Attractions in Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is Spain's second largest city and is its largest port. It faces onto the Mediterranean and is not far from the French border. It is an exuberant city that was repressed under the dictatorship of Franco but bounced back. It underwent an economic transformation in the 90's and prides itself on being a modern European city in a 21st century world. It is the capital of the Catalonia region (the Catalonians are an ethnic group that dates back to the eight or ninth centuries). The new freedom and the drive to express itself culturally has led to the development of marvelous buildings, wide boulevards and a unique architectural style (Antoni Gaudi is the most famous of the architects who have left a distinctive mark on the city). It is probably the most unSpanish of Spain's cities but locals claim that is exactly the point. It prides itself on hosting the 1992 Olympic Games and prefers it if they are referred to as the Barcelonan Olympic Games rather than the Spanish Olympic games. The infrastructure developed for the games also helped the economic development of the city. Not only did an international TV audience (and potential tourists) see how attractive the city was, but infrastructure such as the stadia, harbour and athletes residences helped spur development.
|
