Key Dates
- 15 BC – Barcino recognised as an Augustan colony
- 415 AD – Arrival of Visigoths
- 476 – End of Roman Empire in West
- 713 – Moors arrive in Barcelona
- 878 – Wilfred the Hairy becomes first Count of Barcelona
- 12th–13th c. – Catalan-Aragonese Federation, Catalonia’s golden age
- 1298–1448 – Construction of cathedral
- 1359 – Establishment of Generalitat
- 1833 – Start of “Renaixença” (Catalan cultural revival)
- 1870–1910 – Modernisme Movement
- 1926 – Death of Gaudí
- 1929 – World Fair in Barcelona
- 1931 – Declaration of Catalan Republic
- 1939 – Barcelona taken by Nationalists
- 1992 – Olympic Games in Barcelona
Overview
Barcelona is an upbeat, cosmopolitan city. Its north-eastern location, close to the Pyrenees and France, contributes to its stylish European character. As a busy Mediterranean port, it has welcomed Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, and Moors, all of whom left cultural traces. Today, tourists and business travellers alike enjoy the city’s art, architecture, and history as well as its proximity to the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and has a population of roughly four million. Catalans traditionally define themselves as Catalans first and Spaniards second. Their regional identity has long been tied to independence, language, and culture.
The Gothic Quarter forms the heart of the old city, preserving remnants of Roman Barcino and a rich collection of Gothic buildings. Artists have long been drawn to Barcelona, including Gaudí, Picasso, and Dalí. The still-unfinished Sagrada Família remains the city’s best-known symbol.
Barcelona is also a dynamic entertainment hub. Major infrastructure investment for the 1992 Olympic Games transformed the city and strengthened its reputation as a premier cultural destination.
History
The Romans
The region was home to the Laietani, a Celtic-Iberian farming people. Although Greek traders were active further north in Empúries, it was the Romans who shaped Barcelona’s destiny beginning around 210 BC. Early Roman administrators focused on Empúries and Tarragona (Tarraco), relegating Barcelona to a minor settlement.
Barcelona grew gradually due to its harbour. The first settlement was on Mont Taber, now part of the Gothic Quarter. Around 15 BC, Barcino was named an Augustan colony (“Faventia Julia Augusta Paterna Barcino”). The Temple of Augustus was built here; several columns survive today.
Christianity reached the city in the 2nd–3rd centuries. The martyrdom of Saint Eulalia is one of the last recorded persecutions. Although Barcino prospered, it remained overshadowed by larger Roman centres.
After the Romans
From the early 5th century, barbarian invasions swept the peninsula. The Visigoths arrived in 415 and briefly made Barcelona their capital under King Athaulf. The period was calm overall, though few Visigothic remains survive.
The Moors
The Moors entered Iberia in 711 and took Barcelona in 713. Their influence here was limited compared to southern Spain. By 801 the Franks under Louis the Pious had reclaimed the city, establishing a buffer territory between Moorish lands and the Pyrenees. Catalan identity began to take shape during this time, influenced by ties to the langue d’Oc regions of southern France.
Wilfred the Hairy
Guifré el Pilós — Wilfred the Hairy — became a foundational figure of Catalan independence. He united territories, resisted Frankish dominance, and became the first Count of Barcelona. Legends link him to the origins of the Catalan flag: a Frankish king allegedly drew four streaks of blood across his gold shield while Wilfred lay wounded.
Decline and Revival
In 985 a Muslim raid devastated Barcelona, souring relations with the Franks and accelerating Catalonia’s political independence. By the 12th century, Catalonia had a thriving maritime trade and a flourishing Romanesque artistic tradition.
The union of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1479 integrated Catalonia into the Castilian state. The region suffered economically and culturally from the Inquisition, plague, and restricted access to American trade routes. Catalonia endured revolts, political struggles, and further losses after supporting the Austrian claimant in the War of Spanish Succession (1714).
Boom, Bust, and Modernisation
By the late 18th century, trade restrictions eased and Catalonia prospered. Barcelona expanded beyond its medieval walls, creating Las Ramblas (1776), the Plaça Reial (1820s), and the Eixample district — a major urban project filled with modernist architecture.
The modernista movement flourished in the late 19th century, and the 1888 Universal Exhibition accelerated development. But the loss of Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1898, along with political unrest, brought turmoil. Bombings, anarchist uprisings, and labour disputes plagued the city.
Dictator Primo de Rivera suppressed Catalan culture in the 1920s. The Generalitat was restored briefly in 1932, only to be suspended again during the Civil War. Barcelona became the Republican capital in 1937 before falling to Franco’s Nationalists in 1939.
Franco and After
Franco harshly punished Catalonia for resisting him. Catalan language and culture were suppressed for decades. After his death in 1975, Catalonia rapidly regained autonomy. Today the Generalitat manages police, education, tourism, and other sectors, though debates over further independence continue.
Arts
Modernisme
Modernisme was a distinctly Catalan artistic movement (1890–1910), tied to rising Catalan nationalism and parallel in spirit to Art Nouveau. Its leading figures included painters Ramon Casas and Santiago Rusiñol, celebrated for their depictions of bohemian life and Catalan identity. Els Quatre Gats, the movement’s café-hub, became a gathering place for artists and poets, including young Picasso.
The Museum of Modern Art (Ciutadella Park)
The museum focuses on Catalan art from the mid-19th century through the 1930s, including major works by Casas and Rusiñol, along with examples of Noucentisme. Furniture and decorative arts from the Eixample appear as well.
Joan Miró
Born in Barcelona in 1893, Miró developed a distinctive surrealist language influenced by Catalan folk art and Gaudí’s forms. His Fundación Joan Miró on Montjuïc displays work from seven decades, housed in an airy modernist building designed by Josep Lluís Sert.
Architecture
Modernista architecture flourished during Barcelona’s expansion. Architects drew inspiration from Romanesque, Gothic, and Islamic styles while embracing new materials and structural innovations. Key figures include Puig i Cadafalch, Domènech i Montaner, and Antoni Gaudí.
Gaudí (1852–1926)
Gaudí, born in Reus into a family of metalworkers, drew constant inspiration from nature. A deeply Catholic and conservative Catalan nationalist, he combined spiritual symbolism with bold structures. His death in 1926 after a tram accident was followed by attempts to have him canonised.
Gaudí dedicated the last twelve years of his life to the Sagrada Família. Intended as the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, the basilica overflows with symbolism and remains Barcelona’s most recognisable landmark. Construction continues under a private foundation.
At Park Güell — originally planned as a luxury housing estate — Gaudí’s playful designs appear at their most accessible. Mosaics, serpentine benches, and whimsical structures celebrate nature and Catalan identity.
Passeig de Gràcia
An ideal evening walk takes you from Diagonal down to Plaça de Catalunya, past many modernista masterpieces. Decorative lamps and benches by Pere Falqués line the route.
Casa Milà (La Pedrera): Built 1905–1911, famous for its undulating stone façade and wrought-iron balconies. Inspired by Montserrat’s rock formations, the building features some of Gaudí’s most iconic rooftop chimneys.
Casa Batlló: A transformation of an existing apartment block, notable for its organic stone forms, ceramic mosaics, and roof shaped like a dragon’s back — a nod to the legend of Saint George.
Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó Morera: Neighbouring modernista gems by Puig i Cadafalch and Domènech i Montaner.
Palau Güell: Gaudí’s first major city project, funded by industrialist Eusebi Güell. It now houses the Teatre Museum.
Lifestyle
Barcelona enjoys a Mediterranean lifestyle enhanced by sea breezes, beaches, and nearby mountains. Locals savour food, festivals, and social life.
Food
Catalan cuisine features meat, veal, and abundant seafood. Popular dishes include fish stews (sarsueles), squid in ink with rice, and paella — which Catalans claim originated in their region. A favourite dessert is crema catalana.
Dance
The Sardana is Catalonia’s traditional dance, performed in circles with precise steps requiring intense concentration. A cobla (11-piece wind and brass ensemble) provides the music. Performances take place outside the Cathedral on Sunday mornings.
Montserrat
Montserrat, 30 miles west of Barcelona, is the spiritual heart of Catalonia. Distinctive serrated mountains surround a Benedictine monastery renowned for its shrine to La Moreneta, the Black Virgin. Pilgrims come for devotion, blessings, and spectacular views.
The Escolania boys’ choir sings daily at 1 pm and 7 pm. For centuries the monastery has served as a cultural and scholarly centre, playing a crucial role in preserving the Catalan language.