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Blanes () is a town and
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
in the comarca of Selva in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. During Roman rule it was named Blanda or Blandae. It is known as the "Gateway to the
Costa Brava The Costa Brava (, ; "Wild Coast" or "Rough Coast") is a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Whilst sources differ on the exact definition of the Costa Brava, it can be regarded as stretching from the town of Blanes, northeast ...
". Its coast is part of the Costa Brava, which stretches from Blanes to the French border. The township is . Blanes is a popular tourist town, and it is known for the '' Concurs de Focs d'Artifici'' during the '' Santa Anna festival''; this event includes many fireworks. Other places of interest include botanical gardens, coves such as the Cala Bona, and beaches that are surrounded by mountains. The population in 2017 was 38,813.


History

The history of Blanes predates the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
conquest. Iberian activity has been attested in the area.
Romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...
of Blanes and its surroundings began around the third century BC. Roman remains of the ''Blandae'' site lie nearby. After Roman rule ended the area shared the fate of much of the Peninsula, being conquered successively by the
Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...
, the
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...
, and the
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
shortly after. In the 13th century, after the Christians regained power, important architectural developments took place in Blanes. Some examples are the palace, Palau Vescomtal, the Església Parroquial church, and the city walls. In the 17th century, during the Catalan Revolt (Guerra dels Segadors), Blanes was practically burned to ashes. The Palau Vescomtal was completely destroyed. The
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
also affected Blanes. Following this, reconstruction and the expansion of agriculture began.


Botanical gardens

One of the botanical gardens in Blanes is the Marimurtra, which covers almost . It includes over 4,000 different plant species and is visited by 300,000 people every year. Another garden is the Pinya de Rosa, consisting of over 7,000 different plant species.


Fireworks competition

The Festa major or festival of Santa Anna and Sant Joaquim (on 26 July) is usually celebrated in the third or forth week of July, from 21 to 27 July, annually. During the eight days, this major festival is celebrated as well as the European ''Concurs de Focs d'Artifici'' which attracts more than 500,000 visitors. This is an international competition. Over of fireworks are detonated at each event. Most people watch the fireworks from the beach. The first documented date of a firework launch in Blanes is 1906. It was not until 1962 that the launch became an annual event. 1971 marks the first Fireworks Competition, taking place over three nights; this number has fluctuated over the years to as many as seven nights. Since 1958, firework launches have always been done from Sa Palomera, a big rock that separates the two parts of the Blanes coast and is symbolically considered the beginning of the Costa Brava. Every night of the celebration, a different firework company presents its work to the public who come to the beach, each spectacle lasting between 20 and 24 minutes. This is rated by the Popular Jury, designated each year, who responsible for choosing the winners. The fireworks competition nearly always runs in the last full week of July. The year 2018 marked the 48th edition of the competition. According to a local radio station, Radio Marina, nearly one million people visited the fireworks competition during its five-day course. Prior to 2012, the competition ran for five consecutive days. At the height of Spain's financial crisis it was decided to drop the event to four days to save money. In 2016 enough sponsors were found to restore the fifth day of the event. Likewise in 2017.


Festa menor

The ''Festa menor'' or the feast of the co-patrons (Sant Bonòs and Maximià), is traditionally celebrated on "la Nit de la Caminada Popular" ( en, the night of the popular walk) in mid-August and has been around for over 30 years as of 2021. This is a wholly family-oriented trek which many people walk accompanied by their children, pets, etc. It is approximately long. The reward is a memento and a slice of watermelon.


2008 storm

On 26 December 2008 an unusually strong storm struck Blanes' beach on Boxing Day. The port of Blanes was hit hardest. The old seawall was unable to resist the storm. Many boats were damaged and/or smashed onto the beach. Before the storm, plans had been made to upgrade the harbor but repairs were delayed. The poor state of the harbor made it more vulnerable to the storm surges and resulted in the heavy loss in the Boxing Day storm. This storm has been commonly referred to by locals as the worst storm Blanes had seen since the 1950s.


Economy


Sport

Blanes is home to the Club de Futbol Obispado. The city has a roller hockey team,
Blanes Hoquei Club Blanes Hoquei Club Fundació was a professional Roller hockey (Quad), roller hockey team based in Blanes, Catalonia. Its major successes to date are winning the 2001 Copa del Rey de Hockey Patines, Copa del Rey and reaching the final of the 2010 CE ...
, and competes in the main League OK Liga. Blanes is also home to an international roller hockey tournament, the Golden Cup.


Notable people

* Quim Torra (born 1962)lawyer, journalist and former president of the Government of Catalonia * Mamadou Tounkara (born 1996)footballer * Rubén Yáñez (born 1993)footballer


Twin towns

* Ardales,
Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...
, Spain *
Villenave-d'Ornon Villenave d’Ornon (; Gascon: ''Vilanava d’Ornon'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is the fourth-largest suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is located to its south side. Thus, it is ...
, France


References

* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). ''Guia de Catalunya'', Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan).


External links

*
Official Blanes tourist guide

Independent Blanes Tourist Guide

Government data pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanes Municipalities in Selva Populated places in Selva Seaside resorts in Spain