The Historical City With a Modern Twist

The Only Remains of Rome in Barcelona- The Arch at the Gothic Center

As legend has it, Barcelona was founded in the 3^rd century B.C. by a Roman Carthaginian named Hamiclar Barca and he named the city Barcino. There are even Roman pieces still standing in the Gothic Center, such as the oldest arch that was once used as an aqueduct.  Today stands beautiful lettering, spelling Barcino to remember the founding of the vivacious city. The city was conquered by the Visigoths in the early 5^th century and then re-conquered by Arabs in the 8^th century. They ruled for hundreds of years, leaving a lasting Islamic impression throughout architecture and religion (there are countless Islamic mosques that were converted to Catholic cathedrals). In 801, Charlemagne’s son Louis re-conquered the city and left it in rule by the Count of Barcelona.  In 1137, Barcelona joined forces with Aragon due to a marriage, which caused serious turmoil.  The marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1469 reunited the royal lines.

The Arch (which used to be an entire aqueduct 

Ferdinand and Isabella

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, next to Madrid.  Due to a civil war and oppression, many Catalonian institutions were abolished many years ago and the language was forbidden for a while.  Today, many Barcelon-ians are proud of their Catalonian history and speak Catalan, rather than Spanish. Catalan is a mixture of the romance languages and Latin.  You can make someone’s day by saying ‘Bon Dia’, instead of ‘Buenos Dias’.  Although Barcelona had a long struggle to become the prosperous city it is today, the hardships and oppressions made them a proud and determined people.  Now, Barcelona is one of the world’s leading tourist, economic, and cultural centers. Barcelona was the site for the 1992 Olympic Games, which brought great international success and boosted tourism. Who wouldn’t enjoy an industrialized city with extraordinary architecture and people that happens to be on the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by the Serra de Collserola mountain ridge. All of these features add to the magic and wonderfulness this city has to offer.

The Gothic Center

Catalan Support!

Barcelona Olympics