Sabadell, Spain

Capital City

With a population of 225,368, Sabadell is a major industrial center in Catalonia, but it comes with some persistent headaches. The city pioneered textile manufacturing in the region, and today it remains a commercial and industrial hub - though the 1973 oil crisis and the rise of globalization have forced it to diversify its economic activities. While the city boasts impressive Modernist architecture and a robust sports culture, the legacy of its industrial past lingers. Sabadell was the site of an ETA car bombing in 1990 that killed six police officers, and the city still grapples with worker unrest and Catalanist tensions. For those seeking an authentic, if occasionally turbulent, Catalan experience, Sabadell could be a suitable destination - but the bureaucracy and occasional security concerns are not to be underestimated.