Barcelona

Barcelonès is the most populous and economically important comarca (county) of Catalonia. Its capital is Barcelona, which is also the capital of Catalonia.
..... Click the link for more information. . It is also the largest city of Spain after Madrid

This article is about the Spanish capital. For other entries, see Madrid (disambiguation).

The Plaza de España square

Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40°25'N, 3°45'W. As of 2003 census, population of the city of Madrid proper was 3,092,759. Population of the whole urban area was estimated in 2003 at 5,603,285 inhabitants.
..... Click the link for more information. . Barcelona is located on the Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea (Akdeniz in Turkish, הים התיכון in Hebrew ) is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2.5 million km². The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin mediterraneus, 'inland' (medius, 'middle' + terra, 'land, earth').
..... Click the link for more information.  coast, between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat Llobregat - The second greatest river in Catalonia, starts in Castellar de n'Hug (Berguedà), near Berga, ends in the Mediterranean Sea, near Barcelona.
..... Click the link for more information.  and Besòs, 160 km south of the Pyrenees

For other meanings see: Pyrenees, Victoria and Montes Pyrenaeus.

The Pyrenees (Spanish Pirineos, French Pyrénées, Catalan Pirineus) are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. They separate the Iberian Peninsula from France, and extend for about 430km from the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic Ocean to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean Sea.
..... Click the link for more information.  mountain range, the border with France. As of 2001 census, population of the city of Barcelona proper was 1,503,884. Population of the whole urban area was estimated in 2000 at 4,042,000 inhabitants. A decline in the inner city population and displacement towards the outskirts and beyond raises the threat of urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also called suburban sprawl) describes the growth of a metropolitan area, particularly the suburbs, over a large area. In examples of this phenomena, such as Los Angeles, California, new development is often low-density, where the metropolis grows outward instead of 'upward' as with higher densities. Environmentalists and an increasing number of urban planners deplore urban sprawl for several reasons.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Barcelona was the site of the 1992 Summer Olympics The Games of the XXV Olympiad were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The hometown of IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch was selected over Amsterdam, Belgrade, Birmingham, Brisbane and Paris.

The official aims of the 2004 Forum of Cultures include peace, sustainable development, and respect for other cultures (multi-culturalism).

The event is controversial. Opposition focuses on the $2.3 billion price tag, massive property development, coastline destruction, and sponsorship by certain multinationals.
..... Click the link for more information.  started in May 9 and will take place until September 26, 2004.

Barcelona seen from the harbour

Beginning of La Rambla at the old harbour

The Plaça Reial next to La Rambla

The Sagrada Família church

History

Legend attributes the Carthaginian

This article is about the ancient city-state of Carthage in North Africa. For other uses of the word, see Carthage (disambiguation).

He distinguished himself during the First Punic War in 247, when he took over the chief command in Sicily, which at this time was almost entirely in the hands of the Romans. Landing suddenly on the north-west of the island with a small mercenary force he seized a strong position on Mt. Erote (Monte Pellegrino, near Palermo), and not only maintained himself against all attacks, but carried his raids as far as the coast of south Italy.
..... Click the link for more information. , father of Hannibal

Hannibal Barca (247 BC-182 BC) was a military commander of ancient Carthage, best known for his achievements in the Second Punic War in marching an army from Spain over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy and defeating the Romans at the Battles of the Trebia (218 BC), Lake Trasimene (217 BC) and Cannae (216 BC). After Cannae, the Romans refused to fight him in pitched battles, and gradually captured all the strongholds he had gained in Southern Italy. An invasion of Africa by the Romans under Scipio Africanus in 204 BC forced Hannibal to return to Africa, where Scipio defeated him at.
..... Click the link for more information. . Later on, Romans

The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman state in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Caesar Augustus. Although Rome possessed a collection of tribute-states for centuries before the autocracy of Augustus, the pre-Augustan state is conventionally described as the Roman Republic. The difference between the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic lies primarily in the governing bodies and their relationship to each other.
..... Click the link for more information.  redrew the town as a castrum In the Roman Empire, a castra (the plural form of castrum, castri, a fortification) was a Roman military camp. Roman camps were always constructed according to a certain pattern, with two main crossing streets: the "Cardus Maximus", running north and south, and the "Decumanus Maximus" running east and west, dividing the camp into four quarters. These streets terminated at four gates. The forum was located at the intersection of the Cardus Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus.
..... Click the link for more information. (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 The Visigoths, originally Tervingi, or Vesi ("the noble ones"), one of the two main branches of the Goths (of which the Ostrogothi were the other), were one of the loosely-termed "Germanic peoples" that disturbed the late Roman Empire. After the "fall" of the western Roman Empire, the Visigoths continued to play a major role in western European affairs for another 250 years.
..... Click the link for more information.  in the 5th century, by the Moors Moors is used in this article to describe the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called "Moorish". For other meanings look at Moors (Meaning) or Blackamoors.

The name derives from the ancient Berber tribe of the Mauri and their kingdom, Mauretania, which became a Roman province after its last king Bocchus II willed it to Octavian in 33 BCE. Mauretania lay in present day Morocco and Western Algeria. The name of Mauri was applied by the Romans to all non-romanized natives of North Africa still ruled by their own chiefs, until the 3rd century AD.
..... Click the link for more information.  in the 8th century, reconquered in 801
Years:
797 798 799 800 - 801 - 802 803 804 805
Decades:
770s 780s 790s - 800s - 810s 820s 830s
Centuries:
8th century - 9th century - 10th century

Events

• December 28 - Louis the Vrome occupies Barcelona.

Births

Deaths

..... Click the link for more information.  by the Frankish kings, and sacked by Al-Mansur

This article is about the Spanish Muslim general and statesman Al-Mansur. There is also an article on the Abbasid Caliph Al Mansur of Baghdad Al Mansur. They were both known as Almanzor in the West

Abu Aamir Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abi Aamir, Al-Hajib Al-Mansur أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر الحاجب المنصور (c. 938-August 8, 1002) was the de facto ruler of Al-Andalus in late 10th - early 11th centuries. His rule marked the peak of power for the Muslim Spain.
..... Click the link for more information.  in 985
Years:
981 982 983 984 - 985 - 986 987 988 989
Decades:
950s 960s 970s - 980s - 990s 1000s 1010s
Centuries:
9th century - 10th century - 11th century

Events

• Barcelona sacked by Al-Mansur
• Greenland colonized by Icelandic Viking Erik the Red (the date is according to legend but has been established as at least approximately correct – see History of Greenland)

Previously an eastern county of the kingdom of León, Castile in the 11th century became an independent realm with its capital at Burgos and later Valladolid, and the leading force in the northern Christian states' 400-year Reconquista ("reconquest") of central and southern Spain from the Muslim rulers who had dominated the peninsula since the 8th century.
..... Click the link for more information.  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.

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.

Events

• 1888 "Universal Exposition"
• 1929 "Ibero-American Exposition", co-hosted with Seville
• 1962 In late September, major flooding kills 800+ people in the surroundings
• 1992 Summer Olympic Games
• 2004 "International Forum of the Cultures"

Geography

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

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

• Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
• Hospital de Sant Pau
• Palau Güell
• Palau de la Música Catalana
• Parc Güell

Transportation

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.

Barcelona marked in the Barcelonès

Sports

Barcelona is home to FC Barcelona, known asBarça, 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. This club mainly draws it support from those who support the Spanish crown (a united Spain).

External links

• Official Web Site of Barcelona
• www.xbarcelona.com Multilingual non-profit & non-commercial website about "living & working in Barcelona"
• Architecture of Barcelona
• Washington, DC based retro pop band named Barcelona

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