Flix () is a town in the comarca of Ribera d'Ebre, Catalonia, Spain.Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. (Spanish). (Catalan). 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.
One of the main tourist attractions is fishing in the horseshoe-shaped bend in the river. Every year there is a large international fishing competition in Flix.
History
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 FascistsEl Pais, 22 August 2009, page 1 of supplement 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.Ebro Offensive , accessed August 2009 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. Following this disclosure, an ambitious plan to clean up the area was drawn. This plan involves the building of containment barriers and the removal and treatment of the hazardous chemical waste.Comencen les obres de col·locació de la barrera que aïllarà els llots tòxics del pantà de Flix durant la descontaminació
Demographics It has a population of . The population of Flix has grown since 1900 and peaked in the 1980s.Statistical information - Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya, accessed August 2009 1900 1930 1950 1970 1986 2008 2516 3374 4272 5116 5003 4054
References
External links
Official website Government data pages