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Revision as of 08:35, 26 June 2002 by Danny (talk | contribs) (started a little copyediting. It needs Vicki)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Barcelona is the largest city in Catalonia, 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 Hamilcar Barca, grandfather 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. Important Roman remains are exposed under the Plaça del Rei, entrance by the city museum, Museu d'Història de la Ciutat. Ataulfus, king of the Visigoths, had his capital in Barcelona, and married Galla Placidia, the sister of the Roman emperor, there.
The historic city center is reasonably flat, but nowadays the city extends onto the surrounding hills and along the continguous valleys of Llobregat and Besòs.
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. One of those is the yet unfinished cathedral called Sagrada Família.
Some other tourist attractions are the Tibidabo hills (with a funfair 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.
The website of the Barcelona city council: <a href="http://www.bcn.es/">http://www.bcn.es/</a>
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There are other cities named Barcelona outside of Spain, though all of them got their names from periods of Catalan or Spanish dominance in their region.
In Sicily, Italy there is a city called Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, founded in the 1600s during the Spanish dominance of the island. It has about 45,000 inhabitants.
One of the biggest cities in Venezuela is also named Barcelona.