelona. The magnificent Romanesque Benedictine monastery of Sant Llorenç del Munt is worth a look and there are some fine walking trails to be found in the countryside. The festival of giants takes place in Matadepera in August. La Mola Club de Golf is located at Matadepera. Mataperda is 7km north of Terrassa.

In the far north of Vallès Occidental, the villages of Vacarisses (1800 people), Rellinars (350 people), Sant Llorenc Savall (2100 people) and Gallifa (150 people) are dotted around the Parc Natural Sant Llorenç de Munt. At Gallifa there is an interesting old castle on a cliff top and some Romanesque churches in this pretty village. The town of Castellar Del Vallès with a population of 16,000 is the main town of this area. It has a neo-Gothic church and an old restored castle. The town is an old industrial town with residential districts.