Manresa

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Manresa is a milenary town located in the heart of Catalonia, 60 Km away from Barcelona. Situated at the crossroads of two strategic communication axes in Catalonia: the north-south (Llobregat) one and the East-West one. www.ajmanresa.cat

With a city population over 75.000 inhabitants, Manresa has an industrial and commercial tradition. Manresa has played and still plays a very important role of capital status in relation to a wide territory (over 250.000 people) of the so-called Central Catalonia.  Manresa has a rich cultural activity going from theatre, music, exhibitions and festivals (cinema noir, medieval fair, traditional arts fair).

The main objective of the Town Hall of Manresa and other administrations and private institutions is to concentrate the public efforts; to boost the cooperation between the Administration, Universities, Research Centres and the private agents, in order to be one of the most interesting knowledge based economies of the country.

Manresa has played and still plays a very important role of capital status in relation to a wide territory of the so-called Central Catalonia. Few medium-sized cities in Catalonia have a historic heritage as wide and diverse as Manresa, which ranges from the Gothic period to Modernism, going through all the industrialisation process.

Location:
Located in the heart of Catalonia. Manresa is situated at the crossroads of two strategic communication axes in Catalonia: the Llobregat Axis and the Transverse Axis. Manresa is only 60 Km away from Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia. Manresa is situated at the crossroads of two strategic communication axes in Catalonia: the Llobregat Axis and the Transverse Axis. The Llobregat Axis goes through the Bages region from north to south, crossing Manresa, and it is the quickest way between Barcelona and the Pyrenean Axis. The first section connects Manresa with Barcelona, a 60-km motorway that can be driven in less than 40 minutes. It is the shortest way between Barcelona and Paris, going through the important economic centre of Toulouse. The Transverse Axis crosses the Bages region from east to west, passing through Manresa, and connects Lleida with Girona, two of the four most important cities in Catalonia. Manresa is strategically situated in the heart of this Axis. Apart from the road network, we cannot forget the direct railway link with Barcelona and its metropolitan area, with Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat, the Catalan railway company, and RENFE, the Spanish railway company.


Population:
The population of Manresa on January 2006 was 72,328 inhabitants.

A city with commercial and industrial tradition
Manresa has played and still plays a very important role of capital status in relation to a wide territory of the so-called Central Catalonia. Few medium-sized cities in Catalonia have a historic heritage as wide and diverse as Manresa, which ranges from the Gothic period to Modernism, going through all the industrialisation process.  The modern industry in the region was born at the end of the 18th century in the textile industry and it was mechanised in the middle of the 19th century. Some positive factors played an important role for its development. It is worth pointing out a preindustrial tradition, the motive power of the rivers, and the labour coming from the rural world.

The textile industry led to urban expansion and other economic activities such as the manufacturing of textile machinery, which, in turn, gave birth to the auxiliary metallurgic industry. The rationalisation of the textile industry, which took place in the seventies, accelerated the diversification of other industrial sectors, leading to the development of the metallurgic sector (machine tool and auxiliary car industry). The urban development and the growth of population, motivated by the industrialisation process, consolidated Manresa as the commercial centre in Central Catalonia, a role which has been maintained up to the present day. The city centre continues to offer a wide variety of commercial establishments, which have succeeded in overcoming the aggressive new trends of commercial distribution.

Manresa, a communication centre: Despite having an excellent geographical situation, Manresa has suffered throughout its history deficient and insufficient communications, which slowed down its development. Fortunately, nowadays these circumstances have changed and the city offers a good communication network.

The industrial sector
The industrial sector of Manresa generates 27% of the total gross value added of its economy and represents 36% of the resident working population. The industrial structure gathers around 600 industrial establishments, being small businesses the dominating part (76% of the businesses have fewer than 5 workers and 11% do not have more than 11 wage earners). According to the most important subindustries, it is worth pointing out the metallurgic industry, specialised in treating and working metals, metallic woodwork, mechanic workshops, construction of textile machinery and auxiliary car industry. Other important subindustries are the textile - clothing, webbing, knitwear -, woodwork, food and graphic arts.

Commerce and services
The capital status of the Bages region and of a wide area of Central Catalonia, and the importance of the industrial sector, have all motivated the development of an important commerce and service sector. This sector generates 65% of the total gross valued added, and represents 57% of the resident working population. Manresa continues to have an important Commercial Core, with a high density of commercial establishments, which has successfully competed with the new distribution trends and the new commercial locations on the outskirts of the city. The commercial sector has quite a large number of associations like the Retailers and Shopkeepers Association, and others that gather retailers from the city centre. This network of associations manages, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Town Hall of Manresa, the delegation of the Spanish government in Barcelona and the Generalitat de Catalunya - the Catalan government -, the invigorating plan «Manresa Nucli Comercial» (Manresa, Commercial Core).

The labour market
Manresa offers a dynamic and active market, an example of its economic activity. The evolution of the labour market has been very satisfactory throughout the past 3 years, with a permanent and regular drop of the unemployment rate. Therefore, according to the figures of January 2000, there were 1,435 unemployed in Manresa, an unemployment rate of 5.11%. This figure is lower than the unemployment rate of Catalonia as a whole (6.5%) and that of the Bages region (5.85%). The total working population, in relation to the list of inhabitants of 1996, was of 28,062 people, which means an activity rate of 51%.

Technical and university training
Manresa offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, which are concentrated in two public institutions - University Foundation of Bages and Technical College of Manresa - and a private centre - Escola Joviat -, which offers undergraduate courses in Tourism.

University Foundation of Bages
This Foundation offers studies in Health Sciences and Social Sciences. The three-year degree programmes of the Autonomous University of Barcelona held in this centre are Nursery; Physiotherapy; Chiropody; Business Studies, and Management and Administration Studies. Nowadays, there are more than one thousand students: 45% come from the central regions; 30%, from the metropolitan area; 9%, from the rest of Catalonia, and 16%, from outside Catalonia. It is expected that the number of students coming from the three last mentioned areas will increase in a near future. Furthermore, the institution annually offers a continuing training programme and develops different projects of applied research, preferably in collaboration with companies and institutions involved in specific areas. The Foundation pays careful attention to the development of the relationship between universities and enterprises. Nowadays there are 125 collaboration agreements in force signed with entities, companies and institutions. The scope of this collaboration is to offer students a practical and useful training, and to introduce them into both the professional and business world. The Foundation will be definitely set up with the construction of a new building in the northern part of the city, at the new University Campus, located in a privileged area that will be perfectly connected with the Transverse Axis and the city centre. This new service will be located next to the Technological Centre of Manresa and near the Technical College. The proximity between both centres will help the construction of combined services, and the concretion of combined research and training initiatives.

Technical College of Manresa
It constitutes one of the campuses of the Technical University of Catalonia, and it provides 5 diplomas in Technical Engineering; doctoral programmes and other diplomas; master’s degrees, and postgraduate courses or specialisation courses. The diplomas in Technical Engineering are the following:
* Technical Engineer in Telecommunications, diploma in Electronic Systems for Telecommunications.
* Industrial Technical Engineer, diploma in Industrial Chemistry.
* Industrial Technical Engineer, diploma in Industrial Electronics.
* Industrial Technical Engineer, diploma in Mechanical Engineering.
* Mining Technical Engineer, diploma in Mining Engineering.

 

The centre has 110 university teachers and there are about 1,500 registered students. Every year the centre allows 60 new students to register in each special field, except Mechanical Engineering, which allows 120. Furthermore, 200 students graduate every year. The College also offers three-year degree programmes in Industrial Management; doctoral courses in Natural Resources and Pollution; master’s degrees in Industrial Management and Electromechanical Engineering Techniques, and courses in Occupational Hazard Prevention.

Economic promotion services
The main objectives of the Town Hall of Manresa and other administrations and private institutions are to concentrate the public efforts; to foment the cooperation between the Administration and the private agents, and to coordinate initiatives and services. Thus, the economic promotion services have been structured around two mainstays: The Centre of Initiatives for Occupation and the Business Development Centre. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Manresa, the Manresa Trade Fair, the Technological Council of Bages and the Technological Centre of Manresa, offer as well specialised services, and actively participate in the management of different policies of economic promotion and support to the business world.

Centre of Initiatives for Occupation
It is the Occupation Local Service of the Town Hall of Manresa. Its mission is to improve the occupation rate and to promote the access of the unemployed to the labour market, especially of those who have greater difficulties to find a job. It is a professional and rigorous centre that offers services of occupation and continuing training, and labour intermediation.

Business Development Centre
It is a specialised centre that offers different services of support to the new entrepreneurs and companies, especially medium and small-sized enterprises. It develops training programmes; it offers information and specialised consulting, and it organises different invigorating activities in the business sector, as well as industrial promotion activities. It is run by both the Town Hall of Manresa and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Manresa
Manresa has its own Chamber of Commerce and Industry since it was founded in1906, which comprises the cities of the Bages region. The Chamber is an institution, whose main objective is to defend and promote the necessary actions to foment the industry and commerce. It integrates 11,000 enterprises, with an export volume of 600 million Euro approx.). The Chamber offers specialised services and organises the activities the enterprises require. Together with the rest of the twelve Catalan chambers, the Chamber offers its members the biggest network distribution and information service centres in Catalonia. Among other activities, it is worth pointing out those that foment export, and both professional and continuing training.

Manresa Trade Fair
The Manresa Trade Fair is a private foundation run by a trust led by the Town Hall of Manresa and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and integrated by other administrations, and public and private institutions. Its aim is to organise conventions, commercial events and other business-related activities. The foundation runs the Trade Fair Hall of Manresa as well. The Manresa Trade Fair is the result of a long tradition in trade fairs. In 1901, the General Great Trade Fair of Manresa took place, which was born thanks to the impact of the World Trade Fair of Barcelona in 1888. The main conventions organised are Expobages, Exponeu, Ecoviure, Ecociutat and Tecnifac. The Manresa Trade Fair organises different tasks to promote the city too.

Technological Council of Bages
It is a private foundation promoted by the Industrial Engineers School of Catalonia. The Town Hall of Manresa, the Regional Council of Bages, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Manresa, Caixa de Manresa - a local financial entity -, and the Technical College of Manresa are also the founders. It is a part of the Network of Local Technological Divulging Centres, the Catalan Institute of Technology and the Spanish Federation of Entities of Innovation and Technology. The Technological Council of Bages offers technical consulting services, implantation of quality systems, environmental quality, office automation and applied data transmission. In collaboration with other institutions, it runs specialised training programmes through a Training Area. It is recognised as the Technological Innovation Centre.

Technological Centre of Manresa
It is a centre of the Technical University of Catalonia, which will come into operation in October 2000 and will be run together with the Technological Council of Bages. Its aim is to organise research and technological innovation tasks, and to transfer the technological knowledge of the University into projects that mean a competitive advantage for the companies. It will have powerful equipment and infrastructures, with accredited laboratories in the metallurgic and waste process fields. The Technological Centre of Manresa is destined to be the most important technological innovation point in Central Catalonia. Manresa is working in a full strategy based on Knowledge Economy and Innovation. A new Technological Park has been built, public and private are working in the development of the city and several local clusters are starting to develop their own strategies.

More information:

Population
The population of Manresa on January 2006 was 72,328 inhabitants. Throughout the eighties and the nineties, Manresa decreased in number of inhabitants, from 66,320 in 1991 to 64,119 IN2000, a significant reduction of 3.3%. This phenomenon took place in many big and middle-sized cities in Catalonia at the same period of time. The causes were the greater interdependence among the cities and a bigger mobility between the place of work and the residence. This situation is common between Manresa and the cities of the region, especially of the so-called Pla de Bages. Therefore, although Manresa is demographically static as a city; it is gaining inhabitants as an urban system, if we take into account its direct area of influence. However, this trend has been reversed in the last three years, as a consequence of the housing construction, and the good occupation situation, which has attracted many people from foreign countries, as well as people who lived in other towns in Central Catalonia, and in the metropolitan area of Barcelona.

 

Heraklion

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www.heraklion-city.gr
Heraklion is the largest urban centre in Crete with approximately 150,000 people, the capital of the region and the economic centre of the island. The town enjoys of a dynamic and imaginative combination of natural beauty climate, strategic position, cultural heritage and scientific background what has created an appropiate environment to suport a particular mechanism with which to in add value to the broader entrepreneurial activity in the region and stimulate the local economy. Today Heraklion is the top choice for tourist destinations in the Mediterranean thanks to strategic geopolitical position connecting three continents and many different cultures, furthermore the city is also the commercial and scientific centre of the island.

History:
Heraklion is the largest urban centre in Crete, the capital of the region and the economic centre of the island. The first European civilisation, the Minoan civilisation, flourished on this land. During the period BC 2800 to BC1400, it was at its peak, when the palaces of Knossos, Phaestos, Mallia and Archanes were erected and the city served as the port of Knossos. The lustre of these Minoan centres spread its light over the Mediterranean basin. Architecture, painting, pottery and jewellery making reached the heights of perfection.

During the Byzantine period and with the spread of Christianity, the town of Heraklion was recognised as a significant religious centre. The conquering of Constantinopole by the Francs in 1204, left Crete under the sovereignty of the Venetians until 1669. During this period, Heraklion experienced significant cultural growth and became the capital of the “Regno di Candia”. Heraklion became the capital of the Cretan Renaissance when the Cretan school of painting bequeathed to us with numerous masterpieces of icon painting.

However, all this cultural and spiritual growth came to a sudden end in 1669 with the invasion of Crete by the Turks. The city fell into a period of cultural hibernation. Following a series of struggles and revolts, Crete became autonomous in 1897, to be united with Greece in 1913.

The cultural heritage of the city of Heraklion offers a variety of forms of modern entertainment. Every year, the city, as well as numerous villages in the surrounding area, organize cultural events such as theatrical performances, art exhibitions, musical nights and festivals which attract a lot of people, locals and visitors alike. For those inclined to modern entertainment and clubbing, the city offers ample opportunities for night life. Heraklion is a city with one foot deep in the past and the other pacing into the future.

Local economy:
The city is also the commercial and scientific centre of the island. It has a strategic geopolitical position in the southeast basin of the Mediterranean Sea connecting three continents and many different cultures.

During the last 20 years the city has made a remarkable progress in the academic and technological fields. A very dynamic University, Research Institutes and the Science and Technology Park of Crete are the pioneers of this progress. Amazing academic development has been succeeded in fields such as informatics, biotechnology, life sciences, electronics, applied sciences etc. The idea was to promote the creation of a third thrust to development on the island, in addition to the agriculture and the tourism industry.

The dynamic and imaginative combination of natural beauty, climate, strategic position, cultural heritage and scientific background has created an appropriate environment to support a particular mechanism with which to in add value to the broader entrepreneurial activity in the region and stimulate the local economy.
 

Tourism & culture:
Currently the population of Heraklion is approximately 150000 people. It is a very dynamic and cosmopolitan town, particularly during the summer period when thousands of visitors can be seen shopping in the market or visiting the museums and other places of interest. Today Heraklion is the top choice for tourist destinations in the Mediterranean.

Tourism infrastructure in the area of Heraklion is considered very satisfactory. The international port and airport (first in chartered flights in Greece) with more than 2 million visitors per year, are the main gateways to the island’s resort locations. The unique natural beauty favours the development of alternative forms of tourism and provides a combination of mountain and sea sports.

Hasselt

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www.hasselt.be
The capital of the province of Limburg, Hassel, is situated on the eastern part of Flanders. With 68.000 inhabitants an economically flourishing region the town is the commercial centre of the province of Limburg and ranks fourth on the list of the most important commercial centres in Belgium. The service sector is very prominent and the business affairs vary from large store chains to pleasant and exclusive boutiques, also thanks to the enforced mobility policy the city council of Hasselt quarantees good accessibility. The city of Hasselt takes the responsibility as concerns education and thus supports the different educational systems. The mobility plan, the bicycle friendly policy, the large sports infrastructure, the prevention policy and the environmental policy are all particular examples. All these elements also create an interesting residential and working environment for entrepreneurs who get more and more attracted to the provincial capital.

History:
Hasselt is a city with a historical past. People believe that the parish dates back to the 7th century. It cannot be determined when exactly Hasselt was promoted into a city, but in 1232 count Arnold IV of Loon renewed the Charter of City Rights. At that time Hasselt already was the first city of the county of Loon, in the immediate vicinity of the count’s residence at the Herckenrode Abbey in Kuringen.

Thanks to its central location in the county at the junction of the most important roads, the town developed into the main market and trading centre of this region during the 13th and 14th centuries. In the 15th and the first half of the 16th century, Hasselt became a prosperous cloth town. The building scheme of the Saint-Quintin’s Cathedral, with its numerous rebuildings and extensions between the 13th and 16th centuries clearly illustrates the growing prosperity of the city. In the second half of the 16th century, the cloth sharply declined, not only because of the rivalry of the English cloth, but also because of political and religious turbulence. In the 17th century, Hasselt’s cloth industry had almost disappeared. Amongst the new developed industries, the jenever distilleries need to be mentioned. Furthermore, Hasselt continued to be an important commercial centre.

In 1839, after the Belgian independence, Hasselt became the capital of the Belgian province of Limburg. Important public works were started and new buildings were constructed. The city lost its medieval outlook. The ramparts were demolished in 1846, the ditches filled up and replaced by a broad circular road, allowing further development of the city. In 1847, Hasselt had its first railway connection. In the middle of the 19th century, the jenever distilleries knew great prosperity. Jenever distillation even became one of Limburg’s most important industries. In 1860, Has selt counted 29 distilleries. As a related industry, one should not forget to mention the fattening of oxen which were fed with the wastes of the distilleries. In the 20th century, Hasselt grew up to be a dynamic and modern city becoming one of Belgium’s most important commercial centres.

Folklore and historic festivities live on in the hearts of the inhabitants and are considered as a most valuable cultural heritage. The Virga Jesse Festivities certainly are the most important. The Organ and Carillon Festival in the summer, the Jenever Weekend in October and many others show the liveliness of the city. Finally, Hasselt is an international city with worldwide relations. It has established sister-city relationships with Sittard (the Netherlands), Detmold (Germany), Itami (Japan) and Mountain View (USA, Silicon Valley).

Location:
Hasselt, capital of the province of Limburg is situated on the eastern part of Flanders.

Local economy:
Without doubt, the city of Hasselt is the commercial centre of the province of Limburg and ranks fourth on the list of the most important commercial centres in Belgium. The broad range of business affairs and services is a large force of attraction to the surrounding region. The business affairs vary from large store chains to pleasant and exclusive boutiques. The pedestrian shopping streets add to the comfort of shopping in the center of town. The events that take place in Hasselt, such as the shopping feast at the end of June, the fashion weekend and lots of other successful events give an extra asset to the local commercial life.

The service sector is very prominent in Hasselt as well. For example, the numerous local headquarters that have established in Hasselt, or the presence of the Vlaamse Huis (under construction) etc. Also thanks to the enforced mobility policy (Groene Boulevard, free public transport, …) the city council of Hasselt quarantees good accessibility. Since 1 July 1997, travelling by bus in Hasselt has been free of charge. Buses operate very frequently. They take you to the town centre in no more than 10 minutes. This means that tourists can reach all our sights easily. It reached every national and international newspaper cover when the city council announced that every Hasselaar could take the bus for free! Not only the free buses but also a special traffic policy is special to Hasselt.

A large traffic policy : very important, with among others a public transport policy, a mobility plan, a bicycle plan, a parking policy plan, renovation of the station environment, the Green Boulevard –the renovated ring road around the inner city, modifications to the large ring road,… A small traffic policy : a fast solution for the inhabitants with among others anti-parking poles, speed ramps, elevated cross-roads, gate effects,… Particularly making the public realise its importance by well-oriented actions such as Carfree days, biking to the shop, cycle pooling,…

All these elements also create an interesting residential and working environment for entrepreneurs who get more and more attracted to the provincial capital. On the numerous industrial sites on the territory of the city of Hasselt we find companies with a broad range of activities. The employment quaranteed by these companies is an enduring challenge for the council.
 

Population:
With 68.000 inhabitants and an area of
10.233 ha, Hasselt is the commercial and service centre of the province. The province of Limburg is an economically flourishing region. As a result, the demand for qualified employees rises, so that education becomes even more important for this region. Therefore, Hasselt provides a large number of schools with a broad range of disciplines. This largely attracts pupils and students, even from far beyond the city borders. 42.017 toddlers, children, youth and adults follow courses in the numerous primary schools, secondary schools and colleges of Hasselt. The proximity of the university of Diepenbeek (now linked to the University of Maastricht, Nl. - Transnational University Limburg - for some scientific courses) and the different departments of higher education are a vital link in the education system of 14.506 students.

The city of Hasselt takes the responsibility as concerns education and thus supports the different educational systems. The mobility plan, the bicycle friendly policy, the large sports infrastructure, the prevention policy and the environmental policy are all particular examples.

Jerez de la Frontera

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Description

www.webjerez.com
With a city population approaching 200,000 residents, the beautiful and diverse countryside around this city is also worth a visit, Jerez strives to accommodate and please the tourists. The ancient centre of Jerez is mesmerising, the city walls and temples are a reminder of the ancient civilisations and cultures which inhabited the town. The economy of Jerez is dominated by agriculture, the industrial sector represents a third, and the tertiary sector represents up to 9 percent of the economy. The most important economic sub-sectors are the wine industry, retailer trade, tourism, and dry land agriculture. By providing a wide range of quality services, The Business and Research Park in Jerez covers a total of nearly eighty-five hectares; it has space for new industries specialising in innovative quality products. This Park is central to the future economic and technological development of the city.

History:
The origins of Jerez are largely unknown, the Cartesians are said to have founded the city 3000 years ago, however, human remains dating back to the Palaeolithic Age have been discovered there. The Phoenicians, Romans, Muslims, Jews and Christians have all left their mark on the town of Jerez, resulting in the enrichment of its history, art and economy. Jerez emerged from the difficult economic and political problems of the nineteenth century into a bustling town famous for its sherry, horses and flamenco.

As well as being famous for sherry, Jerez is renowned throughout the world for its wines. Over the last decade Jerez has developed into a city of leisure, sport and tourism. By providing a wide range of quality services, the city of Jerez strives to accommodate and please the tourists. Much of the prestige that Jerez receives in its current status, is due to its industrial past. Jerez is keen to support this valuable industry and as a sign of its commitment to this sector, is encouraging the creation of a Business and Research Park. This Park aims to combine the efficiency of clean and productive industry with research and development of new technology. The ancient centre of Jerez is mesmerising, the city walls and temples are a reminder of the ancient civilisations and cultures which inhabited the town.

Tourism & Culture:
The climate in Jerez is extremely pleasant, it has over 3000 hours of sun a year, which is perfect for enjoying the avenues, parks and gardens of Jerez by foot. Jerez has over three thousand hotel rooms rated with three to five stars and is a town which attracts tourists nationally and internationally. There are also a variety of first class tourist attractions which delight the visitors all year round. For example the wineries and sherry houses, The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, the Clock Museum called "La Atalaya", the Andalusion Flamenco Centre, the Botanical Gardens, the Zoo, the Archaeological Museum, and the Jerez Racing Circuit. There are also a number of interesting historical monuments to visit, such as the Mosque, the Cathedral, and St Miguelís Church, just to name a few.

The beautiful and diverse countryside around Jerez is also worth a visit. The picturesque mountain villages of Arcos, Grazalema or Ronda can be explored and there are miles of unspoilt sandy beaches to enjoy.

Local economy:
The economy of Jerez is dominated by agriculture. The industrial sector represents a third, and the tertiary sector represents up to 9 percent of the economy. The most important economic sub-sectors are the wine industry, retailer trade, tourism, and dry land agriculture. The Business and Research Park in Jerez covers a total of nearly eighty-five hectares; it has space for new industries specialising in innovative quality products. This Park is central to the future economic and technological development of the city.

Vigo

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Description

www.vigociudad.com
Vigo with a city population approximately 299.379 habitants, is the most populated city in Galicia (Spain), and the nucleous of a metropolitan area, which is a point of reference in the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion due to its economic potential and its dynamic commercial, social and cultural life.

Local economy Vigo is the economic head of the south of Galicia and the nucleous of a wide socioeconomic area, also has one of the three free trade zones of Spain, this is very important for the industrial activity of the city, like the automobile (Citröen), which is one of the main economic activities of the city, together with the service sector and the fishing.

Vigo’s tourist resources make the city an attractive destination for spending a pleasant holiday on the Atlantic coast.

History:
Varberg’s history dates back to the middle Ages, with the city retaining features from the period when it was under Danish rule. After numerous wars and extensive fires during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the city has always risen from the ashes. The pride of Varberg is its fort, which was originally built as a castle by a Danish count in the late 13th century. In the 17th century, a fortress and moat were built around the castle. This mighty structure, perched on a rock overlooking the sea, has been the focal point of Varberg and life in the town for centuries.

Vigo was inhabited by castro dwellers and Romans. It experienced attacks by sea from English pirates and also had to fight on land against the French. The arrival of the Catalans boosted the city’s industrial development, which has not stopped growing since it was founded. At the end of the 16th century, the town had 868 residents, which rose to 15,000 at the end of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, Vigo’s liberal middle class took over the mechanisms of economic power. New industries were set up while communications improved and new plans were created to expand the city. In just over ten years the population doubled (there were 30,000 inhab. In 1910). As the century advanced, Vigo gradually absorbed the neighbouring municipalities of Bouzas and Lavadores. During the first third of the 20th century, the port of Vigo was linked to the image of thousands of Galicians boarding ships in order to emigrate to America. Another symbol is the tram, which began to function in 1914. The city was seething at that time with a great amount of social activities. There was an abundance of newspapers and weeklies, as well as political and trade union associations and organisations. All of this dynamic activity was neutralised by the outbreak of the Civil War.

Famous for: - Natural Bay and Ria. - Cíes Islands. - Sea Port with international importance. - Tradition of an open, cosmopolitan, industrial city with international projection. - The Vigo´s Ria has a special reference in the Julio Verne´s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. For example: “…The Spanish captains of the convoy protested against the decision. They wanted to be accompanied to a Spanish port, and if it could not be Cadiz, then Vigo Bay on the north-west coast of Spain, not blockaded at the time. Admiral de Châteaurenault was weak enough to obey these demands, and the galleons entered Vigo Bay…” “…Unloading the ingots from the galleons in Vigo port would have gone against their rigths. They therefore complained to Madrid, and persuaded the weak Philip V that the convoy should remain sequestered in the roadstead of Vigo without unloading, until the enemy fleets had gone away again. Now while this decision was being taken, the English vessels arrived in Vigo Bay, on 22 October 1702. Although outnumbered, Admiral de Châteaurenault fought courageously. But when he saw that the convoy´s riches were going to fall into the enemy´s hands, he burned and scuppered the galleons and so sank them with their enormous treasure…” “…Well, Dr Aronnax, we are in Vigo Bay, and you are now in a position to penetrate its mysteries…” “…Yes indeed, captain. Allow me, however, to tell you that in making use of Vigo Bay, you are merely anticipating the work of a rival company…” Julio Verne.

Location:
Vigo is the most populated city in Galicia (Spain), and the nucleous of a metropolitan area, which is a point of reference in the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion due to its economic potential and its dynamic commercial, social and cultural life.

Population: The population of Vigo at the end of 2004 was 299.379 habitants

Education:
The city Council of Vigo developes its own education planning through the “Municipal Institute of Education” (Instituto Municipal de Educación) , which has a department for programation and another one for the orientation of the education. The municipal schools for music, theatre, games and chess are attached to this Institute.

Tourism & culture:
Good beaches, suitable facilities for nautical sports, all kinds of musical concerts, the market of Pedra, the Zoo, the Cíes Islands… Vigo’s tourist resources make the city an attractive destination for spending a pleasant holiday on the Atlantic coast. Have a look at the turismodevigo.org web if you are looking for accommodation, city routes or simply want to find out more about the range of leisure activities. Local economy Vigo is the economic head of the south of Galicia and the nucleous of a wide socioeconomic area, which covers from the Morrazo Peninsula to the Portuguese border. Vigo also has one of the three free trade zones of Spain, managed by a Consortium (Zona Franca ), in which the City Council of Vigo and the Porth Authority also participate. This is a tax free area in order to facilitate the international trade. This is very important for the industrial activity of the city, like the automobile (Citröen), which is one of the main economic activities of the city, together with the service sector and the fishing.

Sindelfingen

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Description

 
Sindelfingen with a city population of approximately 60.000 inhabitants is located in the Southwest of Germany, in Baden-Württemberg. It forms part of the Stuttgart metropolitan region, a predominantly urban agglomateration, where app. 3 mio people live. Sindelfingen thus belongs to one of the most innovative regions in Europe.
 
Sindelfingen has a lot to offer: Founded in 1263, the city is characterized by a charming historic city centre with timberframed houses and the Martin’s Church, one of the oldest Romanesque churches in Württemberg. Furthermore the city embraces nature with its extensive forest paths and numerous parks.

 With app. 20% inhabitants of foreign origin, Sindelfingen is an international city. Its international character is expressed via lively exchange activities with its seven town twinnings and the “International Street Festival” which takes place each year in June. Sindelfingen city administration has its own European Affairs Department, which is actively involved in a range of international city networks and EU-initiatives and which promotes European Affairs and EU-policy awareness in the city.
 
Economically, Sindelfingen is also known as “car-town”: Sindelfingen is home to the largest production plant of Daimler AG in the world, where approx. 36,000 people are employed. Every day, approximately 2,000 vehicles are manufactured at the plant. Sindelfingen also hosts Mercedes Technology Center, a modern research, design and development centre for the automotive industry.
 
Apart from the automotive industry, Sindelfingen is economically strong in the fashion sector (B2B), retail and engineering.
 
The town is active in promoting trade and industry. This includes the development of the “Flugfeld”, a former airfield that is now undergoing redevelopment and covers approximately 80 hectares (almost 200 acres). At Flugfeld, a modern combination of business locations and residential areas are located next to each other. Flugfeld is also being developed as a prime location for the aerospace industry. For this purpose, the town of Sindelfingen receives funding from the European Regional Development Fund to support cluster development in the aerospace sector.
 
Education:
The promotion of children and young people’s talents is one of the key objectives of Sindelfingen city policy. Sindelfingen has altogether more than 20 schools.
 
During the last years Sindelfingen has been investing in the school infrastructure and facilities for full-time-schools. Furthermore it promotes innovative educational concepts at its children daycare facilities. Each year the “Sindelfingen Knowledge Days” take place which foster innovative approaches to learning and offer a variety of non-formal-learning events and workshops. 
 
History:
Sindelfingen was founded in 1263 by the Count Rudolf Scherer of Tübingen-Herrenberg. In 1351 the city was sold to Württemberg. The new rulers led the Reformation in 1535. Sindelfingen, however, remained an insignificant provincial town. In the 19th Century when mechanical mills were introduced, Sindelfingen gained in importance and standing with a strong textile and weaving industry. In 1850 Sindelfingen had 4304, predominantly protestant, inhabitants.
 
During the 20th century, Sindelfingen became an important industrial location. The Daimler plant was built 1914 in Sindelfingen; furthermore DEMOHAS (which was sold later on to IBM) had its headquarters in Sindelfingen.
 
During the Second World War the Daimler company was one of the largest stakeholders in the arms and defence industry. This was one of the reasons, why Sindelfingen was hit hard by counter-attacks by the allied forces during the end of WWII. However, due to its relative wealth, large parts have been rebuilt during the 50s and 60s and there has been enormous population increase: While the city had approx. 8500 inhabitants by the end of WWII, there were 20.000 inhabitants in 1957.
 
Location:
Sindelfingen is located in the Southwest of Germany and it is part of the state of Baden-Württemberg. It belongs to the Stuttgart metropolitan region and forms the largest city in the district of Böblingen. With three slip road to the motorway A 81 Sindelfingen offers easy access ot the whole region. Black Forest and Swabian Alb are not more than a one-hour drive away, it takes approx. two hours to get to Lake Constance and Switzerland. The state capital Stuttgart is only 15 km away.
 
 
 

Mölndal

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Description

www.molndal.se. Gunnebo "the finest and most precious little tree structure built in the nation” is in the centre of both the tourism and culture in Mölndal. This late 18th century manor was built as a retreat for the wealthy Göteborg merchant John Hall. The manor has been restored to much of its former splendour and is a popular place to visit.
 
 
 
In Mölndal you will find education ranging from kindergarten to upper secondary school, as well as culture schools and adult education. The ambition is to achieve a life-long learning for the citizens of Mölndal.
The city has been developing its schools for a long period of time, in part through the student’s input, in part through participating in various projects and of course through yearly quality reviews.
 
 
 
The City of Mölndal has, as so many other industrial cities, gone through metamorphisms. Several hundreds of years ago there were a multitude of mills in the ”Valley of the Mills”; Mölndal. In the 17th century the proceeds from these mills paid the administration in the newly founded Göteborg.
Today the mills are gone, but Mölndal still contributes to the development of high-tech industry in the Göteborg region. Many of the most research-intensive companies are to be found in the city of Mölndal.
 
Location
Mölndal is located just south of Göteborg, in a strategic location close to the major trade lanes E6, E20 and two railway-lines (one connecting Oslo with Copenhagen and continental Europe, one connecting Göteborg with the Swedish east coast). The Landvetter International Airport is also nearby.
 
 
 
The City of Mölndal has today 59 641 inhabitants and is the third largest municipality in the Västra Götaland region.
 
 
 
146 km 2 
 
 
 
 
 
Area
Population
Local Economy
Education
Tourism and Culture
 

Jyväskylä

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Description

www.jyvaskyla.fi
Jyväskylä is one of Finland’s five most important centres of growth. From beginning of 2009 three municipalities merged to a city with 130 000 inhabitants.Jyväskylä is situated in Central Finland, and it is 270 km from Helsinki, the capital, in a beautiful lake district with excellent possibilities for outdoor activities. In recent years the population of our area has grown at record speed compared to the country as a whole. Jyväskylä is in fact the second most popular place in Finland to move to. Finns have also ranked Jyväskylä as offering the country’s best environment in which to live and bring up children.

The Jyväskylä region is widely known for strong networked cooperation which involves seven municipalities and numerous organisations, enterprises and other bodies. Through broad-ranging collaboration we are intent on reinforcing the region’s success. The goal is also to produce more and more services across municipal boundaries.
The key characteristic of this youthful and vital region is international top-quality education and expertise. A second characteristic is multi-actor operating environments in research and development activity. In practice this means that within the same operating environment enterprises, research establishments as well as training and development organisations are all to be found.
 
History:
The history of the town of Jyväskylä is not very long, but it is a successful one. From a tiny town Jyväskylä has grown to Finland's seventh largest city which continues to attract people. Up until the 17th century the region of Jyväskylä was merely hunting grounds for people from the southern parts of Finland - very few people lived there permanently. Yet the land was fertile and the location central and ashore of a waterway. More and more people began to move in and the population grew bit by bit. The decisive step concerning the development of the town was the foundation of two schools: a Lyceum in 1858 and a Teacher Training College in 1863. These were the first educational institutions in Finland where education was given in the Finnish language instead of Swedish. Along with the schools came students and teachers who enlivened not just the local business but also in great respect the cultural life of the town. Soon Jyväskylä established itself the status of the centre of the rising Finnish culture and was to be known by the name Finnish Athens. In the end of the 19th century the town experienced many changes. Sawmill industry gave prosperity to town and many townhouses and other buildings were constructed. The arrival of steamship and railway also contributed to the development. With industrialization the need for houses grew and in consequence many residential areas for workers were built in the late 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century. In 1950' the population was already 37 000 and blocks of flats begun to replace the wooden buildings. But it wasn't until 1960' and 70' that people started to move further from the town centre into the suburban areas. Today, Jyväskylä is a lively and rapidly growing regional centre with 130 000 inhabitants and with a surface area of  1466,5 km2.
Location:
Jyväskylä is situated in Central Finland and is easily accessible by land and air. It is 270 km from Helsinki, the capital, and it takes 35 min by plane and 3 hours by car or train to travel the distance.
Jyväskylä is a prominent school and university city with 40.000 students during the academic year. The adult population is amongst the most highly educated in the country.The University of Jyväskylä (https://www.jyu.fi/en/),  the JAMK University of Applied Sciences (http://www.jamk.fi/english/aboutus) and the Air Force Academy provide some of Finland's most highly sought after university places. The University of Jyväskylä is home to Finland's first Faculty of Information Technology and the only Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, a strong Faculty of Natural Sciences and a highly extensive range of study programmes in Humanities, Economics and Social Sciences. The orientation of JAMK’s education and the contents of the various curricula are based on the needs of working life.The Air Force Academy is located at Tikkakoski in Jyväskylä. It is a Finnish Air Force pilot training school, which gives initial pilot training for conscripts of the Finnish Air Force.

Tourism & culture:
Jyväskylä is especially known for its rich variety of culture; museums, art exhibitions, concerts, events and theatre performances. The festival-summer of the city begins with Jyväskylä Summer Jazz in June and continues with Jyväskylä Arts Festival, the oldest festival in Finland. The Alvar Aalto Symposium and Alvar Aalto Design Seminar, held at three-year intervals, bring hundreds of architects and designers from all over the world to Jyväskylä. Jyväskylä is the hometown of the world-famous architect Alvar Aalto and houses several buildings designed by him. The Alvar Aalto Museum (http://www.alvaraalto.fi/museum/museum.htm) familiarises the visitor with the life and work of this great talent. The Neste Oil Rally World Championship race is the biggest sports event in Nordic countries gathering yearly over 500.000 spectators.

The city of Jyväskylä has been awarded the first prize in the 2009 city.people.light awards, the annual competition organized by Philips and the Lighting Urban Community International Association (LUCI). Jyväskylä is the forerunner in outdoor lighting systems. "Jyväskylä – the City of Light" is a development project and long-term process. Investments are being made in to develop the city’s lighting system so that the correct use of light creates security, is scenically valued and takes environmental effects into consideration. High-quality outdoor lighting affects positively to inhabitants, local business and tourism (http://www.jyvaskyla.fi/yhdyskuntatoimi/cityoflight).
Jyväskylä hosts a variety of national and international conferences and trade fairs every year. The Congress and Trade Fair Centre Jyväskylä Paviljonki, a modern highly equipped and versatile conference centre, provides excellent facilities for all kinds of events. Besides culture and events, nature is always near to the city. Jyväskylä is situated in a beautiful lake district with excellent possibilities for outdoor activities. 

Local economy:
Jyväskylä has for long been known as a traditional market place in the crossing of major roads and waterways.
 
Jyväskylä is ideally situated in the centre of the country with excellent educational and research facilities.
 
Traditionally the Jyväskylä region has relied on the forest and metal industries and more recently on information and communication technology. Jyväskylä has special expertise in the fields of paper manufacturing and paper machinery, as well as energy production, environmental and information technology. One of the newest areas of expertise in Jyväskylä is nano technology. The focuses of attention in the region’s primary branches are the production and use of bioenergy, forest industry processes, as well as areas of emphasis in environmental technology such as biogas technology. Jyväskylä Regional Development Company Jykes Ltd. (http://www.jykes.fi/?action=etusivu&sivusto=&kieli=1) creates a favourable business environment and will improve the co-operation between companies and the public sector. By offering expertise, support and various networks for companies, Jykes creates opportunities and conditions for profitable business operations.
Jyväskylä Innovation Ltd. (http://www.jklinnovation.fi/en) is a development company that aims to make the Jyväskylä region an internationally thriving, technological growth centre for benefiting its diversified branches. The task of the Jyväskylä Innovation Ltd. is to develop innovation environment and technological clusters, and to carry out the Jyväskylä Region Centre of Expertise Programme. Technopolis Jyväskylä (http://www.technopolis.fi/facilities/jyvaskyla) is providing the optimal operating environment for technology companies.

Sabadell

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Description

www.sabadell.cat / www.vaporllonch.net
Sabadell is the capital of the county of Vallès Occidental (Catalonia), a title shared with Terrassa since 1990. With a population of about 204.000 inhabitants, Sabadell has confirmed its position as a driving force for economic and urban development in the county and also in Catalonia and is facing the future with new projects that will strenghten this status.
The city represents an important communications point and has its own airport which is one of the top seven airports in Spain in terms of traffic for non-commercial passenger aviation.
Sabadell pioneered the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia with its textile mills, together with Terrassa. Thus, in the mid 19th century, it became the most important wool city in Spain, being nicknamed the Catalan Manchester. Even today many mills from that period can still be seen, with most of them having been refurbished as residential buildings or other services.

Location:
Sabadell is the largest city in the county of Vallès Occidental in Catalonia. It is in the south of the county, on the River Ripoll, aproximately 20 km north-west from Barcelona. Sabadell is located 190 metres above sea level and covers an area of 37,79 km².

History:

The first human settlements in the Sabadell area date from the prehistoric period. Farming and stock-breeding community found the Vallès plain to be a good place for crops, pasture and communications.

In Roman times a little village called “Arragone” existed near where the church of La Salut now stands, on the left bank of the River Ripoll. This grew into the town called “Arraona” or “Arrahona” in the Middle Ages. Another little village was built just on the other side of the river. This second village, called Sabadell, located on a plain, began to grow and its population was about 600 people (152 houses) in 1378. Sabadell was enclosed by a wall, but due to population growth in the 16th century, some houses were built outside the wall. At that time the first textile industries appeared in town, devoted especially to wool clothing. The wool industry grew over the next centuries, and in 1800 the town's population was about 2000 people. The 19th century brought two important developments to the town: in 1856 the railroad arrived, and in 1877 Sabadell was awarded the title of city. Specialization in the production of woollen fabrics made Sabadell into the leading wool textile centre in Spain. In the 1897 census the population of the city was 23.044 people. Due to this industrial activity, Sabadell got massive waves of immigration in the 50s, 60s and early 70s leading to an uncontrolled urban expansion and the creation of some new neighborhoods. In this period, the population was multiplied by eight.

Local economy:

During the 20th century Sabadell gained major industrial momentum, specially in the textile and metallurgy industries, and modernised its economy with services.

The 1973 oil crisis and Franco's death in 1975 meant an important change in Spain and, of course, in Sabadell. The economic crisis compelled the city to diversify its economic activities. New commercial and leisure areas (such as the Eix Macià) appeared next to the traditional industries, leading to important economic development for the city. Nowadays, the three principal activities in terms of services are retail trade, financial institutions and wholesale trade.

Sabadell is working to enable the development of nearly 660.000 square metres of industrial and tertiary facilities in several parts of the city. Can Gambús, Can Roqueta, Sant Pau de Riu-Sec and the airport area are the leading locations in this commitment to the productive economy in the city. More specifically, the transformation of the Sant Pau de Riu-Sec zone will provide the finest supply of the industrial land in the entire Barcelona conurbation. This will be one of the driving forces that will make it possible to increase Sabadell’s industrial facilities and create new jobs in forthcoming years.

Economic activity in the city has grown in recent years. In 1991 it had 5.366 companies with 46.439 employees whereas at the end of 2008 there were 6.380 companies and 55.536 employees. Sabadell has a diversified economy. About 71,2% of companies and 76,2% of jobs are in the services sector. Even though the city is a major commerce and services centre, it still holds onto its industrial past: about 14,4% of companies and 14,4% of jobs are directly related to manufacturing. In addition there are many workplaces and jobs which are classified as being in the tertiary sector but which owe their existence to industrial activity. In terms of big industrial sectors, the metallurgy ranks first ahead of other traditional industries such as textiles and garment. The number of self-employed people has also increased significantly in recent years. Sabadell’s business structure is dominated by small and medium sized companies.

Education:

Sabadell is moving towards the society of the future, a society in which information and knowledge will be the leading players. The area where the city of Sabadell is located, is an educational hot spot with the presence of important university campuses such as the University’s Advanced Design School (ESDI), the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). In Sabadell there are already three universities and two university-linked foundations. The Illa Municipal Art School of Sabadell is a municipal centre for teaching art and design which is highly regarded in the state education sector. The Municipal School of Music and Intermediate Conservatory is a music education institution for students aged 6 years and up located in our city.
 

Kortrijk

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Description

www.kortrijk.be

Kortrijk is located in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium, Flanders near the French border. We have 75.000 inhabitants and are the 6th biggest town in Flanders. Kortrijk is the centre town of and urbanised area of 280.000 people, our city dates from medieval times and we have some historic buildings that are classified as world heritage by UNESCO.

History :

We have a past in Textile industries, mainly FLAX. But in recent years we have developed into a city filled with SME’s that have reconverted after the textile crisis in the 70s. We are also known for our building materials mainly tiles and bricks. Our world wide most famous enterprise however is BARCO VISION, known for it’s digital projection and video walls. One of our most important trumps is the modern and big infrastructure for fairs. We have several big fairs in Kortrijk. Two are very well known. Bus world which has branches in Shanghai and Mumbai, even in Istanbul this fair for busses and touring cars is known. The other is Interior: this is the second biggest for interior design and furniture after the Milan fair.

Location:
Kortrijk
is situated next to the expanding French city Lille. We have joined Lille and Tournai in the first ever European Grouping Territorial Cooperation in the European Union. We are part of the Euro district and it will be a challenge to find our role as a medium sized town in this Metropolis. Since the 90s we are adapting our policy by enhancing centre function and we are giving our city a new drive. The first step was the overall improvement of our public spaces.

We combine international architects with our local engineers. The market place was designed by Bernardo Secchi from Milan and for our pedestrian area we worked with Jordi Farrando from Barcelona. One of the biggest project is the calibration of the river Leie that runs through the city centre. It is part of the trans European network connection between Le Havre and Rotterdam by waterway for vessels up to 4000 tons. This project means we are building 7 new bridges over the river, the challenge was to change this technical infrastructure into an opportunity to create a new city image and to experience the quality of water in the inner-city.

Local economy:
Next to the improvement of public spaces we have also chosen to inject a shot of enterprises in the city centre by constructing a new inner-city shopping mall of 35000 square meters that will hold nearly 100 new shops. It was a conscious decision -not free of risk- to construct this mall in the city centre and in the existing pedestrian area and not in the periphery. The opening is foreseen for march 2010 and we hope it will give a new commercial boost to the city.

The city baseline is KORTRIJK, city of innovation creation and design. In order to develop this baseline we have created a platform of 5 stakeholders on regional level where we combine the public sector with the economic world and the educational institutes. Our University is leading our country in gaming , multimedia and product design. One of our urban development programs tries to change the BUDA Island into a creative nest for artists. An old cinema complex, brewery tower and factory building are adjusted to create space for creativity and art production. We are also home to the Flemish institute for Research and design in the field of plastics, and the Flemish competence centre for industrial design also known as Flanders in shape.

The next big thing in Kortrijk is the construction of a modern knowledge centre -as a driver for the development of the railway station neighbourhood also in the centre of the city. We combine the library of the 21st century with life long learning and with multimedia and music institutes. We have selected the well-known American architecture office REX that constructed the library in Seattle. We are at the moment in the phase of financing the project. We are not unfamiliar with the concept of European project and networks. For example in E government we have been involved in some interreg projects.

Most recently the innofestival project in the 7th framework program PRO INNO has been approved, together with our partner Barcelona , Milan, Lisbon, Vilnius and Talinn. We are going to organise the European innovation week called innovation festival for the next three years. Themes witch capture our interest are Life Long learning, innovation and entrepreneurship, library of the 21st century, waterfront development and E- government and E -care.

We hope that Eurotowns has the strength to develop impact on the European agenda to do more for the medium sized cities.