| Malgrat | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Motto: | Malgrat t'estima* |
| Pushpin Map: | Catalonia#Spain |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Catalonia |
| Coordinates: | 41.65°N 47°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Spain |
| Subdivision Type1: | Community |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Barcelona |
| Subdivision Type3: | Comarca |
| Subdivision Name3: | Maresme |
| Established Date: | 1373 |
| Leader Party: | PSC Malgrat |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Joan Mercador |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.8 |
| Elevation M: | 4 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Malgratenc |
| Postal Code: | 08380 |
| Area Code: | +34 93 |
| Official Name: | Malgrat de Mar |
Malgrat de Mar (in Catalan; Valencian pronounced as /məlˈɣɾad də ˈmaɾ/) is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the Barcelona Coast[2] between Santa Susanna and Blanes. A local road runs from the town to the main N-II road, while the B-682 connects it with Blanes, Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar. It is served by a RENFE railway station on the R1 line between Barcelona and Maçanet-Massanes.
Malgrat de Mar was originally part of the barony of Palafolls and the first fishermen's houses were built around the chapel of Sant Antoni Abat, on the left bank of a stream called Malgrat de Mar. During the 16th century, it was attacked by the Ottomans in 1543, 1545 and 1550.[3] In 1373, a charter of the founding population called Vilanova de Palafolls was granted and in 1559, it achieved the parish independence from Sant Genís de Palafolls (now a neighbourhood of Palafolls).
Since the 14th century, Malgrat de Mar has been recognized as a prominent cultural, artistic and social center. Modernism in Malgrat de Mar also left its mark.
The name Malgrat appears in the 19th century, although the place name is already documented in the 13th century. The etymology is discussed as either pre-Roman or it could be related to bad degree in the sense of disembarkation (mal grau). Some speculate that the name originates from French soldiers taken prisoner in Hostalric during the Crusade against the Crown of Aragon, who were taken to work "reluctantly" (mal great, in Catalan) According to Bernat Boades, in the Libre dels Feyts d'armes de Catalunya, "He made them go to work in a big tower near the sea. As they went there reluctantly, they went from Palafolls to work in that land they called Malgrat (reluctantly)"
On May 30, 1937, in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, the transport ship Ciudad de Barcelona, carrying volunteer brigadiers, was torpedoed by Italian-flagged submarines and sank in front of Malgrat de Mar about 2 miles from the beach.[4] The fishermen who witnessed the action then went out to sea to rescue the survivors and every year the descendants of the fishermen who made the rescue commemorate it.
During the Storm Gloria, Malgrat was significantly affected and was categorized as one of the worst locations that the storm had hit. This is partly due to the fact that Malgrat is bordering the Tordera river, with the main source of water to the town being temporarily stopped due to such high levels of water.[5]
The town is located 4 meters above sea level. It has a coastal Mediterranean climate, with stable, mild temperatures almost over the whole year. The annual precipitation amount averaged over the last 18 years is about 600 mm.
The town has significantly increased in the last 40 years, with a gradual increase in population from 5500 inhabitants in 1958 to 17531 inhabitants in 2006. After the year 2008 the population stabilized at around 18000 inhabitants, which continues to this day.
In 1998 and 1999 the female population was slightly dominant, while from 2002 the male population began to predominate, with a growing difference of more than 200 people in 2006 (8,869 men to 8,662 women), with an average of 102 men for 100 women. The main reasons for this difference are the rapid growth of the population, especially with the young population having children, and the higher male birth rate.
The main economic engine of the town and the area surrounding the town is tourism. Malgrat has hotels, campsites and shops to meet the demands of visitors, mainly centred around the street Passeig Marítim. Other notable economic drivers are the agricultural areas of the Pla de Grau and the Pla de Pineda, and industry, with the Can Patalina estate and the Camí de la Pomareda factories, although in recent years they have been losing strength.
Since the end of the Spanish Civil War, maritime activity has mainly been concentrated on sports, leisure boats and local fishing boats, with a fishing club. In the 18th century there were about 200 men with naval registration with a total of up to 50 ships of one to four tons doing traffic along the coast to Valencia and France.[6]
Municipal politics in Malgrat de Mar has been dominated by the Socialists' Party of Catalonia since the transition to democracy in Spain, with their time in power only being interrupted between 2017 and 2019.
In the last regional elections, pro-independence forces (JxCat, ERC and CUP) won 5133 votes, while pro-unionist forces (Cs, PSC and PP) won 4,594 votes. Pro-referendum forces (En Comú Podem, PACMA) won 806 votes.[7]
| Ciutadans | 2701 | 25.51 | |
| Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya | 2393 | 22.6 | |
| Junts per Catalunya | 2370 | 22.38 | |
| Partit Socialista de Catalunya | 1492 | 14.09 | |
| En Comú Podem | 708 | 6.69 | |
| Partit Popular de Catalunya | 401 | 3.79 | |
| Candidatura d'Unitat Popular | 370 | 3.49 |
| Partit Socialista de Catalunya | 3125 | 8 | |
| Junts per Malgrat | 1490 | 3 | |
| Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya | 1366 | 3 | |
| Junts per Catalunya | 895 | 2 | |
| Candidatura d'Unitat Popular | 563 | 1 | |
| En Comú Podem | 405 | 0 | |
| Ciutadans | 398 | 0 | |
| Partit Popular de Catalunya | 342 | 0 |
| 1979-1983 | Josep Mora i Girons | PSC-PSOE | |
| 1983-1987 | Josep Mora i Girons | PSC-PSOE | |
| 1987-1991 | Josep Mora i Girons | PSC-PSOE | |
| 1991-1995 | Conxita Campoy i Martí | PSC-PSOE | |
| 1995-1999 | Conxita Campoy i Martí | PSC-PSOE | |
| 1999-2003 | Conxita Campoy i Martí | PSC-PSOE | |
| 2003-2007 | Conxita Campoy i Martí | PSC-PSOE | |
| 2007-2011 | Conxita Campoy i Martí | PSC-PSOE | |
| 2011-2015 | Conxita Campoy i Martí | PSC-PSOE | |
| 2015-2019 | Joan Mercader i Carbó (2015-2017), Carme Ponsa i Monge (2017-2019) | PSC-PSOE (2015–17), Junts per Malgrat (2017–19) | |
| 2019-2023 | Joan Mercader i Carbó | PSC-PSOE |
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