home  site map  contact
 
 

COUNTRIES & CITIES

MAIN DESTINATIONS

PLACES OF INTEREST

AIR TICKETS

TRAIN TICKETS

ACCOMODATION

CAR RENTAL

PHONE RENTAL

 
 
 
 

MAIN DESTINATION IN EUROPE »

Barcelona » Spain
back
 

BARCELONA

Country:

Spain

spain flag
population 1.593.075
language Spanish
currency Euro (€)
 
Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia and the province homonymous. It is located to borders of the Mediterranean Sea, about 160 km to the south of the mountainous chain of the Pyrenees and the border with France, in a plain limited the east by the sea, to the west by the coastal mountain range (Serra de Collserola), to the south by the Llobregat river and to the north by the Besòs river. With a population of 1,593,075 habitants within their municipal term, a metropolitan area of 4,686,701 inhabitants and one province of 5,226,354. Barcelona and its metropolitan area constitute the second economic nucleus and of more important population of Spain, at the present time behind Madrid.

With a superfície of hardly 100 km², Barcelona has a highest demographic density of 15,867 inhabitants by square kilometer, which turns it the second denser city of Spain after its neighbor L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and in front of his also neighboring Badalona. The demographic density of Barcelona comes near to the one of cities like Paris (20,164 hab/km²) or New York (18.857 hab/km²), being three times greater than the one of cities like Tokyo (5,655 hab./km²), Madrid (5,198 hab./km²) or London (4,442 hab./km²). Is not exaggerated to affirm that good part of historical happening of Spain in the last two hundred years is marked by the proverbial rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid, and its struggle by the preeminence in the scopes of the industry, the commerce, the culture and the policy.

Barcelona has been scene of diverse world-wide events that have contributed to form the city and to give international projection him. Most excellent they have been the Exhibitions Universal and the International of 1888 and 1929 respectively, the Mediterranean Games of 1955 and the Olympic Games of summer of 1992. In 2004 a new event of international projection, the Forum took place 2004 or Universal Fórum of the Cultures.


Tourism

Barcelona is one of the main tourist destinies of Europe, and the European city that the reception of tourists of the last years has increased more.

In year 2005 they spendt the night in the city more than 5 million tourists, a 11 percent more than in 2004. The Barcelona's hotels registered more than 11 million pernoctaciones in the 2005, an 8 percent more than the previous year.

According to data of the Turisme partnership of Barcelona, 60% of the five million tourists traveled to the city to spend days of vacations. The rest, by reasons for business or to attend fairs and international congresses. In 2006 Barcelona will have more than 50,000 hotel seats, the double of which had the city in 1996.

It is possible to mention that, in addition to the registered foreign tourists in Barcelona's hotels, the city received the arrival of a high percentage of the million tourists lodged in other populations of Catalonia, that received a total of 13.5 million tourists in the 2005. To these numbers it is possible to add the visit of thousands of tourists coming from the rest of Spain.

Barcelona offers to the visitor the possibility of crossing on foot from the Roman ruins and the medieval city to the districts of the "Catalan modernism", with its characteristic buildings, its square apples of sectioned songs, their hoisted streets and their wide avenues. The old city is practically level, whereas the new districts, as they approach the coastal mountain range, acquire more slope. Some of their streets even remember to those of San Francisco.


Architecture

Barcelona is well-known like the capital of the Modernism. The city, in which architect Antoni Gaudí lived and worked counts on most excellent of his works, that attract every year million visitors worldwide. Most representative it is the temple of the Sagrada Familia, who Gaudí left unfinished and that is continued constructing in the same way that the cathedrals in the Average Age, with particular donativos and contributions. in addition to with the income of the entrances, that have turned the Sagrada Family the visited monument more of Spain.

On the basis of modern means of construction, its completion is predicted towards year 2020. Others of works more known Gaudí are the Güell Park (Parc Güell), the Milà House, also denominated "The stone quarry", and the Batlló House. In addition to works of Gaudí, Barcelona counts on other jewels of the Catalan Modernism like the Hospital of Sant Pau and the Palau of the Music of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, or the Palau Macaya and many other works of Josep Puig i Cadafalch, among others. Aside from modernist works, Barcelona also counts on excellent works pertaining to other styles and historical periods.

Within the medieval period they emphasize specially gothic works that they proliferate in its historical center, indeed denominated "Gothic District" like the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia. In this same style the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Sea, characterized by its austerity and harmony in the measures is framed, that are considered by many the gothic most outstanding work of the Catalan. Also it is possible to emphasize the Church of Santa Maria of the Pí, located in the Seat of the Pí (Pino, Catalan), next to the Boulevards. Also it has numerous samples of contemporary architecture.

The most outstanding work is, probably, the German Pavilion of Ludwig Mies go to der Rohe, that was constructed in the occasion of the Exhibition the International of the 1929. Also the Foundation is worthy of special mention Joan Watched of the Catalan architect Josep Lluís Sert or the Pavilion of the Republic, carried out by the same architect for the Universal Exhibition of Paris of 1937. Years later, in the occasion of the Olympic Games of 1992, the city lived a stage of great transformations that gave rise to works like the Palau Sant Jordi de Arata Isozaki, the Tower of Collserola de Norman Foster and the Calatrava Tower of Santiago Calatrava.

Before the Games also it was carried out the remodeling and extension of the Airport of the Prat, that directed Ricardo Bofill. In the post-Olympic stage and in the occasion of the Universal Fórum of the Cultures, the city has continued maintaining a great vitality in the architectonic scope, buildings as the Hotel Candle of Ricardo Bofill, the Museu d'Art Contemporani of Barcelona (MACBA) of Richard Meier, the Tower Agbar de Jean Nouvel, the Fórum Building de Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron and the construction of a new station in the Sagrera with a new skyscraper, the Tower of the Railway Triangle of Frank Gehry.


Museums

The art museums of Barcelona have a remarkable interest for the visitor. In the Foundation Joan it watched are some works of the Majorcan painter and traveling exhibitions coming from museums are made worldwide.

The Picasso Museum counts on an important work collection little known this painter, mainly of its initial times. In the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (National Museu d'Art of Catalunya, MNAC) is one of the most important collections of Roman art of the world.

Of special interest are the fresh Romans that were transferred to the museum from chapels and churches of all Catalonia. The art of the present time is exposed in recently constructed Museum of Art of Contemporary of Barcelona (Museu d'Art Contemporani of Barcelona, MACBA), whose building was designed by the American architect Richard Meier.

Also they are of remarkable interest "Centers of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona" (CCCB) located in the Raval, the museum of the "Fundació Antoni Tàpies" in the heat of Eixample, the "CaixaFòrum" located in the skirt of Montjuïc, and the "Museum of Science", now denominated "CosmoCaixa", on the feet of the Tibidabo.

The "Museu d'Història of the Ciutat", finally, allows to make an underground route by the streets and houses of Roman Barcelona and to know the evolution the city throughout history.



Places of interest

The Milà House:



Call popularly the stone quarry (' it will Pedrerá in Catalan, it means ' quarry ') due to the strange forms of the building, is work of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí and was constructed between years 1906 and 1912 in the Catalan modernist style. Located in number 92 of the Stroll of Grace (in Catalan, Passeig de Gràcia) in the district of Ensanche (in Catalan Eixample) of Barcelona, the house was built by order of the marriage Roser Segimon and Pere Milà.

The building, by the innovator, is a typical gaudiana work in that few straight lines or planes exist very, and however numerous round curves and. All its facade is made in natural stone, except for the superior part that is covered with white tiles.

The combination of the stone and these white tiles evokes a snow-covered mountain. In the roof are great exits of stairs and chimneys, these last ones covered of fragments of bottles and with the appearance of heads of soldiers covered by yelmos. It is to emphasize the beauty of the forged iron of his balconies.

At the present time the building is property of a savings bank, whose it has carried out continued works of conservation and restoration. The Milá House can be visited.

In 1984 UNESCO declared the Milà House Patrimony of the Humanity.



The Hospital of Sant Pau: (Hospital of Santa Creu i of Sant Pau) is a set of buildings located in Barcelona, that were projected by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, one of the main representatives of the Catalan modernism.

With its main building and its numerous pavilions, the Hospital of Sant Pau is the greatest set of the Catalan modernist architecture.


The Hospital has its origin in 1401, when the six hospitals megred that at th
at time existed in Barcelona. The name of the new institution was Hospital of Santa Creu (Hospital of Santa Cruz).

At the end of century XIX the city had grown considerably and the advances of the medicine demanded more modern facilities. As a result of it the construction of a new building considered that could finance by means of the donation that banker Pau Gil had done.

Its construction began in 1902 and it was developed throughout 18 years, during which the works were paralyzed by lack of means. The set was finished in 1930. In order to respect the will of the patron, its Pau name was added (Pablo) to the one of the hospital, which from then was called Hospital of Santa Creu i Sant Pau, although in the present time it is known him by Hospital of Sant Pau.

The set was projected to occupy a surface of 9 apples of Ensanche (in catalan Eixample), in a square of 300 by 300 meters. It consists of a main building dedicated to the administration, and of 27 pavilions in which the medical tasks are developed and of infirmary. All the buildings are united by means of galleries underground, apt for the transfer of patients.

The technical facilities are outdoors, to facilitate their maintenance. Between all the buildings it emphasizes the main one, of the administration, to which it is acceded by an ample perron. To both sides are the rooms of the library and the secretariat. In a separated space is the church, that it is impressive. Nevertheless, the pavilions are also of great interest, specially so that each one of them is different from the others. Domènech architect had several artists who collaborated with him in the project.

The main ones were Pau Gargallo, that made the numerous sculptures of the set, Francesc Labarta, that designed paintings and mosaics, and Josep Perpinyà, who became position of the forged iron elements. With the passage of time the extension necessity has returned to make clear itself, as much by I number of patients, like by the technological advances of the medicine and by the increasing educational activity, since the hospital has university character nowadays.

During second half of the last century already some new buildings were gotten up to the set, of which most important it is the Institute of Urología, a hospital dedicated completely to that specialty. At the moment the works for a new great building have begun, that is constructed in one of the ends of the square occupied by the present set.

In 1997 UNESCO declared the Hospital of Sant Pau Patrimony of the Humanity.


The Historical Center and the Boulevard:
one of the places of greater attractive of the city is the Boulevard, stroll that runs between the Seat of Catalonia (in Catalan Plaça de Catalunya), neuralgic center of the city, and the old port. The stroll is full of people by day and until high times of the night. The stroll is laid out of kioscos of press, street flowers and birds, actors, cafeterias, restaurants and commerce.

Near the port swap-meets, as well as painters and sketchers are used to settling. Taking a walk by the Boulevards several buildings of interest can be admired, like the Palace of the Virreina, as well as the market of the Boquería and the famous theater of the Grammar school (cat. the Liceu), in which operas and ballets imagine. The lateral streets also have a special enchantment.

One of them, of few meters of length, leads to the Real Seat (cat.Plaça Reial), a seat with palms and edificos with soportales that welcome multitude of breweries and restaurants, and in that the collectors of seals and currencies meet to the week ends. The stroll of the Boulevard ends at the old port (seat Vestibule of La Paz), where the famous statue of Cristopher Columbus indicates with the arm not towards the continent that discovered in 1492, but in inverse sense, towards Genoa, where it thinks that it could have been born.

In the environs is the Marine Museum (Museu Maritim), dedicated specially to naval history in the Mediterranean, and in which the reproduction on accommodation ladder of one old galera is exhibited battle. The museum is located in the Atarazanas (cat. drassanes), shipyards of the Average Age, where the boats were constructed that connected the extensive dominions of Corona de Aragón in the Mediterranean. The old port offers other attractiveness, like a center of leisure and commerce, restaurants, a cinema IMAX, and the greater aquarium of Mediterranean marine fauna.

In the historical center, closely together of the Boulevard, also the Cathedral of Barcelona, the Seat Sant Jaume that welcome the buildings of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the City council of Barcelona, and the narrow ones but animated side streets as much of the gothic district as of the Raval and the Born are interesting.


The Güell Palace: in Catalan Palau Güell, is a building designed by Antonio Gaudí, famous architect by its works of very peculiar style within the Catalan modernist current. The palace is located in a narrow street of Barcelona, the Carrer Nou of the Boulevard, near the port. The building was ordered to Gaudí by Eusebio Güell, who felt a great admiration by the architect and financed others of his more well-known works. The construction was made between years 1885 and 1900.

Being the street so little wide, it is difficult to observe the facade in its totality. Nevertheless, it is possible to be acceded to the interior through magnificent doors of parabolic arcs. The entrance has impressive dimensions, thought so that the mounted visitors could accede to her in its horses, or in its vehicles.

For the horses stables existed in the cellar, which then was totally innovating. Towards inside, is more the inner recibidor, that it has a height of three plants. This space is sensibly smaller than the previous one, although Gaudí was able to increase it in its visual perception by means of the installation of a great number of columns.

This recibidor is the central nucleus of the building, since it is surrounded by the main stays of the palace. These also were object of a careful design by Gaudí, and have beautiful wood ceilings. In the tile roof there are several chimneys, to which far from treating them like annoying elements, Gaudí gave decorative character them. With it it initiated a form to design the chimneys that would be developing in their following works, until reaching spectacular solutions like in the Milá House.

In 1984 UNESCO declared the Güell Palace Patrimony of the Humanity.



The Palau of Catalan Music: is an audience of music located in Barcelona. It was projected by
Barcelonian architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, one of the maximum representatives of the Catalan modernism. The construction was carried out between years 1905 and 1908. The building was ordered by Catalan, loving textile industrialists of music, who also financed the opera house and Liceu ballet.

The audience was destined to concerts of orquestal and instrumental music, as well as to choral interpretations and of singers. At the present time he continues acting all these as, as much in the scope of classic music like in the one of present music.

The architecture of Domènech is of great quality and originality. In the outside escultóricos elements, that make reference to the world of music, with architectonic elements of baroque modernist character are mixed.

In the interior the architect skillfully combined the diverse construction equipments with ceramics and glass. The room and the scene form a harmonic set, in which one Integra in the other. The scene is dominated in its superior part by the tubes of the organ, that become a decorative element as well. The acoustics of the audience is superb. The Palau of Catalan Music was declared National Monument in 1971. With such reason ample works of restoration were made.

In 1997 UNESCO included I build in its relation of the Patrimony of the Humanity.



The Güell Park:



(In Catalan Parc Güell, although its original name is Park Güell) it is a great garden with architectonic elements located in the superior part of Barcelona, in the slope that watches the sea of the Turó mountain of the Carmel, not very far from the Tibidabo. It was designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, explaining maximum of the Catalan modernism, constructed between years inaugurated 1900 and 1914 and like public park in 1926. It has an extension of 17.18 hectares (0.1718 kilometers square).


In the design of the park the hand of an architect is made clear clearly, and the peculiar style of Gaudí is evident in any element, by small that is. Waved forms exist, similar to the rivers of lava, and strolls covered with columns that have forms of trees or stalactites. Many of the surfaces are covered with pieces of ceramics or glass as a mosaics of colors. By its location to the margin of the large city and an elevated altitude, this park is a peace backwater that resists with the noise and frenzy of the Catalan capital.

Antoni Gaudí had in mind the city-garden English (what manifesto in the initial spelling has left Park Güell), and insisted on obtaining a perfect integration of its works in the nature. Proof of it the constituted columns of stones of sizes and very variable forms, that suggest trunks of trees, natural stalactites and caves. The right angles do not appear in any place: The columns are inclined like palms.

The central point of the park constitutes an immense empty seat (a source and a tiled ground had been a good idea) whose edge serves as bank and undulates like a serpent of one hundred fifty meters in length. It is covered of small pieces of ceramics and crystal and is work of Josep Maria Jujol, a collaborator of Gaudí.

The seat partially is maintained by the Room of one hundred columns, composed by eighty and five columns similar to giant estalagmitas in a cave. In the ceiling, among them are circular decorations (rosettes), where columns were not constructed that were initially predicted (to reach one hundred). At this place the perron arrives from the main entrance of the park, had around a salamander symmetrically sculpture who has become the emblem of the garden.

It represents the alquímica salamander, who symbolizes the element fire. In the main entrance of the park two buildings of pure Gaudí style are raised, with ceilings of smooth curves, geometric strangers appendices and reasons. It is Eusebi Güell who gives its name to the park. This rich Catalan industralist, member of an influential bourgeois family of the condal city was for Gaudí a true patron, allowing to carry out many him of his works - among them the Güell Park - without interfering in his artistic decisions.

This park is the happy result of a commercial failure: in effect, in the mount occupied today by the park it was predicted to construct an urbanization of great category, with approximately 86 houses scattered in an immense garden, the environs of the city and with a panoramic Vista on all Barcelona.

But, because of World War I, only two parcels were sold, (in one of them is the house Gaudi museum), and the city council decided years but afternoons (in 1926), after the death of Güell, to buy the remaining land to make a park public. Gaudí exclusively dedicated since then to his more monumental work, the Sagrada Familia.

According to the original plane, the central seat had to be a Greek theater, and the columns constituted a dórico temple of one hundred columns. The Güell Park can be visited every day. It is arrived at him with the meter, although the stations are to certain distance, with the urban buses or, preferredly, with the tourist bus, that cross all the points of interest of the city as a urban bus.

In 1984 UNESCO declared the Güell Park Patrimony of the Humanity. It was artistic historical Monument from 1969.


Sagrada Familia:



Is a great church in Barcelona, designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, still in construction. Its complete name is Expiatorio Temple of the Sagrada Familia.

The Sagrada Familia is the masterpiece of Gaudí, the maximum exponent of the Catalan modernist architecture. In 1883, when Gaudí was 31 years old, it received the order to continue just the initiates works of the temple of the Sagrada Familia, after the abandonment of Francesc de Paula of the Villar, as a result of the discords of this one with the original association of the temple. When becoming Gaudí position of the project, modified it entirely (except for the part already constructed of cripta) printing its peculiar style to him.

During the rest 43 years of his life it worked intensely in the work, last the 15 years of exclusive form. This so intense dedication has its explanation, in addition to the magnitude of the work, by the fact that Gaudí defined many aspects as the construction advanced, instead of them to have previously made specific in its planes and instructions. For that reason its personal presence in the work was of great importance. As the facade of the Birth was growing, the style became more fantastic. They seem nests of thermites or sand castles.

In its peak there are ornamentos covered with murano crystal, of alive colors. In addition, decorative elements of complex and original design exist in the numerous towers, that some consider influenced by the current of the Art Nouveau. Single one of its towers got to see crowned Gaudí before its death, the one of San Bernabé.

During the Spanish Civil War it was to a large extent destroyed the factory in which Gaudí had worked, and where were their outlines, scale models and models. By this cause and the particular way to work Gaudí, planes nor directives did not have left about how the temple had to be finished. For that reason, when in 1940 the construction of the Sagrada was resumed Family, it had to define itself in the first place how it had to be come, to build the temple of the most faithful form to the ideas of Gaudí.

To the front of this gigantic task they are architects Francesc Quintana, Puig Boada and Lluis Bonet Garí, whereas of the escultórica work Busquets is in charge to J.. Later, when the facade of the Passion was constructed, the main set of the escultóricas figures was ordered to Josep Mª Subirachs. The works of this last one have originated certain controversy, because it has created moved away totally contemporary sculptures of the realistic style that Gaudí facts in the face of the Birth.


Local celebrations

.
April 23: Sant Jordi, pattern of Catalonia. In spite of being a celebration, it is workable day in all Catalonia. The festividad is celebrated with the tradition of the gift of flowers and books to the dear beings (flowers to the women, books to the men). In all Barcelonian positions of sale of roses and books in the street are put which gives a unique atmosphere to the city in a day in which it is tradition to leave to take a walk. It is considered that the day of Sant Jordi is the day in which Barcelona offers its more beautiful image of the year.

. September 11: National Diada of Catalonia. Nonworkable day. The fall of Barcelona remembers before the Castilian troops the September 11th of 1714, and the later loss of the Catalan institutions. In 1980 the Parliament of Catalonia established the September 11 like holiday in Catalonia. The day is prolífica in symbolic acts and citizen manifestations of political character.

. September 24: The Mercè, Barcelona's pattern celebration. Nonworkable day in festive and musical the city of Barcelona, where they organize all type of playful activities, for all the public. The celebrations begin day 21 and usually last three days during which, by the nights, there are gratuitous concerts in the most centric seats of the city.
 
top
 
At TRAVEL WORLD EUROPE, you can find qualified information about the cities of Europe, such as population, language, history, places of interest and many more. In addition, we provide information about air and train tickets, accomodations, car rental and phone rental.

If you plan a trip to any place, or just want to get more information about Europe, TRAVEL WORLD EUROPE is your first destiny!
 
 
Bellow, you can find a listing with all the countries of Europe, their capitals and most relevant cities.
The cities in yellow are available to access. Into anyone, you can find a great amount of information referred to each destiny, such as population, language, history, places of interest and many more.
 
albania flag

Albania

Tirana
 
austria flag

Austria

Vienna
andorra flag

Andorra

Andorra la Vella
 
azerbaijan flag

Azerbaijan

Baku
armenia flag

Armenia

Yerevan
 
belarus flag

Belarus

Minsk
     
belgium flag

Belgium

Brussels
 
croatia flag

Croatia

Zagreb
bosnia and herzegovina flag

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo
 
cyprus flag

Cyprus

Nicosia
bulgaria flag

Bulgaria

Sofia
 
czech republic flag

Czech Republic

Prague
     
denmark flag

Denmark

Copenhagen
 
finland flag

Finland

Helsinki
england flag

England

London
 
france flag

France

Paris, Marseille, Montpellier
estonia flag

Estonia

Tallinn
 
georgia flag

Georgia

Tbilisi
     
germany flag

Germany

Berlin, Hamburg, Munich
 
iceland flag

Iceland

Reykjavík
greece flag

Greece

Athens
 
ireland flag

Republic of Ireland

Dublin
hungary flag

Hungary

Budapest
 
italy flag

Italy

Rome, Florence, Milan
     
latvia flag

Latvia

Riga
 
luxembourg flag

Luxembourg

Luxembourg
liechtenstein flag

Liechtenstein

Vaduz
 
macedonia flag

Republic of Macedonia

Skopje
lithuania flag

Lithuania

Vilnius
 
malta flag

Malta

Valletta
     
moldova flag

Moldova

Chisinau
 
netherlands flag

Netherlands

Amsterdam
monaco flag

Monaco

Monaco
 
northern ireland flag

Northern Ireland

Belfast
montenegro flag

Montenegro

Podgorica
 
norway flag

Norway

Oslo
     
poland flag

Poland

Warsaw
 
san marino flag

San Marino

San Marino
portugal flag

Portugal

Lisbon
 
scotland flag

Scotland

Edinburgh
romania flag

Romania

Bucharest
 
serbia flag

Serbia

Belgrade
     
slovakia flag

Slovakia

Bratislava
 
sweden flag

Sweden

Stockholm, Gothenburg
slovenia flag

Slovenia

Ljubljana
 
switzerland flag

Switzerland

Bern
spain flag

Spain

Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville, Valencia
 
turkey flag

Turkey

Ankara
     
ukraine flag

Ukraine

Kiev
vatican city flag

Vatican City

Vatican City
wales flag

Wales

Cardiff
 
Countries & cities | Main destinations | Places of interest | Air tickets | Train tickets | Accommodation | Car rental | Phone rental
Copyright© TRAVEL WORLD EUROPE 2006-2007 | Terms and conditions | Contact us | Resources
Best viewed at 1024 x 768 pixels, with the most popular browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.)
If you want to advertise on this website, please send a message to our staff.