Barcelona
Barcelona is Spain's second largest city, with a population of nearly two million people, and the capital and largest city of Catalonia. The city, located directly on the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain, has a rich history dating back at least 2,000 years when it gained prominence as a Roman town under its old name, Barcino.
In 1992, Barcelona gained international recognition by hosting the Olympic games which brought a massive uptick to the tourism industry in the city. This had the effect of changing the city in ways that are still felt today with neighborhoods renovated (and in some cases leveled) and the intense focus of modern design permeating all aspects of life in Barcelona from public buildings to something as simple as a park bench or an event poster. For visitors, this has translated in to the very modern, yet incredibly old city you see now in the 21st century where the new elements work to both preserve and celebrate the ancient.
This beautiful city is full of what European cities are known for (outdoor markets, restaurants, shops, museums, and churches) and is fantastic for walking with an extensive and reliable Metro system for more far-flung destinations. The core center of town, focused around the Ciutat Vella provides days of enjoyment for those looking to experience the life of Barcelona while the beaches the city was built upon provide sun and relaxation during the long periods of agreeably warm weather.
Main districts of Barcelona
- Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella (Catalan for Old city) is, as its name suggests, the oldest part of Barcelona. It includes buildings and attractions from all the city history and has the most important monuments (except the most famous modernist ones). The district is divided in four quarters:
Barceloneta, La Ribera, Barri Gotic and Raval.
- Eixample
The Eixample is the quarter designed during the middle of the 19th century by Ildefons Cerda, expanding the medieval city of Barcelona into space left empty for defense outside the citywalls. It's an enormous field of rectangular blocks in an continuously repeating layout, with the constant thread of getting lost (at least for those used to european cities. Eixample contains most of the modernist buildings, including La Pedrera, Casa Batllo and La Sagrada Família.
A very interesting example for planned urban development and subsequent re-planing and restructuring.
- Gracia
Gracia is about 1 km north of the center of Barcelona at the north end of the Passeig de Grācia, is the most distinctively Catalan neighborhood to be found in easy walking distance of the center. A prosperous neighborhood, Grācia nonetheless has more a local than a cosmopolitan feel to it, with much of life lived on the many public squares.
It's also a very good place to start (or finish) a walk through the most important modernist buildings.
- Sants-Montjuic
Sants-Montjuic is one of the ten districts Barcelona has been split in since 1984, numbered District 3. Comprising very different areas of the city, it covers the southern part of Barcelona, joining the two former districts II (made up by Montjuīc and Poble-Sec) and VII (Sants - Hostafrancs - La Bordeta), as well as the different areas comprised in the Zona Franca. As of the 2005 census, it had a population of 177.636. It borders Les Corts, Eixample, Ciutat Vella, and the municipalities L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and El Prat de Llobregat.
It was one of the former municipalities added to Barcelona. The former municipality had the main nucleus in the neighbourhood of Sants but other current neighbourhoods of the district belonged to that municipality.
- Sant Marti
Sant Marti, is a district of Barcelona located on its eastern side, usually numbered 10 out of the ten districts of the city.
It borders the Mediterranean sea, Sant Adria del Besos and four other districts of the city: Ciutat Vella, l'Eixample, Horta-Guinardo and Sant Andreu.
It did not become an integral part of Barcelona until as late as 1897, having been an autonomous village since 1714 with the imposition of the infamous Nueva Planta decrees. Before then, it had been a secondary parish of Santa Maria del Mar.
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