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History of Barcelona

Barcelona has emerged from a spotty history. With Castilian kings pumping cannonballs over the city walls and anarchists disagreeing on which shoulder to hang their rifles, the city shrank in the shadow of greater cities and powers for centuries.

Though founded around 230 BC, likely by the Carthaginians, and invaded by the Visigoths and then the Muslims, the history of the city, in a sense, only truly began after armies from what is now France pushed back the Muslims in 801 AD. At the time, the plains and mountains to the northwest and north of Barcelona were populated by the people who by then could be identified as ‘Catalans’ (although surviving documentary references to the term only date to the 10th century). Catalan’s closest linguistic relative today is the langue d’oc, the old language of southern France.

In the 12th century, Catalunya grew rich on pickings from the fall of the Muslim caliphate of Córdoba. The Catalans managed to keep their creative forces alight through to the 14th century, when Barcelona ruled a mini-empire including Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Valencia, the Balearics, the French regions of Rousillon and Cerdagne and parts of Greece. But by the 15th century, devastated by the plague, spectacular bank crashes, and the Genoese squeezing their markets, the empire ran out of steam. While the Catalans may have hoped that union with the kingdom of Castile would pump cash back into the coffers and vitality onto the streets, heirs to the crowns of Castile and Aragón were more interested in juicing Catalunya to finance their own imperial ambitions.

A 1462 rebellion against King Joan II ended in a siege in 1473 that devastated the city. Barcelona was more or less annexed into the Castilian state, but was excluded from the plundering of the Americas that brought fantastic riches to 16th-century Castile. By now, the peasants had started to revolt. Disaffected Catalans resorted to arms a number of times, and the last revolt, during the War of the Spanish Succession, saw Catalunya siding with Britain and Austria against Felipe V, the French contender for the Spanish throne. That was their undoing. Barcelona fell in 1714 after another shocking siege, and as well as banning the Catalan language, Felipe built a huge fort, the Ciutadella, to watch over his ungrateful subjects in town.

After 1778 Catalunya was permitted to trade with America, and the region’s fortunes gradually turned around. Spain’s first industrial revolution, based on cotton, was launched there, and other industries based on wine, cork and iron also developed. By the 1830s, the European Romantic movement virtually rescued Catalan culture and language just as it was in danger of disappearing. The Catalan Renaixença, or Renaissance, was a crusade led by poets and writers to popularise the people’s language. A fervent nationalist movement sprang up around the same time, and was embraced by all parties of the political spectrum.

The decades around the turn of the century were a fast ride, with anarchists, Republicans, bourgeois regionalists, gangsters, police terrorists, political gunmen called pistoleros and centrists in Madrid all clamouring for a slice of the action. This followed an explosion in Barcelona’s population – from around 115,000 in 1800 to more than half a million by 1900, then over a million by 1930 – as workers flocked in for industrial jobs. As many as 80% of the city’s workers embraced the anarchist CNT by the end of WWI, and industrial relations hit an all-time low during a wave of strikes in 1919-20 when employers hired assassins to kill union leaders.

Within days of Spain’s Second Republic forming in 1931, Catalan nationalists declared a republic within an ‘Iberian Federation’. Catalunya briefly gained genuine autonomy after the leftist Popular Front won the February 1936 Spanish general election, and for nearly a year revolutionary anarchists and the POUM (the Workers Marxist Unification Party) ran the town. Get 10 anarchists in a room, though, and you’ll have 11 political opinions; in May 1937 infighting between communists, anarchists and the POUM broke out into street fighting for three days, killing at least 1500 people.

The Republican effort across Spain was troubled by similar infighting, which destroyed any chance they may have had of defeating Franco’s fascist militia. Barcelona, the last stronghold of the Republicans, fell to Franco’s forces in January 1939, and the war ended a few months later. Rather than submitting to Franco, thousands of Catalans fled across the border to France, Andorra and farther afield.

Franco wasted no time in banning Catalan and flooding the region with impoverished immigrants from Andalucía in the vain hope that the pesky Catalans, with their continual movements for independence, would be swamped. But the plan soured somewhat when the migrants’ children and grandchildren turned out to be more Catalan than the Catalans. Franco even banned one of the Catalans’ joyful expressions of national unity, the sardana, a public circle dance.

But they’d barely turned the last sods on El Supremo’s grave when Catalunya burst out again in an effort to recreate itself as a nation. Catalan was revived with a vengeance, the Generalitat, or local parliament, was reinstated, and today, people gather all over town several times a week to dance the sardana. While there’s still talk of independence, it remains just that – talk. Barcelona is its country’s most happening town, and seems set to stay that way.

Guia Turistica del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona

Turisme de Barcelona

Barcelona/Spain info

BarcelonaStyle

Barcelona Tourist Guide

Plan de Viaje

Viernes 24 de Marzo, 2006.

Tren Lleida-Barcelona, llegada a las 9:55 a.m. Estacion de Sants.

Metro hasta Plaza Catalunya y registro en Hotel Regina.

Plaza Catalunya

Bus Turistico

11:00 a.m. Plaza Catalunya. Bus Turistico Ruta Sur.

Paradas:

- Plaza de España.
- Pueblo Español.
- Fundacion Joan Miro.
- Port Vell (Puerto Viejo).
- Port Olimpic (Puerto Olimpico).
- Parque de la Ciudadela.

2:00 p.m. Almuerzo.

Seguido de paseo hasta el Arco de Triunfo y Estacion de Francia.
Metro hasta Diagonal y visita a Vinçon.
Cena en Rambla de Catalunya y paseo de vuelta al hotel.

ARCO DE TRIUNFO

This statue served as the main entrance during the city’s 1888 Universal Exhibition. Built from sculpted brick and surrounded by statues, including a sculpture representing the city welcoming international visitors to the Exhibition. METRO: Arc de Triomf. (Passeig Luís Companys, s/n)

ESTACION DE FRANCIA info info2

Foto

VINÇON

+34 93 215 6050, Passeig de Gràcia, 96 (horario: 10 a.m. a 8:30 p.m.)

PLAZA DE ESPAÑA info
Puerta de entrada al recinto ferial y a Montjuïc.

La urbanización de esta plaza y el parque de Montjuïc se hizo a raíz de la Exposición Internacional de 1929. La gran fuente del centro, con tres esculturas de bronce alegóricas al comercio, la industria y la navegación, es obra de Josep Maria Jujol, arquitecto polifacético e inestimable colaborador de Gaudí. Las dos grandes torres venecianas que flanquean la avenida Maria Cristina dan entrada al recinto ferial, presidido desde lo alto por el majestuoso Palau Nacional, sede del Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). Puede acceder a pie fácilmente utilizando las cómodas escaleras mecánicas que le llevan hasta el museo, o bien puede tomar el tren turístico que recorre todo el parque.

PUEBLO ESPAÑOL web oficial info
Réplica a escala natural de la arquitectura popular.

La Exposición Internacional que Barcelona celebró en 1929 dejó importantes legados en la montaña de Montjuïc. De esa fecha data el Poble Espanyol, un recinto que invita a pasear por las calles y plazas de un verdadero pueblo, síntesis de la riqueza arquitectónica de diferentes pueblos de España. Pero el Poble es mucho más que una muestra de arquitectura: hay más de 40 talleres de artesanía donde podrá ver en directo la creación de piezas únicas y después comprarlas; podrá pasear por el Jardín de las Esculturas des de donde se disfruta de una vista panorámica sobre la ciudad; visitando la Fundació Fran Daurel que expone una colección de arte contemporáneo con obras de Picasso, Miró, Tàpies, Barceló entre otros. La amplia oferta de tiendas y restaurantes completa las razones para visitar este recinto único.

La idea inicial

Construido entre los años 1926 y 1929, el Poble Espanyol responde a la idea inicial de agrupar bajo la forma de un “pueblo” concebido como unidad de conjunto, muestras representativas de la arquitectura de las diversas regiones españolas.

El espacio actual

En la actualidad el Poble Espanyol, además de ser un lugar obligado de visita para quienes quieran tener una visión de conjunto de los distintos tipos de construcciones arquitectónicas y urbanas se ha convertido en punto de reunión de personas que quieran, también, disfrutar de un espectáculo teatral o asistir a un concierto o compartir una buena cena con los amigos en alguno de sus restaurantes.

The Poble Espanyol was constituted as an original museum featuring reproductions of characteristic Spanish architecture. The space explains Spanish architecture as a meeting of Mediterranean cultures, and is a vibrant centre for contemporary crafts, art and design.

It provides the city with a cultural infrastructure which stages concerts and where you can take time out to discover Spanish cuisine. It currently houses the most important series of craft workshops on the Iberian Peninsula. One of the highlights of its cultural and leisure attractions is the collection of contemporary Spanish art, the Fundació Fran Daurel.

Winter: Mon to Thu: 9am – 8pm; Fri and Sat: 9am – 4pm; Sun: 9am – 00am.
Spring, summer and autumn: Mon: 9am. – 8pm.; Tue to Thu: 9am. – 2pm.;

Fri and Sat: 9am – 4pm.; Sun: 9am. – 00am.
Price: 7.50 €

FUNDACION JOAN MIRO web oficial
Arte contemporáneo y arquitectura mediterránea.

Esta parada es inexcusable si no quiere perderse uno de los mejores museos de Barcelona. La Fundació Joan Miró y Centro de Estudios de Arte Contemporáneo se abrió al público en 1975 y desde entonces no ha dejado de ser un referente clave en la vida cultural de la ciudad. Además de albergar la colección permanente de este artista catalán y universal que supo crear su propio universo poético y cultivar todo tipo de géneros -pintura, escultura, cerámica, tapices, etc.-, la fundación desarrolla una intensa actividad en el campo de la creación artística contemporánea. Tan interesante como el contenido es el edificio mismo, blanco y luminoso, obra del arquitecto y gran amigo de Miró, Josep Lluís Sert, quien diseñó una construcción de marcado carácter mediterráneo.

Housed in a magnificent building by Josep Lluís Sert, it contains the best public collection of Joan Miró’s works. Some 300 paintings, 150 sculptures, 9 tapestries, the complete collection of graphics and over 7,000 drawings, show Miró’s artistic development and the different techniques he used throughout his career. As well as the permanent exhibition of a selection from the collection, a programme of temporary exhibitions is a regular feature at the Fundació Joan Miró. These cover the widest area of disciplines in the sphere of contemporary art.

website: www.bcn.fjmiro.es
Opening time: Oct. – June: Tue-Sat: 10-19h; Thu. 10-21.30h; Sun. & Bank Holidays 10-14.30h. July – September: Tue-Sat: 10-20h; Thu up to 21.30h.; Sun and bank holidays: 10-14.30h.
Price: 7.20 Euro Temporal exhibition + Espai 13: 3.6 Euro

PUERTO VIEJO info
La zona más animada y relajante de Barcelona.

El carácter mediterráneo de Barcelona se pone de manifiesto en el Port Vell, la zona más antigua del puerto de Barcelona que se extiende ante el barrio de la Ribera. Nos encontramos en el gran complejo de ocio Maremagnum, renovado y modernizado en 2005, un lugar ideal para pasar un buen rato junto al mar y en pleno centro de la ciudad. Se trata de un multiespacio destinado al ocio, con una gran oferta de restaurantes y tiendas, abiertos todos los días de la semana. Se accede desde la plaza Portal de la Pau por la Rambla de mar, la pasarela peatonal que cruza por encima de las aguas del puerto. Destaca por su importancia L’Aquàrium, cuya visita es un fascinante viaje al fondo marino que no debería perderse. Comprobará que atravesar el túnel transparente bajo la piscina de los tiburones es un momento mágico.

Today, Barcelona is a city which is open to the sea. The port has become one of the favourite stop-off points for luxury cruise liners. The fishing area of the port still survives, with its clock tower which gives its name to the wharf -Moll del Rellotge- and the small fish auction mart. The medieval shipyards, the Drassanes Reials, bear witness to the splendour of sea trading and the Catalan Navy of the Middle Ages, and currently house the Museu Marítim.

From the Columbus Monument you can walk along the oldest part of the harbour front, the Port Vell. The domed viewing gallery of the Columbus Monument provides views of the whole of Barcelona and the Port Vell, with the city’s new leisure complex comprising the Maremàgnum, the Imax cinema and L’ Aquàrium. The city can also be viewed from the sea on one of the Golondrinas pleasure boats which travel across the harbour and along the city’s seafront.

The Barceloneta is a traditional sailing and fishing district which is renowned for its fish and seafood restaurants. It leads to the Olympic Village, where the athletes lived during the Olympic Games. The Olympic Marina has over 40 bars and restaurants and has become a new recreational area which, together with over four kilometres of beaches, offers the possibility to enjoy all kinds of water sports.

PUERTO OLIMPICO
La herencia marítima de los Juegos del 92.

La mayor transformación urbana impulsada por los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 se llevó a cabo en esta zona, con la construcción del Port Olímpic y la regeneración de todo su entorno. La nueva marina sirvió para las competiciones de vela, y los edificios de viviendas para alojar a atletas y deportistas. Hoy la herencia de los Juegos es un moderno barrio residencial frente al mar, con playas recuperadas para el baño y el uso público. El puerto deportivo, que supera los 700 amarres, se ha convertido en el centro de una gran área de ocio y restauración, un lugar donde practicar deportes náuticos o simplemente pasear junto a la playa. Al pie de una de las dos torres que presiden el acceso al Port Olímpic, se encuentra el Casino de Barcelona. Pruebe suerte y llévese, si cabe, un recuerdo todavía más gratificante.

PARQUE DE LA CIUDADELA info
Un espacio verde que encierra muchos atractivos.

Este parque, que ocupa los terrenos de una antigua ciudadela militar, se construyó con motivo de la Exposición Universal de 1888. Aquí se supera el concepto de un mero parque como lugar de paseo y vegetación, aunque sin duda lo es. En su interior se encuentra el Zoológico de Barcelona, con más de 7.000 ejemplares de animales de unas 400 especies diferentes de todo el mundo. Además de la inexcusable visita al Zoo, un paseo por este parque le deparará no pocas sorpresas: la espectacular Cascada y el lago navegable; el edificio blanco y acristalado del Hivernacle junto al refrescante y sombrío Umbracle; o el Museu de Ciències Naturals (Museu de Geologia y Museu de Zoologia). La sede del Parlament de Catalunya se encuentra también aquí. Como ve, la Ciutadella es mucho más que un espacio verde.

The Parc de la Ciutadella stands on the site of the old military citadel from which it takes its name. Some of the old buildings from the fort are still in existence today, such as the chapel, the Governor’s Palace and the arsenal, today seat of the Parliament of Catalonia.

The park is the perfect place to relax and has a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere and pleasant attributes such as the spectacular waterfall, the pond, flower gardens, and an abundance of trees. It is also the location of the Museu de Zoologia, a building designed by the architect Domènech i Montaner.

Another area of the park is occupied by the large zoo. One of the most evocative corners of the park is a brick and wood building known as the Umbracle, whose interior spaces filled with lush tropical plants, are defined by slender iron columns. The Hivernacle, a wrought-iron and glass construction, has been recently restored for exhibitions and cultural events.

Sabado 25 de Marzo, 2006.

8:30 a.m. Mercado de la Boqueria.

9:30 a.m. Plaza Catalunya. Bus Turistico, Ruta Norte.

Paradas durante Ruta Norte:

- La Pedrera.
- Sagrada Familia.
- Parque Guell.
- Tranvia Azul al Tibidabo.
- Monasterio de Pedralbes.

Gaudi and Art Nouveau in Catalonia

LA PEDRERA info
El triunfo de la curva en la arquitectura gaudiniana.

La Casa Milà, más conocida como “La Pedrera”, fue construída por Gaudí entre 1906 y 1910. Es una obra de madurez, en la que el genial arquitecto imprime el movimiento de las olas a la imponente fachada de piedra, donde destacan los balcones de hierro forjado, todos ellos distintos. El interior de esta casa -declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad- le deparará no pocas sorpresas: el “Espai Gaudí” del desván, que contiene una exposición sobre el conjunto de la obra gaudiniana; la impresionante azotea con su bosque de chimeneas revestidas de cerámica; y la recreación de un piso de época. La planta principal se ha habilitado como sala de exposiciones y en el sótano hay un auditorio. En el Passeig de Gràcia, preste atención a dos elementos singulares: el pavimento de piezas hexagonales que reproducen un diseño de Gaudí; y las magníficas farolas-banco que flanquean toda la avenida.

The Casa Milà (1906-1912), better known as La Pedrera (the Catalan for quarry), comprises a series of limestone curtain walls on the outside and has inner courtyards decorated with murals. Its facade ripples around a street corner and has large windows and balconies with recycled wrought iron balustrades.

The attic space comprises an impressive succession of 270 brick arches and currently houses an exhibition about the architect. The attic underpins an undulating roof terrace with chimneys which commands splendid views of the Passeig de Gràcia. La Pedrera, was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. Admission to the building includes a visit to one of its apartments.
Open: Monday – Sunday from 10am. to 8pm.
Information: Phone: (34) 93 484 59 00 / Email: fcc@funcaixacat.org

LA SAGRADA FAMILIA info
El sueño de Gaudí.

El templo de la Sagrada Família es actualmente la única “catedral” del mundo que está todavía en construcción. Se financia sólo con los donativos de fieles y devotos, y también con las entradas de visitantes como usted. Es, efectivamente, el sueño de Gaudí, la obra a la que dedicó gran parte de su vida. En el momento de su muerte, acaecida en 1926, el maestro únicamente pudo ver terminada una de las torres. La continuación del proyecto de Gaudí se ha convertido en el símbolo indiscutible de Barcelona, no sólo por sus espectaculares dimensiones sino también porque revela el espíritu de una ciudad que siempre ha estado volcada en construir su futuro.
De aquí parte l’Avinguda Gaudí, paseo peatonal que conduce hacia el Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, otro de los edificios modernistas de Barcelona.

The Sagrada Família is the synthesis of Gaudí’s architectural theory and practice. The first stone was laid in 1882 and the architect worked on the project for over 40 years. During the last 15 years of his life, Gaudí lived in his workshop-studio in the church.

The neo-Gothic style of the crypt and apse evolves into the parabolic and hyperbolic forms of the vaults, making acoustics an important feature of the structure. During his lifetime, Gaudí completed the four towers of the Nativity façade. He left an overall plan of the project and his surviving drawings have enabled building work to continue. When the Sagrada Família is completed, it will have 18 towers, the tallest of which will stand 170 metres.

The ticket includes admission to the building work in progress; the museum showing the past, present and future of the church through maquettes, photographs, plans and decorative objects and the life of the architect; the Nativity and Passion façades. Inside the naves you can go up the towers, either on foot or by lift, to enjoy magnificent views of the city. You can also visit the exhibition Gaudí’s Workroom located in the schools building, designed by Gaudí.

Visits: Open every day: from October to March from 9 to 18 h.,
from April to September from 9 to 20 h.

Address: Mallorca, 401
Tel. 932 073 031
Fax 934 761 010
www.sagradafamilia.org
informa@sagradafamilia.org

PARQUE GUELL info
La arquitectura de Gaudí hecha jardín.

El Park Güell debe su nombre al que fuera gran mecenas de Gaudí, el conde Eusebi Güell. Si bien fue proyectado inicialmente como ciudad-jardín residencial al estilo inglés (de ahí lo de “Park”), la iniciativa no tuvo éxito y sólo llegó a construirse alguna casa de muestra, como la que habitó el propio Gaudí y hoy alberga la Casa- Museo del arquitecto. Finalmente, Güell hizo donación de la finca al Ayuntamiento en 1923 y desde entonces es propiedad municipal y parque público, sin duda privilegiado y único. En ningún otro lugar como en este parque hallamos la obra de Gaudí tan integrada en la naturaleza, la que fue siempre su principal fuente de inspiración.

The Park Güell was an attempt to create a housing estate in a natural setting. Gaudí applied all his urban-planning know-how to the project and created an area of 20 hectares where there are no straight lines. Everything is undulating, distorted and sinuous, imbuing the place with a magical atmosphere.

Highlights include the hypostyle hall, an area originally intended to be used as a market place, which underpins a large plaza which boasts superb views of the city. The hall is accessed by a stairway decorated with highly original and imaginative motifs.

It is important to mention that Gaudí was assisted by the architect Josep Maria Jujol, who made a special contribution to the park with his curving bench-balustrade. The Park Güell is Antoni Gaudí’s largest work.

Visits: November to February from 10 to 18 h., March and October from 10 to 19 h., April and September from 10 to 20 h., May to August from 10 to 21 h. Information: Phone: (34) 93 413 24 00

TRANVIA AZUL AL TIBIDABO
Un romántico tranvía para subir al gran mirador de Barcelona.

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Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus
MISAS DÍAS LABORABLES: 8 – 12 – 17 – 19 h.
MISAS DÍAS FESTIVOS: 8 – 10 – 11- 12 – 13 – 17 – 19 h.
Tels : 934 175 686 – 934 174 904

Para alcanzar la cima del Tibidabo y gozar desde allí de una impresionante vista de la ciudad extendiéndose hacia el mar, lo tiene bien fácil. Le esperan unos medios de transporte con mucho encanto: el Tramvia Blau, esa joya entrañable del pasado que todavía sigue en funcionamiento, y el Funicular, que enlaza con el anterior y cubre el último tramo empinado de la montaña. Una vez arriba, además de lo atractivo de las vistas, el Parque de Atracciones le deparará numerosas sorpresas, desde las más tradicionales hasta las más novedosas. No en vano al Tibidabo se le ha llamado “parque de sensaciones”. Realmente lo es.

The blue tram, the Tramvia Blau, runs from the Plaça de Kennedy/Avinguda del Tibidabo to the Plaça del Doctor Andreu and back. Connects to the Funicular of Tibidabo. The tram runs every day in summer, and at Easter, Christmas, weekends and on public holidays. On weekdays and during the months when the amusement park is closed, a bus operates on the same route.

Times: from 12/04 to 21/04, daily from 10am. to 18.05pm. and from 21/06 to 14/09, daily from 10am. to 8.05pm. / every Saturdays and holidays from 10.00am. to 6.05pm. It’doesn’t works on 01/01 and 25/12.
Frequency: every 30 minuts.
Fare: one-way 2.20 €; return 3.30 €.

Funicular railway operating from the Plaça del Doctor Andreu (end of Avinguda Tibidabo) to the Plaça del Tibidabo. Connects to the Tramvia Blau.

Times: The funicular runs on the days when the amusement park is open, until 30 minutes after the park closes.
Frequency: every 30 minutes.
Fare: one-way 2 €, return, 3 €.
Further information: 932 987 000; Fax: 933 186 927; www.tmb.net.

TIBIBUS

Bus running from the Plaça de Catalunya to the Plaça del Tibidabo.
Times: daily, 30 minutes before the amusement park opens until 30 minuts after it closes. There is no service when the park is closed.
Frequency: winter (Sat, Sun, public holidays): every hour; summer, Christmas and Easter: daily, evey 30 minutes.
Fare: 2.20 €, each way. Barcelona Card offers you 25% discount
Further information: Transports Ciutat Comtal, 934 156 020

MONASTERIO DE PEDRALBES Y MUSEO THYSSEN
Una joya del arte gótico en plena zona residencial.

En la zona alta de la ciudad, alejado del bullicio y el ruido, encontramos un magnífico enclave gótico de extraordinaria belleza. Se trata del Monasterio de Pedralbes, fundado por la reina Elisenda de Montcada en 1326, una de las mejores muestras del arte gótico catalán. Aunque todavía existe una pequeña comunidad de monjas clarisas que habita en un ala del recinto, la mayor parte del monasterio es hoy museo y puede visitarse. Desde 1993 se exhibe en este marco solemne una selección de obras de la Colección Thyssen, que incluye obras de Fra Angelico, Rubens o Canaletto, entre otros grandes maestros. Este lugar es todo un regalo para el espíritu.

Founded in 1327 by Queen Elisenda de Montcada, the monastery for the nuns of the order of St Clare in Pedralbes is still imbued with the peace and quiet of monastic life. The ensemble includes the church and monastery, set out around a magnificient three-tier cloister which provides access to the main rooms: the dormitory, the refectory, the chapterhouse, the abbey and the nun’s cells, one of which contains Ferrer Bassa’s splendid mural paintings. A visit to this landmark allows us to see the artistic legacy preserved by the community of nuns of St Clare throughout the centuries and to discover the way they lived.

Timetables: 1 June to 30 September, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm. Sundays, 10am-3pm. 1 October to 31 May, Tuesday -Sunday, 10am-2pm. Closed: Mondays, 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, 24 June and 25-26 December.
Entry fee: Single admission for Plaza del Rey monumental site, including: Pedralbes Monastery Museum, Verdaguer House-Museum, Güell Park Visitor Centre and Santa Ágata Chapel. General admission: €4 Reduced: €3 (groups, minimum 10 people); €2.50 (retired persons, large families and students, with ID). Free: children under 16 years.

Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza:
Monasterio de Pedralbes, Baixada del Monestir, 9, 08034 Barcelona
telephone: 34-3-280-14-34, fax: 34-3-204-16-01
hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-2:00; Saturday 10:00-5:00

2:00 p.m. Almuerzo.

Paseo desde Plaza Catalunya a Monumento a Colon. Incluyendo: Canaletas, Las Ramblas, Mercado de la Boqueria, Teatro del Liceo, Portal del Angel, Barrio Gotico, Plaza de San Jaime, Petritxol, Plaza Real, Murallas, Muelle de la Madera, Maremagnum.

LAS RAMBLAS
This unique, lively and colourful boulevard runs from Plaça de Catalunya down to the port, lined with newspaper and book stands, and interspersed with bird and flower stalls. Thriving commerce has its focus on one of the side streets, the Portaferrissa. The route features buildings of great architectural value, such as the Betlem church, the 18th-century Palau Moja and the Palau de la Virreina, where temporary exhibitions are held.

In the heart of the district, we find two new cultural infrastructures built in the nineties, which form the new cultural focus of the city: the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) and the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). Back on La Rambla, visit the traditional food market, La Boqueria. Nearby, you will find the multicoloured cobbled pavement designed by Joan Miró. On your right, you will find the opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Gaudí’s magnificent Palau Güell stands on Carrer Nou de la Rambla. Across La Rambla, the totally rejuvenated Plaça Reial continues to be an obligatory meeting point. Nearby you can visit the Wax Museum, the Museu de Cera.

Fuente de Canaletas

Boqueria

Also known as the Mercat de Sant Josep (Saint Joseph’s market), the Boqueria is famous for the quality and diversity of its produce which comes from around the world. It is located on a site originally intended to be used as the courtyard of the church of Sant Josep, hence its name.

Abierto de Lunes a Sabado por la mañana.

Plaza Real
Built after 1848 on the site of a Capuchin convent. The fountain of the Three Graces and two street lamps designed by Gaudí are located in the middle of the square. Surrounded by pavement cafés, it is a popular meeting point for locals and tourists alike.

BARRIO GOTICO
El corazón de la ciudad y núcleo histórico, político y religioso.

La historia bimilenaria de Barcelona tiene su origen en lo que hoy conocemos como Barrio Gótico, construido sobre la antigua colonia romana. Todavía hoy se conservan partes de la muralla exterior y de la ciudad romana, cuyos restos puede visitar en el subsuelo del Museu d’Història de la Ciutat. Si la Catedral es el centro de la vida religiosa, el núcleo histórico y político lo encontramos en la Plaça de Sant Jaume, donde se dan cita los palacios de la Generalitat (Gobierno Autónomo de Catalunya) y del Ayuntamiento, en cuyos bajos están situadas una oficina de información y la tienda de regalos BCN Original Shops. Muy cerca, el Museu Frederic Marès acoge una importante muestra de escultura hispánica y el Museu Sentimental. Para conocer la zona, nada mejor que un paseo guiado con los Barcelona Walking Tours que inician su recorrido en la oficina de información de Plaça de Catalunya.

MONUMENTO A COLON info
Lo más representativo de la metrópolis mediterránea.

Esta parada cercana al monumento a Colón, donde La Rambla se encuentra con el mar, es absolutamente imprescindible por muchos motivos. Pasear por La Rambla, el bulevar por excelencia de Barcelona, lleno de magia y colores y famoso en el mundo entero por su ambiente único, es uno, pero hay muchos más. Le recomendamos especialmente que tome el ascensor que sube al Mirador de Colom, que ofrece una vista panorámica privilegiada gracias a su estructura circular. Puede visitar también el Museu Marítim, instalado en el espléndido edificio gótico de las Reales Atarazanas, o dar un paseo por el puerto a bordo de las “Golondrinas” o el moderno catamarán “Orsom”. I si desea disfrutar de un paseo en bicicleta frente al mar, el Ciclobus se lo pone fácil: la puede alquilar en este punto y devolverla en cualquier otro.

The Columbus Monument is located at the bottom of La Rambla, by the sea. This major landmark was built in 1888 for the Universal Exhibition and commemorates the discovery of America. You can ride the lift inside the column to the viewing gallery at the top, 60 metres above the ground, and enjoy breathtaking views of the city from the mountains to the sea.
Open: 1st October – 31st May: daily 10am. – 6.30pm.

8:30 p.m. Cena en una tasca del Paseo de Gracia,
seguido de caminata por la Rambla de Catalunya y Calle Pelayo.

Domingo 26 de Marzo, 2006.

11:30 Visita al Claustro de la Catedral.
12 del mediodia: Sardanas en la Plaza de la Catedral.
13:00 p.m. Misa en la Catedral.

CATEDRAL DE BARCELONA mas informacion

Los orígenes

Los orígenes más remotos de la Catedral de Barcelona corresponden a una basílica de tres naves que fue destruida por Al-Mansur (925). Los restos de esta basílica se pueden ver en el Museo de Historia de la Ciudad . Hacia 1046 se comenzó la construcción de un nuevo templo debido a la iniciativa del obispo Guislabert. De este templo no se han conservado casi referencias: se supone que ocupaba parte del edificio gótico, pero sí que se han conservado algunos de sus elementos románicos.

La basílica actual
Horarios

Se comenzó a construir en el año 1298 durante el obispado de Bernat Pelegrí y el gobierno del rei Jaume II “El Just”. Las obras de la fachada actual de la Catedral quedaron inacabadas hasta finales del siglo pasado; fueron los arquitectes J.O.Mestres y August Font i Carreras los que finalizaron las obras, inspirandose en un dibujo del siglo XV, del Mestre Carlí.

Address:Pla de la Seu, s/n (08002)
Tel. 933 151 554
www.website.es/catedralbcn

Building work on the Cathedral began at the end of the 13th century and ended six centuries later. The oldest part of the Cathedral is the doorway of Sant Iu; the façade, which was completed in 1890, is the most recent. Important features are the high altar, the 15th-century bell tower and cloisters, the choir stalls, the pulpit, the crypt of Santa Eulàlia (one of Barcelona’s two patron saints), and the doorway of La Pietat (entrance to the cloister). The Gothic building is located on the site of an early-Christian basilica (4th century) with three naves, of which the baptistry is all that remains (it was destroyed in 958).

Cathedral: Open daily from 8am. to 1.15pm. and from 4.30pm. to 7.30pm.
Special tour: daily from 1.30pm. to 4.30pm., price 4 €.
Cloister: Open daily, 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 7pm

SARDANA, DANZA FOLCLORICA DE CATALUNYA

At many festivals, you are likely to see circles of people dancing the sardana, Catalunya´s national dance, and one which resembles no other Spanish dance. Its origins are thought to lie in the graceful dances of ancient Greece. One theory is that the Greeks introduced the dance during the period in which they maintained trading posts on Catalunya´s northern shores thousands of years ago. Others insist that the sardana was not practiced here until the fifteenth-century Catalan occupation of Sardinia, hence the name. In any case, the sardana in its present form emerged during the Renaixença (the 19C. Catalan renaissance) and had become so much a symbol of national identity that it was banned during the Franco period. Sardana dancers link hands with raised arms, forming circles which grow bigger and bigger as more people join in. Traditionally, couples can join in at any point, but cannot cut in between a man and his partner on the right. When the circle gets too big, the dancers form more circles. One of the main features of the dance is its spontaneity – for instance, except on special occasions, dancers wear everyday clothes. People of all ages and ranks in life join hands and dance as if to emphasize that whatever their differences, they are first and foremost Catalans. The spirit of unity generated by the sardana is truly impressive. An extremely disciplined dance, the sardana calls for exact movements and expert timing, provided by a leader in each circle. For this reason, unless you think you´ve really got the knack, it’s generally inadvisable for visitors to join in – one wrong move can put the entire circle out of step.” The sardana can be seen for free at several places in the city including in front of the cathedral, Sat 6.30pm and Sun noon, and in Plaça Sant Jaume, Sun 6pm. The accompanying instrumental group is called a cobla, and it includes the flabiol (a type of long flute), the tambori (drum), and tenor and soprano oboes.

LLEIDA
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150km from Barcelona, Lleida is the ideal place for a leisurely walk. The city has a surprisingly rich and varied cultural heritage which is well-worth visiting.
Recommended visits: the Seu Vella (old Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral) the symbol of the city; La Paeria (municipal headquarters, a jewel of civil Romanesque architecture); the Church of Sant Martí (Romanesque, currently houses the art collections of the Museu Diocesà); Sant Llorenç (Romanesque-Gothic church with interesting medieval stone retables); La Mitjana (natural park); the old hospital of Santa Maria (Gothic, headquarters of the Institute for Leridan Studies); the Museu d’Art Jaume Morera; the arch over the bridge (the former gateway to the city, with statuary of the Leridan governors Indibil and Mandonio); the bridges and walkway over the River Segre.

The city’s cuisine is varied and its magnificent produce is used to create a tasty and unique range of dishes. Snails are one of the specialities.
Information about guided tours is available from the tourist office.

For further information:
Turisme de Lleida
Major, 31 bis
25007 Lleida
Tel. 973 700 319 | Fax 973 700 480
turisme@paeria.es | Turisme de Lleida

Lleida Regional Council Tourist Board
Rambla Ferran, 18, 3er ed.
25007 Lleida
Tel. 973 245 408 / 902 101 110
Fax 973 245 558
Lleidatur

For information and bookings:
INDIBIL Turisme de Lleida booking office
Tel. 973 700 319 – indibil@paeria.es

Transport:
Railway, Renfe (Spanish national rail) from Barcelona Sants and/or Passeig de Gràcia stations. RENFE information: 902 240 202
Bus, Alsina Graells, buses from Barcelona-Nord station. Tel. 932 656 592