Barcelona, Spain
Architecture
The Barri Gòtic (‘Gothic Quarter’ in Catalan) is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. Many of the buildings date from Medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Catalan modernisme architecture, developed between 1885 and 1950, left an important legacy in Barcelona. A great part of them are World Heritage Sites. Especially remarkable is the work of architect Antoni GaudÃ, which can be seen around the city. His best known work is the immense but still unfinished temple of the Sagrada FamÃlia, which has been under construction since 1882, and is still financed by private donations. The Sagrada FamÃlia is billed for completion in 2026. Other examples of his work are the Palau Güell, the Park Güell, the Casa Mil� (La Pedrera) and the Casa Batlló. Another notable architect was LluÃs Domènech i Montaner, who designed the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Hospital de Sant Pau and the Casa Lleó Morera. Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s Casa Ametller can also be seen in the Passeig de Gr� cia. Barcelona won the 1999 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for its architecture. This is notably the first, and as of 2006, only time the winner has been a city, and not an architect.
Culture
Barcelona’s culture is rich, stemming from the city’s 2000 years of history. To a greater extent than the rest of Catalonia, where Catalonia’s native Catalan is more dominant, Barcelona is a bilingual city: Catalan and Spanish are both official and widely spoken. The Catalan spoken in Barcelona, Central Catalan, is the one closest to standard Catalan. Since the arrival of democracy, the Catalan culture (repressed during the dictatorship) has been promoted, both by recovering works from the past and by stimulating the creation of new works. Barcelona has a number of theaters, including the world-renowned Gran Teatre del Liceu opera theater, the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya and the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall. The GREC festival takes place every summer and brings to Barcelona highly renowned performers and companies.
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