History
Legend attributes the Carthaginian foundation of Barcino to Hamilcar Barca,
father of Hannibal. Later on, Romans redrew the town as a castrum (a Roman
military camp) centered on the Mons Taber, a little hill nearby the
contemporary city hall (Plaça de Sant Jaume). This planning is still visible
today on the map of the historical center and the remaining fragments of the
Roman walls. Important Roman remains are exposed under the Plaça del Rei,
entrance by the city museum, Museu d'Història de la Ciutat. The city was
conquered by the Visigoths in the 5th century, by the Moors in the 8th
century, reconquered in 801 by the Frankish kings, and sacked by Al-Mansur
in 985.
Barcelona became a Frankish county, which eventually became independent and
expanded to include the Principate of Catalonia, later formed the Kingdom of
Aragon who conquered many overseas possessions, ruling the Mediterranean Sea
from Barcelona to Athens. The forging of a dynastic link between the
Catalonia-Aragon Confederation and Castile marked the beginning of
Barcelona's decline. This legacy exists to this day as evidenced by the fact
that the city (and Catalonia as a whole) still has a substantial proportion
of people whose first language is Castilian.
The city was devastated after the Catalonian Republic of 1640 - 1652, and
again during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714. King Philip V
demolished half of the merchants' quarter (La Ribera) to build a military
citadel as a way of both punishing and controlling the rebel city.
During the 19th century, Barcelona grew with the industrial revolution and
the introduction of many new industries. During a period of weaker control
by the Madrid authorities, the medieval walls were torn down and the citadel
of La Ribera was converted into an urban park: the modern Parc de la
Ciutadella, site of the 1888 "Universal Exposition" (World's Fair). The
exposition also left behind the Arc de Triomf and the Museu de Zoologia (a
building originally used during the fair as a cafe-restaurant). The fields
that had surrounded the artificially constricted city became the Eixample ("extension"),
a bustling modern city surrounding the old.
The beginning of the 20th century marked Barcelona's resurgence as Catalans
clamoured for political autonomy and greater freedom of cultural expression.
Barcelona was a stronghold for the anarchist cause, siding with the
Republic's democratically elected government during the Spanish Civil War
(1936-39). It was overrun by Franco's forces in 1939, which ushered in a
reign of cultural and political repression that lasted decades. The protest
movement of the 1970s and the demise of the dictatorship turned Barcelona
into a centre of cultural vitality, enabling it to become the thriving city
it is today. While it may still be the second city of Spain, it has a charm
and air that is unique and prized. A decline in the inner city population
and displacement towards the outskirts and beyond raises the threat of urban
sprawl.
The city has been the focus of the revival of the Catalan language. Despite
the immigration of Castilian speakers from other parts of Spain during the
Franco dictaorship for political and economic reasons to Barcelona, there
has been notable success in the increased use of Catalan in everyday life.
Barcelona was the site of the 1992 Summer Olympics. The city's controversial
Forum of Cultures was held between May and September 2004, lasting a
marathon 141 days.
Geography
To its north the city borders the River Besòs and the municipalities of
Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià de Besòs; to the south it borders
the Zona Franca, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat; to
the east is the Mediterranean; and to the west Montcada i Reixach and Sant
Cugat del Vallès.
Barcelona is divided into several districts; the following list favors
Catalan-language names, rather than Spanish-language names; as of 2004, they
are the most commonly used and the only official ones:
Ciutat Vella (old city): the Raval (also known as the Barri Xinès), the
Barri Gòtic, and the Barri de la Ribera.
The Eixample: Sant Antoni, Esquerra de l'Eixample ("the left side of the
Eixample" with the sea at your back) Dreta de l'Eixample ("the right side of
the Eixample"), Barri de la Sagrada Família
Sants - Montjuïc: Can Tunis, Montjuïc, Hostafrancs, Sants
Les Corts
Sarrià - Sant Gervasi: Pedralbes, Sarrià, Sant Gervasi, Vallvidrera
Gràcia: Vallcarca, Barri de la Salut, Gràcia, El Camp d'en Grassot
Horta-Guinardó: Horta, Barri del Carmel, La Teixonera, El Guinardó
Nou Barris: Trinitat Vella, Trinitat Nova
Sant Andreu: Barri del Congrés, Sant Andreu de Palomar
Sant Martí: Fort Pius, Sant Martí de Provençals, Poble Nou, La Verneda
Tourist attractions
Barcelona offers a unique opportunity for the tourist on foot to walk from
Roman remains to the medieval city, and then to the modern city with its
open thoroughfares and grid-iron street pattern. The historic city center is
fairly flat, while the modern city fans out towards the surrounding hills,
bordered by steep streets that are vaguely reminiscent of those found in San
Francisco.
A notable feature is La Rambla - a boulevard that runs from the city center
to the waterfront, thronged with crowds until late at night and lined by
florists, bird sellers, street entertainers, thieves, cafeterias, and
restaurants. Walking along La Rambla one can see the world-famous opera
house El Liceu, the food market of La Boqueria and the Plaça Reial
(literally Royal square), with its arches and palm trees, amongst other
interesting buildings. It is also worth keeping an eye out for pickpockets,
for whom the boulevard is a favourite haunt. Visitors should also be aware
that smack-heads in Plaça Reial who offer "chocolate" to passers-by are in
fact selling hashish.
La Rambla ends at the old harbour, where a statue of Christopher Columbus
points eastwards across the Mediterranean Sea to his birth place of Genoa.
Next to it is the Museu Marítim (naval museum), which chronicles the history
of life on the Mediterranean, including a full-scale model of a galley. The
buildings of the museum are the medieval Drassanes (shipyards), where the
ships which sailed the Mediterranean were built. The old harbour offers all
kinds of other amenities, including the largest Aquarium on the
Mediterranean.
To the north of downtown is the Parc de la Ciutadella, which includes both
the Parlament de Catalunya (Catalan Parliament) and the Parc Zoològic de
Barcelona (zoo). One of Barcelona's most famous residents, the late albino
gorilla Floquet de Neu ("Snowflake"), lived (and died) at the zoo. The park
also contains science museums.
Outstanding is the legacy of architect Antoni Gaudí, who lived and worked in
Barcelona, and who left several famous works like the Palau Güell in the
city's old center, the Parc Güell at the northern tip of Gràcia, and the
immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been
under construction since 1882, financed by popular donations like the
cathedrals in the Middle Ages (However, it is not a cathedral: the cathedral
of Barcelona is the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia, a Gothic building of the
late Middle Ages). The Sagrada Familia is billed for completion in 2020.
Another very notable modernist building in the older part of the city is the
Palau de la Música Catalana, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and built
in 1908.
Art visits include the museum of the Joan Miró Foundation, where several
paintings and sculptures of this artist are shown, together with guest
exhibitions from other museums around the world. There is also a unique
museum featuring the lesser known works of Pablo Picasso from his earlier
period. The National Museum of Art of Catalonia (in the Palau Nacional left
behind by the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition) possesses a well-known
collection of Romanesque art, including wall-paintings of Romanesque
churches and chapels around Catalonia that have been transferred to the
museum. The Contemporary Art Museum is also worth a visit, not only because
of its paintings and sculptures, but because of its architecture. The
building was designed by the American architect Richard Meier. Visitors
should note that the opening times of Barcelona's museums vary considerably
and are often highly inconvenient - careful planning is recommended to avoid
wasted trips.
In the modern districts of the city are several avenues on which most of the
international merchants of clothing, jewelry, leather goods and other items
have their stores. The most elegant avenue is the Passeig de Gràcia, where
two Gaudí buildings are situated, the Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and the Casa
Batlló, along with buildings by other famous modernista architects: Casa
Ametller by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Casa Lleó Morera by Domènech i
Montaner. In recent years, office developments along Passeig de Gràcia have
been allowed to break up the architectural unity of the 19th and early 20th
century buildings lining the avenue - a process which shows no signs of
slackening.
For spectacular views over the city and the coast line there are two hills.
One, Montjuïc hill, is next to the harbour and perched above a large
container terminal. On its top is an old fortress which used to guard the
entrance to the port. Around the hill are the Olympic Stadium, the Sports
Palace, the latter designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and the
Botanical Gardens. Uptown is the hill of the Tibidabo, over 500 meters high,
with an amusement park and a monumental church on its summit. The church
mosaics provide a curious example of Nationalist Catholic art, much in vogue
during the dictatorship.
World Heritage Sites in Barcelona
World Heritage Sites of UNESCO in Barcelona:
Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
Hospital de Sant Pau
Palau Güell
Palau de la Música Catalana
Parc Güell
Transportation
In addition to its port, of great historical and contemporary commercial
importance, Barcelona is served by El Prat International Airport in the
small town of El Prat de Llobregat.
Barcelona is a hub for RENFE, the Spanish state railway, and its main
suburban train station is Sants-Estació. The AVE high-speed rail system was
recently extended from Madrid to Lleida in western Catalonia, and is
expected to reach Barcelona by 2005. Renfe and the Ferrocarrils de la
Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) run Barcelona's efficient and widespread
commuter train service. Barcelona's transit company, Transports
Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), runs the Barcelona Metro system and city
buses. See List of Barcelona metro stations. Barcelona has recently adopted
another transport option with two new tram lines known as Trambaix and
Trambesòs.
Sports
Barcelona is home to FC Barcelona, known as Barça, one of the most famous
football clubs in the world. The club has always been associated with
Catalan nationalism and has one of Europe largest stadiums, the 98,600
seater Camp Nou. There is another club in Barcelona, Espanyol, full name
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol
