L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

The first records of the settlement date to the Neolithic era with artefacts showing human habitation in the Llobregat river area. Roman artefacts have been found dating to the 2nd century BC such as a funeral decoration representing the head of Medusa, now in the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia. However it is not until the 10th century that written references to Provençana (the city's original name) appear. The current name originates from the Catalan language and derives from a hostel next to the Church of Saint Eulalia of Provençana (Santa Eulàlia de Provençana) used by pilgrims in the Middle Ages. The city retained the character of a village until the 19th century when the first textile factories were built causing a population boom. The 1960s and 1970s saw a second population boom, caused by immigration from poorer regions of Spain: however this was not matched by construction of the necessary amenities and it was only in the 1990s that public investment resulted in additional schools, leisure facilities and housing.

The Swedish painter and former anarchist Ivan Aguéli died there, being killed by a train, in 1917.

A slight majority of the city's residential population is native to Catalonia and over 22% of the city's inhabitants were born outside Spain, (mainly in Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Morocco). However the city has a large number of permanent or non-permanent residents from other countries of the European Union. Its population in the 2006 census consisted of 78% born in Spain (52% in Catalonia) and broke down as follows:

L'Hospitalet's surface is 12.49 km². The area on which the city is constructed may be divided in two different geological areas. One of them follows the coast typology and is called La Marina, similarly to two coast areas of neighbouring Barcelona's Zona Franca: La Marina del Prat Vermell and La Marina de Port. The latter half of L'Hospitalet is called El Samontà, which consists of hills and a more elevated area.

Spanair head office in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat

The city's reputation is largely still that of a depressed suburb,[4] drawing on its proletarian origins and its reliance on Barcelona. But its economy has improved recently, as can be seen from the city's new skyline and relocation of companies to the city's new financial centre. Urban regeneration and construction took place during the 2000s, as well as ongoing work on improving public transportation in the second municipality of the Barcelona metropolitan area. The former airline Spanair's headquarters were in L'Hospitalet.[5][6] Former mayor Celestino Corbacho has campaigned to improve the city's infrastructure from his position in the Ministry of Work.

• Torre Realia BCN (2009) – 119 meters – Completed
• Hotel Porta Fira (2010) – 118 meters – Completed
• Hotel Catalonia Plaza Europa (2011) – 105 meters – Completed
• Hesperia Tower (2006) – 106 meters – Completed
• Tower Caixa Catalunya (?) – 106 meters – Planned
• Torre Inbisa (2010) – 104 meters – Completed
• Torre Zenit (2009) – 104 meters – Completed
• Hospital de Bellvitge (1972) – 82 meters – Completed
• Tower Colonial (?) – 75 meters – Under Construction (on hold)
• Tower Fadesa I (2009) – 65 meters – Completed
• Tower Fadesa II (2009) – 65 meters – Completed
• Tower Fadesa III (2009) – 65 meters – Completed
• City Judicial Building A (2008) – 62 meters – Completed
• City Judicial Building C (2008) – 58 meters- Completed
• Torre Melina (Hotel Rey Juan Carlos) (1992) – 60 meters -Completed

• 
  Hospital de Bellvitge
• 
  Hesperia Tower
• 
  Toyo Ito Towers

• Metropolitan area of Barcelona
• Zona Franca (Barcelona)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to L'Hospitalet de Llobregat.

• Website of the city L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
• Artistic and historical buildings in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
• Government data pages (in Catalan)