Cambrils

History

The town of Cambrils can trace its origins back to prehistoric times, although it was not until the Roman Empire period that the present town of Cambrils began to grow. This is evident from the archaeological sites found throughout the municipality, such as the Roman villa of La Llosa, strategically located alongside the Via Augusta and not far from the Roman capital of Tarraco. By the mediaeval period, there was already a permanent settlement on the right bank of the Alforja Torrent. From 1152, the kingdom of Aragon, having driven the Moors out of Catalonia, granted a series of privileges to encourage the repopulation of the place known as Cambrils. It was in the 12th century that the foundations were laid for the establishment of a stable population centre here at the southern gateway to the Camp de Tarragona, well connected to El Camino Real (the Royal Road) that linked Tortosa and Tarragona. The area also had good maritime connections; indeed, the troops of Jaume I sailed from these beaches in 1229 to re-conquer Mallorca from the Moors. Due to this strategic position, the Crown kept title over the town by establishing a feudal lord—vassal to the king-count—and a detachment of soldiers here. In addition, they built defensive walls and towers that also served to protect other nearby villages such as Els Tegells, Les Planes and Montbrió. This royal initiative lead to the development of the present-day Old Town, with a church, hostel, hermitage, hospital, convent, market, fair, artisans, and, above all, farmers who worked the rich lands surrounding Cambrils. However, the vitality of the community was severely disrupted in December 1640 when the town of Cambrils was the site of one of the episodes of the Reapers' War (Guerra dels Segadors) that brought…

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,230
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,778
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,665
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  2,424
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,103
• Sardinian Warbler

  Curruca melanocephala (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  2,032
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,890
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  1,874

Most recent

• M 3.7 — 2013-10-04
  28 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 4 — 2013-10-02
  29 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 4.3 — 2013-10-02
  30 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 4.1 — 2013-10-01
  30 km ESE of Vinaròs, Spain
• M 2.8 — 2008-06-17
  12 km SSE of Tarragona, Spain
• M 2.6 — 2008-03-14
  3 km N of Vilaplana, Spain