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Cambrils (+info)
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Cambrils is a coastal town in the district of Baix Camp, Tarragona province of Catalonia, Spain.
The town of Cambrils can trace its origins back to prehistoric times, although it was not until the Roman period that the population of the Cambrils we know today 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. Today you can learn about its history, from its earliest times until the end of the Roman period, in the Molí de les Tres Eres, the main building of the Cambrils Museum of History.
By the mediaeval period there was already a permanent settlement on the right bank of the Alforja Torrent. From 1152 the kingdom of Catalonia and Aragon, having driven the Moors out of Catalonia Nova, 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, as can be seen from the fact that 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 the 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 that still surround Cambrils today.
