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WHERE IS BARCELONA?

Barcelona, ​​the capital of the Catalonia region in Spain with 7.5 million inhabitants in the entire region.

It is the second largest city in the country with 1.62 million inhabitants in the city.

INDEX:

BARCELONA, ITS HISTORY:

OLD AGE:

The area that stretched between the deltas of Besòs and Llobregat, where present-day Barcelona is located, was already populated since prehistoric times by indigenous peoples, mostly layetanos. There are also legends that state that, on the top of Montjuïc, there was a Jewish colony, whose name the mountain would have inherited.

When the Romans arrived, between the years 15 and 13 a. C., were looking for the best place to found a colony located between the prosperous Emporiae (Ampurias), on the north coast, and Tarraco (Tarragona), in the south coast. They chose the top of Mons Taber, where the Plaza de Sant Jaume is currently located. The colony, with the full name of Iulia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino , grew rapidly, and between the 1st and 2nd centuries it was walled.

It was especially at the end of the Roman Empire, during the 5th century, when the city became more important. Between the years 410 and 415, the Visigothic king Ataulf settled with his wife Gala Placidia (half-sister of the Western Roman Emperor Honorius) in Barcino, which made it the imperial seat for a short period of time. But Ataúlfo was assassinated in the city and the court moved to Aquitaine, France. Even so, Barcino's close relationship with the Gothic kings lasted until the 8th century.

MIDDLE AGE:

At the beginning of the 9th century, after the Muslim invasion and the expulsion of the Arabs from the Iberian Peninsula by the Franks, the territory was organized into counties from of territorial divisions of the Visigothic period. The County of Barcelona began under the designation of the Government of the Carolingian Empire, but when it fell apart, and with Wifredo the Hairy at the helm, the hereditary lineage of the house of Barcelona began, in the main county of the Catalan lands and with supremacy over the others.

In the 11th century, Count Ramón Berenguer I promulgated the Usatges de Barcelona, the first Catalan legislative text. And in the 12th century, with the union of the various counties of the Catalan lands under the jurisdiction of King Alfonso I, the Principality of Catalonia was formed, and from then on the sovereign of the principality would also hold the dignity of count of Barcelona. With the marriage of Ramón Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronila of Aragon (Daughter of King Alfonso's brother, Ramiro II), the kingdom of Aragon was created in 1137.

Under the protection of the counts, agricultural and artisanal Barcelona gained political and commercial importance and grew rapidly. The old Roman walls were left small, and on the outskirts, around new parishes, dense urban centers were created that were left unprotected.

With the reign of Jaime I the Conqueror (1218-1276), sovereign of the Crown of Aragon and heir to the title of Count of Barcelona, ​​the government of Barcelona passed into the hands of the Council of One Hundred, a new municipal government structure, made up of 128 juries, which lasted until 1714.

In the year 1283, during the reign of Peter the Great, the first Catalan Courts were held in Barcelona, ​​with the aim of drawing up a constitution or statute of Catalonia, which gave rise to the Generalitat de Catalunya, the main institution of Catalan government, which since the beginning of the 15th century has had its headquarters in the palace of Plaça de Sant Jaume of the city.

With the political and commercial expansion there was a time of splendor that led to urban growth. Between the 13th and 14th centuries the walls were extended to incorporate more neighborhoods reaching Las Ramblas and the sea.

The construction of a port was also started because the city, despite its intense maritime activity, lacked one.

The old Romanesque churches were redone, and numerous constructions that are still preserved were built in the new and brand new Gothic style: civil buildings, such as the Drassanes or the Llotja; religious, such as the Cathedral or the church of Santa Maria del Mar, a perfect example of Catalan Gothic; palaces; convents; monasteries…

MODERN AGE

The Barcelona of medieval times had positioned itself as an important maritime power. When the Crown of Aragon became part of the new Spanish monarchy in 1469 with the union of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castilla and then the conquest of America in 1492, trade shifted to the Atlantic, maritime commercial activity was weakened. The monarchy moved to Castile, while Barcelona was left in the hands of a viceroy.

In 1640 the Catalan population rebelled against the central power of Philip IV of Castile on the so-called Corpus de Sangre day, which began the >the war of the Reapers. It lasted 11 years, and with a 14-month siege, Barcelona finally fell, putting an end to the rebellion. As a consequence, in the year 1659 Spain and France signed the Treaty of the Pyrenees, in which the northern counties of the Principality of Catalonia —Rosselló, Conflent and a part of La Cerdanya—passed into French hands.

After the death of King Charles II of Spain, the last monarch of the house of Austria, in the year 1701 the War of the Spanish Succession. Europe was divided between the supporters of Philip V de Bourbon, grandson of King Louis XIV of France, and the supporters of Archduke Charles III of Austria . Catalonia, with Barcelona at the helm, positioned itself in favor of the Archduke of Austria, in order to maintain its own statutes.

But in 1713, Spain and England signed the Treaty of Utrecht, in which they recognized the Bourbon heir as King of Spain. In exchange, Felipe V de Bourbon ceded territories until then Spanish, such as part of the Netherlands, Naples and the kingdom of Sardinia, to the heir to the house of Austria, who was proclaimed emperor under the name Carlos VI.

The Catalans, immersed in the middle of the war, were left alone. Barcelona fell defeated on September 11, 1714, subjected to the Bourbon troops. And with it, the whole of Catalonia surrendered. Philip V's army abolished the Consejo de Cent, the Generalitat and the Catalan universities, and imposed a decree that annulled the old liberties and rights. In addition, they demolished a large part of the Ribera neighborhood to build the Citadel, a military fortress to keep an eye on the people of Barcelona. The remains of that demolished neighborhood can currently be seen at the site of El Born Centro Cultural.

CONTEMPORARY:

The construction of a new port and the opening of maritime trade at the end of the 18th century revived the city. The incipient textile industries gave rise to a sector that spread and took root in the 19th century, introducing steam into the factories and offering work to a large number of workers who came to Barcelona to populate the new working-class neighborhoods. that grew outside the walls such as El Poblenou, Poble-sec, Sants and Hostafrancs.

The confrontation between liberals and conservatives, and the strong opposition of the people of Barcelona to the regency of General Espartero made him, in order to silence and subdue the population, ordered the bombardment of Barcelona in December 1842 from Montjuïc Castle.

The city, increasingly populated, freed itself from the old medieval walls, and began an expansion phase designed by the urban planner and architect Ildefons Cerdà, known as the Plan Cerdà , which would result in the new district of l'Eixample. When the people of Barcelona finally recovered the land occupied by the Bourbon military in the old Ribera neighborhood and succeeded in demolishing the military fortress. This area was transformed into a large park, the ciutadella park.

A new bourgeoisie, emerged with the newly enriched industrialists, transformed and beautified Barcelona. Architects such as Antoni Gaudí, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Enric Sagnier and many others endorsed the prevailing European style and filled the city, especially the new neighborhood of L'Eixample, of modernist buildings. And with this new era also began the Renaixença, a new stage of recovery of the Catalan language and culture, abolished since the end of the War of Succession.

Today Barcelona is a wonderful city, and now you know the story of how it became what it is today. I hope to do him justice with this first video 🙂  

PLACES TO VISIT: HISTORICAL CENTER OF BARCELONA

I have prepared a video dedicated to the historic center of Barcelona and its history. The places that you can see in this video I have grouped them here so you can see exactly where they are on google maps. 

*By clicking on each one will open the location on the map, so you can make your tour of the city*

PLACES MUST ON YOUR VISIT TO BARCELONA: SQUARES, VIEWPOINTS, BEACHES AND MORE.

Many of the places that show below I've shown in my blog on the BEST WALKS IN THE WINTER IN BARCELONA I recommend that you look at it, also accompanied by a video:

THE SQUARES OF BARCELONA

The Plaza itself is a roundabout where you meet a lot of cars all the time. In addition, it is one of the centers of the city as it is a key point for all the public transportation of the city and with connections to the rest of the province. But the nice thing about this place is that it connects with the venetian towers and the road to the Museum of Art of Catalunya, through the magic fountain. What would be the entrance to the Montjuic. In addition, on the rotunda is the old bullring is now a shopping centre. All this makes the Plaza España is very special and it is of course chosen for large events like the new year, where they are cut all the streets and is filled with thousands of people and shows according to a new year that begins.

It is the nerve centre of the city. Like the Plaza de España, is the confluence of all the cars and by public transport of Barcelona, with the addition that it is more close to the historic centre and the promenade of Las Ramblas. The beautiful street of Passeig de Gracia, which also takes you to Plaza Catalunya and of course also do events of all kinds as, for example, at Christmas. 

Composed of an Arc of a modernist style, the Arc de Triomphe and the Park of the Citadel are another key point of the city. Chosen by the argentines to celebrate every win in the world cup and of course the world championship, and is also a place where we perform important events and one can go to relax your park that is gorgeous. Let us remember that this place was a neighborhood demolished by Philip V, and had a fortress dedicated to the surveillance of barcelona during his reign, that it was nothing cute for the population. Subsequently, the fortress was destroyed and generated this beautiful green space that today we have the pleasure to enjoy. 

BEST VIEWPOINTS OF BARCELONA

Very much worth a go because it is the highest part of the mountain range (natural Park of Collserola) with the best views of all. I do not like the theme parks, but if you like you'll have even more reasons to go. I think that the views and the church will give the special touch to the ride and enjoyed it a lot. I totally recommend it!

“The bunkers” (anti-aircraft Batteries in Can Baró) in my opinion are the best panoramic view of Barcelona without the need of going away. Accessible by walking and luckily still free. The only downside is that is has become very popular and if you don't arrive early, you'll have no where to sit to watch the sunset. In addition to the views of the city at night, are tremendous.

The Park Güell is paid, it costs 10€. While before it was free, because of her extreme fame, there were so many people who were per day which should privatize it to give a better care and of course bill (Like everything Gaudí in Barcelona ha!). Only if you're a lover of modernism, I think it is worth, otherwise if you are only looking good views don't need to spend your time and money there, taking the bunkers. To many people it is a must visit as the place became an emblem of Barcelona. This is a town-planning project for the well-heeled who was frustrated and eventually became a park so that we might all take a ride. Without a doubt, is beautiful and has architectures very particular, but not my favorite.

For me, the ride starts with the plaza España is a roundabout very pretty on the side of the “Sand” of Barcelona (a shopping mall) and then when you enter by the way of the “venetian towers” brings you to the museum nacional d'art de Catalunya (going by the magic fountain). It is without a doubt a beautiful place. In addition to the views from the museum are my favorite. It's ideal to sit to have a drink with your friends and enjoy all your surroundings. And it doesn't end there because you're behind a huge park in the Montjuic area, which includes the castle and several things more as the olympic stadium, Palau Sant Jordi and much, much more to spend the day. 

This ride is not for nothing a popular and fairly that's about it. Although the castle is not the great thing, the nice thing about this trail is the hike that involves. First to get to this place (you can also go on the subway and start to walk from there) and then walk on the slopes of the mountain having on your right, the mountain and to your left, stunning views of Barcelona. It is super quiet and safe, there are no tourists. You can choose the way you like for example going from the castle to the viewpoint of Horta, and then you can go down to the nearest metro and go back to your home. Tours and you will find many because as I said before, the city is surrounded by mountains and you see that a lot of people like trekking, because the roads are many, very good, and even the streets in the mountains are great for the car.

FOR LOVERS OF THE GAME OF FOOTBALL

We started by one that was the most important to you before Messi out of Barcelona F. C. and is to visit the Camp Nou stadium. Whether going to see a match, making the tour of payment for the stadium, museum), or just walk the immediate vicinity: I Think for all fans of football and of sport in general, it is a forced walk. 

In 2019, on my first trip to Barcelona, I was able to see Messi playing a match for the league (And scored a goal) and it was an amazing thrill. due to how difficult it was for me to be able to raise the money for such a trip. So many years of looking at barsa for the tele dreaming of some day to be there and then crying because I didn't know if one day I could go back.

Good in 2022 I could go back and LIVE! Amazing. But as has been the world cup and the league had been finished; the stadiums removed all the promotional posters and the truth is that outside the stadiums do not tell us much. They take to restore them. With which there wasn't much to see.

But if I was surprised about the stadium of the Espanyol! A lot of care when they go, because they can be confused with the area of training (happened to me) and is on the other side of the city. One to the north and the other south. So, I saw where they train xed and the other day I saw the pitch in question, which is a little further away from the Camp nou, but in the same direction. Hence, they could see both stadiums on the same day.

FOR LOVERS OF THE MODERNISME CATALAN

BEACHES OF BARCELONA

For 1 hand we have what I call “the center,” the most well-known is the beach of Barceloneta. Is every tourist goes to see and without a doubt have to do. You are accompanied by your neighborhood “La Barceloneta” and the port are also very close by if you want to give a lap out there. Be careful with the bike as walk like crazy, walking through the pedestrian path. This section of beaches that I mean covering the beaches of el Somorrostro, Barcelona, Sant Miquel, and San Sebastián. A walk is very common, starting from Plaza Catalunya and walk down las ramblas to the Columbus monument and from there to the museum of history of Catalonia. From there on the street Joan de Borbó there are a lot of restaurants and often packed with tourists. You keep that street and you'll find la Barceloneta.

Ends to the side of the Somorrostro in the area where you will find several of the nightclubs, bars and the olympic port in barcelona's Poblenou.

From the olympic port, start the beaches that are more “distant” from the center and therefore tend to be much quieter and just as beautiful. It begins with the Nova Icaria and continues with the Bogatell, Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant. 

If you like to walk, to do this boardwalk I think that is spectacular. You can go from San Sebastián (in the center) until Llevant (the last before crossing the river) and perform approx 4.5 km in 1 hour. Or talk to if you love running, you have the perfect place for you. I didn't use a bike during my stay, but from what I could see, the city is SUPER bike friendly; therefore, this ride also can do it by bike. 

I would also recommend the beaches of Badalona. It is the city which is located across the river Besós and the neighborhood of San Adrían. I was in subway and I walked around its coastline that I really liked. It is possible to make the trip from the beaches of Barcelona to Badalona. And since we are talking about a 13-15km or 30km doing the back and forth. Totally recommended for a bike or take the metro to spend a few hours there and back. The highlight is the statue of “Anis del mono” at the entrance to the “bridge of the oil”, which when I unfortunately could not enter the latter. You'll want to have a photo with the monkey, I assure you.

Recommended route

It will depend on the amount of days you're in the city and the things that you like to do. But I believe that in order to have a good notion of the city is recommended to be between 3 to 5 days, as a minimum. In addition, Barcelona is very close to other places that are recomendadisimos if you have an account 5 days or older to visit, as for example: Tarragona, Girona, Sitges, and many more; that you can go and come in the day.

TOURS

An excellent way to tour the major cities of Europe is doing a FREE WALKING TOUR. Then I leave my recommendations for Barcelona, but with everything that I have in this blog quietly you can do it all by himself, and super knowledgeable.

Tips

–Go to the boqueria in peak times can be a nice experience, but the more cute it will be when you last time and you see that you leave at half price or giving away a lot of the food that could not be sold during the day. 

-If you are going to be many days in Barcelona is considered to acquire T-USUAL, you'll be able to use all means of public transport for a figure is very reasonable. But if you're few days, there are other good options, or what I always say: "WALKING IS THE BEST!

-I always took water from the faucet, including those who come to the city as ancient / medieval. All people do it and no one has problems. When I lived there, in the coliving had a special machine to filter the water. 

-Do NOT buy in the supermarket ones, they are much more expensive. Comprá in Mercadona, Dia, Carrefour, Lidl, etc

-Barcelona is a city that offers a myriad of attractions for free. Although it is one of the most expensive cities in Spain, quietly not to notice it due to the amount of things that you can do without paying. The accommodation is without a doubt the most expensive. 

-You can pay with card on all sides, you don't need cash. 

Gastronomy

At this point I don't have no voice or vote, as my experience has not been very good because that just arrived from Argentina last thing he wanted was to spend more than my budget going out to eat, bars, etc, however, something I did and I really enjoyed the experience in restaurants that I chose. I thought they were expensive and the food was not my favorite because I had a lot of fish. It should be noted that I first came to Europe, and the concept of “expensive” it may be that today, it seems to me as well.  

I can give you good tips about the supermarkets where you will find food baratísima and are MERCADONA, DIA, CARREFOUR. Of course the inevitable kebabs that are the street food more rich, cheap, and filling that you will find. 

In regards to restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. I'll let my dear Mary Konidaris tell you more about it very soon. She is a writer and hugely enjoyed the dining experience of Barcelona.

WHERE TO STAY

In the first place, I'll tell you the places where I stayed, first in 2019 when I was out for a few days as a tourist in Barcelona and in 2nd place when I was living by tiny little bit more than 2 months. Both experiences were super positive and that's why I recommend them. 

TOURIST (Short stay)

I stayed in the hostel ONE RAMBLAS for 3 nights back in May 2019 and the experience was excellent. First time in my life in a hostel in Europe and enjoyed it very much. The hostel is located close to the historic center just steps from the piazza of Les Drassanes, the port and the Columbus monument. Very close by you can visit part of the medieval wall of the FOURTEENTH century with the portal de Santa Madrona and Les Drassanes Reials (a palace very beautiful).

The hostel is very small and that makes it more intimate, were very much concerned with that you had a perfect stay. Good beds and good bathroom. I had included a breakfast fantastic and organized many activities. The only downside (for me) is that in the evenings they did prior (with that was not a problem because they were reasonable time periods) in and out of the party, always organized by the hostel. Arrived at the hostel in the morning and a few hours later I got up to enjoy the day, while everyone was asleep. Fortunately, the doors were good insulation and if you add the earplugs, you'll have no problem. On the contrary, if you're looking to party, this is your hostel is perfect!

The other 3 days and 2 nights (June 2019) I was in the 360 Hostel Barcelona Arts & Culture. Very similar experience to the first hostel, with the addition of that in this organized community dinners free. Taking into account that one went with a tight budget, that will give the dinner was very grateful. Also an excellent opportunity to interact with people on the move. The location was perfect, steps from the Arc de Triomphe, all walkable. The only downside, which I honestly am not completely sure at this point, is that I punched a flea and I don't know if it was in this hostel or in the previous that I was in Rhodes, Greece. Today turns out to be something within the possibilities when you stay at any hostel in europe.  

Both hostels in his time they had very competitive prices and for what it offered was worth so very much worth it. I think that One Ramblas, to be more small and very requested, is a little more expensive than the other. I decided to invest a little bit more than expected because I had been recommended, and it was worth it. But without a doubt, I recommend both of them (in spite of the fleas!)

AS a DIGITAL NOMAD (Medium-and long-stay)

I stayed in the hostel Coimpact Coliving Bruc for a few days and in the Coimpact Coliving Mallorca by 2 months. Both designed for nomads digital. I recommend you see my BLOG with the videos that I made of each one where I explain in detail everything you need to know! and moreover here you leave information super valuable if you're thinking of living in Barcelona as a Nomad Digital