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Barcelona and the sea
Barcelona is a mediterranean city with over two thousand years of history whose doors are always open to all manner of innovations. With a population of one and a half million, the city is friendly and diverse, a city to live in and share.
With a coastline stretching four kilometers, the recovery of Barcelona’s waterfront was one of the most important transformations the city has undergone. Today, its beaches are some of the largest and most popular leisure areas in the entire metropolis.
Barcelona’s monuments and sights read like an open book of its history: the medieval Gothic Quarter, Catalan Modernism, the surrealism of Picasso and Miró and, of course, the city’s relationship with the sea, as embodied in the Drassanes shipyards, the Santa María del Mar (Saint Mary of the Sea) cathedral, the coastal Ribera district, the “Llotja” or maritime exchange, etc.
As for cuisine, in Barcelona diners will find everything from traditional Catalan cookery to the most exciting and varied international dishes. It is worth noting that a Catalan restaurant was recently chosen as the best in the world. Barcelona might also be said to be the best shop in the world.
The Barcelona that awaits you is a European capital with a personality all its own, a seafaring city brimming with an extensive cultural and leisure offer.
History
The city of Barcelona dates back to the 1st century BC, when it was a Roman colony called Barcino. Remains of the original Roman walls can still be seen today.
In the Middle Ages, Barcelona was strongly influenced by the region’s growing maritime trade, as reflected in many of its historical buildings and institutions.
As a result, Barcelona gradually became a hub for the cultural avant-garde, home to myriad new scientific and technical discoveries affecting all spheres of daily life.
In 1992, the city hosted an unforgettable edition of the Summer Olympics, in preparation for which it was thoroughly renovated. The spirit of this major sporting event melded perfectly with the Mediterranean metropolis’s traditional warmth and hospitality.
The Barcelona of the 21st century is a city wide open to other cultures and peoples, committed to both solidarity and sustainability
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