HOSPITALET DE LLOBREGAT

city, Barcelona provincia, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It is a southwestern industrial suburb of Barcelona city and extends from the Marina Mountains to the coastal delta of the Llobregat River. First known as Santa Eulalia de Provenzana, the community adopted its present name (a Catalan diminutive) in the 16th century from the small hospital that has sheltered travelers and pilgrims since the 12th century. Declared a city by Alfonso XIII in 1925, its history is linked with that of Barcelona. Its major industry is steel; other manufactures include chemical fertilizers, dyes, insecticides, and metals. An architectural highlight is the 12th-century Romanesque-style Hermitage of Santa Eulalia de Provenzana. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 269,241.