WELCOME TO VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDÈS

This guide aims to serve as a useful tool for newcomers to the vila. It contains information that will surely be of interest to you, and will help you to get situated, as well.

Vilafranca belongs to the Alt Penedès region and it’s the capital. Vilafranca has 8 burroughs: El Centre Vila, l’Espirall, Les Clotes, El Poble Nou, El Molí d’en Rovira, La Girada, La Barceloneta-Sant Magí i Sant Julià .In each one there are Neighborhood Associations where you can visit during their hours open to the public.

This is a city where the City Council works every day to maintain and improve the quality of life for the community, because we consider the city a place for living together in harmony and we want to serve as a point of reference for others, with a legal state that establishes the rights and responsibilities of the individuals in the community.

Marcel Esteve Robert. Mayor of Vilafranca del Penedès.

Language and identity : Catalan is the language of Catalonia. It is an official language as well as the Spanish language, which is the official language of the rest of the Spanish state. When a person moves to another country, it is important to learn the language, customs, cultural norms and social codes in order to feel comfortable there. Knowing Catalan facilitates that integration and the relationships for children in school, with the doctor, with store clerks.....It also is necessary to be able to work in a job that deals with the public.

2. LANGUAGE

To learn Catalan contact:

CONSORCI PER A LA NORMALI-TZACIÓ LINGÜÍSTICA Hermenegild Clascar, 1-3 Telephone: 93 890 00 00A/e: slcvilafranca@cpnl.orgWeb: www.cpnl.org

Or:

ADULTS SCHOOLPl. del Carme, 1Telephone: 93 818 00 77 Hours open to the public; Monday to Friday, from 17.00h. to 21.00h.

1. OFFICE FOR THE PUBLIC

iIt is situated on the bottom floor of the Casa de la Vila building (carrer de la Cort núm. 14) and it is the place where everyone can go to communicate with the city council, either to file municipal paperwork, to get information, or to make a complaint or suggestion.

It is also where new-comers to the area can go to register their new address.

The hours open to the public for the OAC are the following:

Monday to Thursday, from 8.30h. to 14.30h. and from 16.30h. to 19.00h.Fridays and days before a holiday, from 8.30h. to 14.00h.

City Council Telephone: 93 892 03 58

E-mail address: oac@vilafranca.org

Web page for the City Council: www.vilafranca.org

All foreigners, from the moment they are regis-tered with the City Council where they habitually reside, can apply for the individual health card. Please contact the Basic Area of Health (Pro-gramming Service, 3rd floor) and bring passport and address registry document. This card is individual and each member of the family must have their own and keep it on them, because it will be necessary for each doctor’s visit and at the pharmacy where medicines are bought.

BASIC AREA OF HEALTH Plaça Penedès, 1Telephone: 93 891 54 00Emergencies: all day

HOSPITAL COMARCAL DEL ALT PENEDÈSCarrer Espirall, 63Telephone: 93 818 04 40Emergencies: all day

(*) On-Call Pharmacy System and how it works:The on-call shift of a pharmacy is 24 hours and goes from 9 a.m. of the starting day until 9 a.m. the following day. From 9 a.m. until 10 p.m., the pharmacy is open to the general public. After 10 p.m. clients must ring the bell at the doorway and they will be served at the window.

4. HEATH CARE ACCESS

Pharmacies: (*)

RECASENS Calle Tossa de Mar, 20 Tel. 93 890 18 26CUADRASCalle d’Igualada, 48 Tel. 93 818 15 81OLIVÉCalle Espirall, 23Tel. 93 892 21 44PEDREROLCalle de la Parellada, 39 Tel. 93 892 05 91BOSCHCalle de la Parellada, 25 Tel. 93 892 01 73MIRALLESCalle de la Cort, 1, esquina conCalle la Parellada. Tel. 93 892 01 23VIÑALSCalle de la Cort, 37 Tel. 93 892 01 76AMADÓ Calle de Sant Pere, 2 Tel. 93 890 12 39JONCHCalle d’Eugeni d’Ors, 37, esquina con Pere el Gran, 30 Tel. 93 890 17 96 i 93 890 30 26PLANASRambla de Sant Francesc, 22 Tel. 93 890 18 26

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3. SCHOOL

ADMINISTRATION OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE GENERALITAT OF CATALUNYA Plaça del Penedès, 3, 3rd floor Telephone: 93 890 16 50Hours Open to the Public: Monday to Friday ( except Thursday) from 8.15 to 15.00h. Tuesday from 16.00 to 18.00h.

Each school has a Parent’s Association (AMPA) that you can contact for information.

Schooling in Catalonia, is obligatory and free for everyone that lives here and is in the address registry, between the ages of 6 and 16 years old. For children 0 to 3 years there are llars d’infants that might be public or private where attendance is voluntary, and from 3 to 6 years is the Early Childhood Education level that is given at all schools. In order for your children to go to school, they must first be matriculated. The matriculation has two phases: the preinscription period ( usually in March/April), during which you must contact the school of first choice and then later (after one month) you can formalize the matriculation at the school you have been assigned to attend. If you move to Vilafranca once the school year has started ( from September to June ) you can still matriculate, you must contact the school, City Council or the Educational Services (Administration Office) which are located at Plaça Penedès 3, 3rd floor.

Each educational center has a school cafeteria and an Association of Parents where you can get information about after school activities.

6. HOUSING

To find housing, you can contact real estate agents or look in the local paper or magazines where there is information about housing for rent or sale. Every block of flats have rules or “rules of the community of owners”. Respecting these rules guarantees peace for everyone and good relatio-ns with the neighbors. The body that assures the complaince with these rules is the “Community of Owners”, made up of all the home-owners in the building. Buildings with more than 4 homes are obliged to have such a community. The Com-munity of Owners has a representative body that is the Junta made up of a President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The president is the figure that represents the community and, therefore, the person to whom the owners or renters must address for information, or to clarify or resolve any problems.

MUNICIPAL OFFICE OF HOUSINGC/ Banys, 11Telephone: 93 892 03 58Hours Open to the Public: Monday to Friday from 12.00 to 14.00 hours

5. SASAIWELCOME SUPPORT CENTER AND ADVICE FOR IMMIGRANTS

This is a service integrated in the Social Services of Vilafranca del Penedès. They attend to all immigrants that are new to the area, or that have already been here a while, but do not know the resources and services available in Vilafranca. The main objective of this service is provide an orientation to the services available in order to achieve personal, social and relational autonomy in the Vilafrancan society.

SASAIPlaça del Penedès, 3, 2nd floorHours Open to the Public to request an interview: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9.00h to 12.00h.Telephone: 93 890 32 55 e-mail: sasai@vilafranca.org

Throwing away or abandoning any kind of object or liquid product in the street is prohibited. As well, old furniture or other large objects may not be thrown in the street. If you must get rid of old furniture or large objects, you can take them to the Dump or use the free municipal old furniture and rubbish collection service. If you want to use this service, you must leave the rubbish out Tuesday night, and, call a day ahead or on the actual Tuesday, before 14.00 h on telf.: 93 817 24 50.

In Vilafranca we recycle. When you take out the rubbish you will find different colored containers. Each color corres-ponds to a different recyclable material: glass, paper, plastic, organic refuse, etc. You must separate the materials at home and then deposit them in the corresponding container during the re-commended hours of collection service (from 19.00 h. to 21.00 h.).

In the home as well as in the neigh-borhood, we have to work at living with one another in harmony and take advantage of the street as a place for communication and leisure for everyone. The municipal ordinances establish a maximum noise level, which is more res-trictive during hte hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.. The collaboration of everyone is essential in maintaining the city.

Clothing and rugs are not allowed to be hung in the public street, nor over balconies or terraces outside of the es-tablished hours; from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Dirty laundry and any other unsightly object is not allowed to have in public view, in the doorways or on exterior balconies and terraces. The exterior facade of the building may only have one antenna installation or terminal equipment (satelite dish, conventional electromagnetic wave captor or others) for each building or for each function not able to be tecnologically integrated with the others in one antenna. In no case can antennas be installed in windows, balconies, perimeters of buil-dings, unless they can be in agreement with the urban regulation and not be seen from any public street, space or community area, by using permanent construction elements. Spitting, urinating and defecating in the street is prohibited. The punishment for such acts would be sanctioned by law.

8. CIVISM AND LIVING TOGETHER IN HARMONY

The Vilafranca City Council has established some ordinances that everyone in the com-munity must comply with in order to promote respectful treatment of all people, the correct use of public property and urban housing, and others.

7. WORK

Vilafranca has different services of information and job advice, where you can go to get advice according to your needs. You can look for job offers, get a personalized interview, get informa-tion about job training courses, and about job contract rules and regulations,...

OSOC (Occupational Services of Catalunya)Plaça del Penedès, 4, 1rTelephone: 93 890 36 55/ 93 817 07 36 / 93 817 02 87Hours Open to the Public: Monday to Friday from 8.15 to 13.00 hours

SOIP Professional Orientation and Information Service of the City Council of Vilafranca del Penedès Plaça del Penedès, 4, baixosTelephone:93 817 24 47/ 93 817 27 44Hours Open to the Public: Monday to Friday from 9.00 h. to 13.00 h.

CCOO - CITE (Association for orientation, training and job location for immigrant workers)Plaça del Penedès, 4, 2a plantaTelephone: 93 817 21 09Hours Open to the Public: Mondays, from 10.00 h. to 13.30 h. and Thursdays, from 16.00 h. to 19.30 h. (appointment necessary)

UGT-AMIC (Association of Mutual Help for Immigrants of Catalunya)Plaça del Penedès, 4, 2a planta Telephone: 93 890 39 06Hours Open to the Public: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10.00 to 13.00 hours.

10. COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORTATION

VILAFRANCA-BARCELONA (SANTS) VILAFRANCA-SANT SADURNÍ D’ANOIA VILAFRANCA-LAVERN (SUBIRATS)

Vilafranca is a well connected city, it has a RENFE train station that connects to Barcelona and Tarragona, as well as a bus station that keeps the city connected to the surrounding cities and areas. It also has city bus lines that make daily runs through the city. Both city buses are handi-capped equipped.

RENFE STATIONPlaça de l’Estació, 3Telephone: 93 890 22 40 BUS STATION –REGIONAL AND INTEREGIONALAvda de Vilanova i la Geltrú, 2 Telephone: 93 890 11 51 MICROBUS SERVICE AND URBAN TRANSPORTATIONTelephone: 93 817 02 02

TAXIS SERVICETelephone: (daytime) 93 890 36 27Telephone:(nights, from 22 h. to 7 h.) 93 892 38 38

9. ASSOCIATIONS AND PARTICIPATION

If you want to participate in the world of asso-ciations you can contact the Escorxador, which is the place for cultural and social associations in the city. In this municipal building you can find a vast array of entities related to many diverse subjects; cultural, solidarity and cooperation, health promotion...

MUNICIPAL BUILDING L’ESCORXADORC/ Escorxador, 19-21 Telephone: 93 890 04 59Timetable: Monday to Friday, from 9 h. to 14 h. and from 17 h. to 21 h.E-mail address:escorxador@vilafranca.org

The different markets that are held in the village are also a big part of our city, they are places to meet and exchange in the broadest sense.

MUNICIPAL MARKET OF THE PELEGRINAAv. de La Pelegrina, s/nTimetable: Monday to Saturday, from 9 h. to 14 h.Fridays also from 16 h. to 20 h.

MUNICIPAL MARKET OF SANT SALVADORCarrer Francesc Macià, s/nTimetable: Monday to Saturday, from 9 h. to 21 h.

MUNICIPAL MEAT MARKET Plaça Vall del Castell, 17Timetable: Monday to Saturday, from 8 h. to 14 h.

DAILY FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKETPlaça de Sant JoanTimetable: Friday to Monday from 7 to 14 h.

WEEKLY SATURDAY MARKETSRambla Sant Francesc, carrer de la Cort, plaça de la Vila, plaça de la Constitució, plaça Vall del Castell, plaça de l’Oli, plaça Jaume I i plaça de Santa MariaTimetable: from 7 to 2:30 pm.

WEEKLY TUESDAY MARKETS Carrer Francesc Macià ( next to Mercat Sant Salvador)Carrers Baltà de Cela i Salvador Seguí ( next to Mercat de la Pelegrina)Timetable: from 7 to 2 pm.

12. MUNICIPAL MARKETS

OTHER IMPORTANT NUMBERS:Municipal Water CompanyTelephone: 93 890 60 20

Firemen (emergencies) Telephone: 93 892 20 80

Firemen (consultations)Telephone: 93 892 01 39

Red Cross (offices) Telephone: 93 891 53 00

Ambulances MA Telephone: 93 890 29 29

Ambulances MA (emergencies) Telephone: 061

FECSA (repairs) Telephone: 900 77 00 77

Gas Natural (emergencies)Telephone: 900 75 07 50

Local PoliceTelephone: 93 892 38 38

Guard Civil Telephone: 93 892 00 64

Mossos d’Esquadra Telephone: 93 892 11 54

Immigration Plan of the CCAPTelephone: 93 890 00 00

11. FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS

Vilafranca is characteritzed by a richness and diversity of festivals and popular customs full of culture and participation: typical popular celebrations that are a symbol of our identity and show the warmest and most enthusiastic part of our city..

In the spotlight, is the Main Festival (Festa Major) that is celebrated the 29th of August and 1st of September, characteritzed as the most traditional and typical. The Rooster’s Fair (La Fira del Gall), about the 15th of December, Lover’s Fair, the middle of May, Winter Festivals of Sant Raimon, from January 7th onwards, Neighborhood Fes-tivals, from the end of June until the beginning of August, or Sant Jordi’s Day, the 23rd of April are some of the most popular festivals in our municipality.

MUNICIPAL OFFICE OF TOURISMCarrer de la Cort, 14 Telephone: 93 892 03 58

MUNICIPAL SPONSOR OF COMMERCE AND TOURISMCarrer de la Fruita, 15Telephone: 93 892 03 58