Barcelona
- Alternate uses: Barcelona (disambiguation)
Barcelona seen from the harbour.
Beginning of La Rambla at the old harbour.
The PlaÃÂça Reial next to La Rambla.
The church of the Sagrada FamÃÂÃÂlia.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region in the northeast of Spain (41ÃÂú 23' N, 2ÃÂú 11' E). It is also the largest city of Spain after Madrid. Barcelona is located on the Mediterranean coast, 160 km south of the Pyrenees mountain range, the border with France. The city has a population of around 1.6 million, and its metropolitan area of around 3 million. A decline in the inner city population and displacement towards the outskirts and beyond threatens urban sprawl.
Barcelona was the site of the 1992 Summer Olympics. The city's controversial Forum of Cultures will take place from May 9 to September 26, 2004.
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2 Tourist attractions 3 World Heritage Sites in Barcelona 4 Transportation 5 External link |
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 (PlaÃÂça 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 PlaÃÂça del Rei, entrance by the city museum, Museu d'HistÃÂòria 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, the Kingdom of Aragon and many overseas possessions, ruling the Mediterranian 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) is still a majority Castilian-speaking area.
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. The medieval walls were torn down and the citadel of La Ribera was converted into an urban park: the modern Parc de la Ciutadella. 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 terror and 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.
While the city has been the focus of the revival of the Catalan language, movement of Castilian speakers from other parts of Spain for economic reasons to Barcelona have limited the success of the imposition of Catalan in everyday life.
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, 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 PlaÃÂça 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 hawkers in PlaÃÂça 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 (eastward!) to the sea.
Next to it is the Museu MarÃÂÃÂtim (naval museum), which chronicles the history of life on the Mediterranean, including a full-scale model of a galley. The building 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 of 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 GaudÃÂÃÂ, who lived and worked in Barcelona, and who left several famous works like the Palau GÃÂüell, the Parc GÃÂüell, and the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada FamÃÂÃÂlia, which
has been under construction since 1882, financed by popular donations like the cathedrals in the Middle Ages (notice though, that 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.
Art visits include the museum of the Joan MirÃÂó Foundation, where several paintings and sculptures of this artist are shown, together with guest exhibitions from other museums around the world. There is further a unique museum featuring less known works by Pablo Picasso of his earlier period. The National Museum of Art of Catalonia 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 having been designed by 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 companies of clothing, jewelry, leathergoods and other have their stores. The most elegant avenue is the Passeig de GrÃÂàcia, where two GaudÃÂàbuildings are sited, the Casa MilÃÂà(La Pedrera) and the Casa BatllÃÂó. In recent
years, office developments along Passeig de GrÃÂÃÂ cia 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, MontjuÃÂïc 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 and the Sports Palace, the latter designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, as are 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.
Tourist attractions
Barcelona offers a unique opportunity for the tourist on foot to walk from Roman remains to the medieval city, and to the modern city with its open thoroughfares and grid-iron steet 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.World Heritage Sites in Barcelona
World Heritage Sites of UNESCO in Barcelona:
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. 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.
http://ca.wikipedia.org/upload/c/cd/Localitzaci%C3%B3_de_Barcelona.png Barcelona marked in the BarcelonÃÂès