Flix

Flix (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈfliʃ]) is a town in the comarca of Ribera d'Ebre, Catalonia, Spain.[4] Situated on a promontory by the Ebro river, the town occupied an important strategic position. Situated on the Madrid–Barcelona railway line, it expanded in the early twentieth century with the construction of a hydroelectric power station in 1948 and a large chemical plant, Electroquímica de Flix.

This article is about the town in Catalonia. For other uses, see Flix (disambiguation).
Flix
Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms
Flix
Location in Catalonia
Coordinates: 41.234°N 0.556°E / 41.234; 0.556
Country Spain
Community Catalonia
ProvinceTarragona
ComarcaRibera d'Ebre
Government
 • MayorMarc Mur Bages (2015)[1]
Area
 • Total116.9 km2 (45.1 sq mi)
Elevation
48 m (157 ft)
Population
 (2018)[3]
 • Total3,491
 • Density30/km2 (77/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Flixenc
Websiteflix.cat

One of the main tourist attractions is fishing in the horseshoe-shaped bend in the river (day ticket). Every year there is a large international fishing competition in Flix.

History
The Flix reservoir and the controversial chemical plant

Flix was the site of a battle in the Spanish Civil War in 1938. The Battle of the Iron Bridge was fought between the International Brigades and the Fascists[5] as part of the Battle of the Ebro. The operation was initially a success for the republicans with the construction of the iron bridge nearly complete by the 3rd Division.[6] However at the end they had lost 3,000 soldiers and the battle. Today there is a memorial to this battle at Flix.

In 2005, the existence of a vast polluted area on the shores of the Flix Reservoir was disclosed. The environmental disaster involving large quantities of toxic waste was caused by the Ercros chemical factory, located by the shore of the artificial lake.[7] Following this disclosure, an ambitious plan to clean up the area was drawn.[8] This plan involves the building of containment barriers and the removal and treatment of the hazardous chemical waste.[9]

Demography

The population of Flix has grown since 1900 and peaked in the 1980s.[10]

1900 1930 1950 1970 1986 2008
2516 3374 4272 5116 5003 4054

References
  1. "Ajuntament de Flix". Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
  2. "El municipi en xifres: Flix". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  3. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  4. Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish). ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan).
  5. El Pais, 22 August 2009, page 1 of supplement
  6. Ebro Offensive Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine, accessed August 2009
  7. "El Síndic vol la neteja del pantà de Flix". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
  8. "Els pous de la discòrdia". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
  9. Comencen les obres de col·locació de la barrera que aïllarà els llots tòxics del pantà de Flix durant la descontaminació
  10. Statistical information - Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya, accessed August 2009 (in Catalan)


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