Balsareny facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Balsareny
Municipality
The village on its sandy escarpment
Coat of arms
Balsareny Location in Province of Barcelona Show map of Province of Barcelona Balsareny Location in Spain Show map of Spain
Country	Spain
Community	Catalonia
Province	Barcelona
Comarca	Bages
Area
• Total	36.9 km2 (14.2 sq mi)
Population  (2018)
• Total	3,205
• Density	86.86/km2 (225.0/sq mi)

Balsareny is a town located in the northern part of the Bages region in Catalonia, Spain. It sits in the valley of the Llobregat river, surrounded by forests of Aleppo pines. You can reach Balsareny by road (BP-4313) from nearby towns like Súria and Avinyó.

Balsareny Castle

What's in a Name?

The name Balsareny probably comes from two Catalan words. Balç means "escarpment," which is a steep slope or cliff. Areny means "sand." This makes sense because the castle and the village first appeared on a sandy cliff. The town was first mentioned in writing way back in 966.

How Balsareny Grew

The village of Balsareny grew up around its castle. The castle was built in a very smart spot where the Mujal river meets the Llobregat river. At first, most people lived in scattered farmhouses called masias.

By the end of the 1500s, the local Baron, Ferran Oliver, sold some land near the castle. This led to the creation of three main streets:

• Carrer Vell (Old Street), which is now called Àngel Guimerà
• Carrer Nou (New Street)
• Carrer de la Creu (Cross Street)

There's also a church dedicated to Mary that has been around since at least 1009. The main Romanesque Church of St. Mary was built in the late 1200s. It has changed a lot over the years. The town used to have walls for protection. But as more people moved in, new streets were built outside these walls.

Modern Times and Industry

In the 1800s, the old town walls were taken down, and the roads were made better. A railway line connecting Manresa to Berga opened in 1885, which helped the town's businesses. This led to a booming textile industry, though most of that has now disappeared.

In 1945, people started digging for valuable potassium salts like sylvite and carnallite. This mining is still a big employer today. Many other small and medium-sized businesses have also started up. Balsareny is also home to one of the biggest European factories for Gates Corporation. This American company makes power transmission belts and fluid power products, employing about 240 people.

Population of Balsareny

Here's how the population of Balsareny has changed over the years, based on official Spanish census data:

See also

In Spanish: Balsareny para niños