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| '''Barcelona''' is the ] and largest city of ], in ], situated in the ] coast. Site of the Catalan Parliament since restoration of ]. Site of the ] ]. | '''Barcelona''' is the ] and largest city of ], in ], situated in the ] coast. Site of the Catalan Parliament since restoration of ]. Site of the ] ]. | ||
| Legend attributes the Carthaginese foundation of ] to ], father of ]. Later on, ] redrew the town as a ] centered on the ], 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. Important Roman remains are exposed under the Plaça del Rei, entrance by the city museum, ''Museu d'Història de la Ciutat''. | Legend attributes the Carthaginese foundation of ] to ], father of ]. Later on, ] redrew the town as a ] centered on the ], 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 ] in the 5th century, by the ] in the 8th century, reconquered in ] by the Frankish kings, and sacked by ] in the 10th century. | ||
| Barcelona offers a unique opportunity for the tourist on foot to walk from Roman remains to the medieval city to the modern city with its open thoroughfares with all intersections left wide open by the unique cut-off corners of the buildings. | Barcelona offers a unique opportunity for the tourist on foot to walk from Roman remains to the medieval city to the modern city with its open thoroughfares with all intersections left wide open by the unique cut-off corners of the buildings. | ||
Revision as of 02:39, 14 August 2002
Barcelona redirects here. For other uses, see Barcelona (disambiguation).
Barcelona is the capital and largest city of Catalonia, in Spain, situated in the Mediterranean coast. Site of the Catalan Parliament since restoration of Generalitat. Site of the 1992 Olympic Games.
Legend attributes the Carthaginese foundation of Barcino to Amilcar Barca, father of Hannibal. Later on, Romans redrew the town as a castrum 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 Arabs in the 8th century, reconquered in 801 by the Frankish kings, and sacked by Almansur in the 10th century.
Barcelona offers a unique opportunity for the tourist on foot to walk from Roman remains to the medieval city to the modern city with its open thoroughfares with all intersections left wide open by the unique cut-off corners of the buildings.
One notable feature is Les Rambles (Spanish Las Ramblas), a pedestrian parkway that runs from the city center to the waterfront, crowded with people, bird sellers, street entertainers, and restaurants, but also of con artists (trileros) and smart pickpockets. Les Rambles ends at the waterfront where there is a statue of Christopher Columbus looking resolutely to the east.
The historic city center is reasonably flat, but nowadays the city extends onto the surrounding hills and along the contiguous valleys of Llobregat and Besòs rivers.
Catalan nationalists encouraged printing books in their native language with the side effect that Barcelona is now a European center of printing, particularly fine printing.
The airport to the southwest of the city is named El Prat, after the nearby town El Prat de Llobregat.
The architect Antoni Gaudí lived and worked in Barcelona, leaving many famous buildings including the Palau Güell and the immense but still unfinished Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, that has been under construction since 1882. Other artistic attractionis include the Museu Joan Miró and a unique museum featuring only works by Pablo Picasso created while he was living in Spain as a child and young man and as an old man and nothing else.
The Museu Marítim chronicles the history of life on the Mediterranean, including a full-scale model of a galley.
Some other tourist attractions are the Tibidabo hills (with an amusement park at the top), the mountain of Montserrat (a Benedictine abbey), the large Aquarium, and a Zoo that prides itself on owning the only white gorilla in the world.
Some cities and towns in Barcelona province: L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Cerdanyola, Mataró, Granollers, Sabadell, Terrassa, Sitges, Igualada, Vic, Manresa, Berga.
External Links