Barcelona is an old city that has emerged from the Roman Empire. Interestingly, it is a city that has bloomed in the late middle ages and flourished in the mid-19th century. However, you may also find many exhilarating components of the modern period as well. Located on the Mediterranean Sea coast in the northeastern part of Spain, remnants of both old and modern period were all evident here.

Columbus, Barcelona
The monument was constructed for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona and is located at the site where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas. It serves as a reminder that Barcelona is where Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabella and Ferdinand after Columbus’ most famous trip.

The remains of ancient Roman architecture are everywhere – may it be just part of a channel in the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) or somewhere in the streets. What sets it apart from Rome itself is that these ancient buildings were built from the period a certain area is named after. Most of Barcelona’s popular churches were built in the medieval years, like the well-known La Seu. Antonio Gaudi and his followers made the late 19th and earth 20th century alive with their notable artistic collection such as Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and the Casa Mila. There are many others of course, but among the simpler ones were the lampposts outside the Pla de Palau, characterized by the artist’s unique touch.

There are many sights to explore in Barcelona, making Gaudi not a sole accountable person of the many great buildings and monuments here. One outstanding example is the Arc de Triomf which was built for the 1888 Universal Exhibition. Others include Cituadella Park and Montjuic. The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya provides an interesting display of art objects starting from the Romanesque period (early 11th century), all the way thru the turn of the century that took place in Catalonia. Traces of moder era are equally eminent in Barcelona as well. One of the popular structures is the Poble Espanyol which was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. It’s an amazing collection of over 100 buildings, a range of Spanish residential architecture where you can shop, dine, and dance all your hearts out. After enjoying the food and art exhibitions, tourists are recommended to visit the Mercat de Sant Josep (St. Joseph’s Market) in La Boqueria. Dozens of stalls are housed in a stellar 19th century building, selling various kinds of native fruits and fresh vegetable. Shoppers can relax in one of the many superb tapa bars, like Pinotxo.

If you’re still on the go, you can make your way up to the Aquarium at Port Vell, Barcelona Zoo, or atop Montjuic for a breathtaking view of the entire Barcelona area. Visitors will never ran out of things to do or explore in this world-class city more than anywhere in Europe.

So was it the famous Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926) that created Barcelona? Numerous famed artists have been active in the course of 19th century in this ancient city of over 2,000 years old that clearly gives a “no” answer for this question. Much of the precious works in this Spanish city however are from his contributions. If one has to enumerate all of the artists’ contributions, he’ll always be on top no doubt. The Temple of the Holy Family (Sagrada Familia) is one of his most popular buildings. It is described as sui generic – part neo-Baroque and part neo-Gothic, its structure almost defying its description they say. As an architect, he made the Park Guell on nearby Montjuic as one of his civil engineering projects. It has this gigantic lizard sculpture, well-known huge wavy bench, and some bits of mosaic tile – all of which lying in a 20-hectare lush greenery, truly one of Gaudi’s masterpiece!

The Casa Mila or La Pedrera (The Stone Quarry) is frequently visited by tourists as well. It is now seen as a set of individual apartments but it was initially designed as a private house. Its exotic facade came from its organic, rolling balconies design, aside from the distinctive organic Gaudi elements spread all throughout the structure – from seaweed designed wrought iron, ice cream cone-shaped chimneys to the glowing attic. Gaudi is regarded as the Father of Spanish Art Nouveau, and he has built a couple of structures to prove that he is worthy of such title. Among which is the Casa Batllo, built in 1907.

Casa Batllo, Barcelona

Just like the Casa Mila, Gaudi’s distinctive style is clearly eminent in this masterpiece. Its balconies are characterized by skull-like eye sockets merged in a colorful mosaic façade, creating a melting effect; its arched chimney is positioned in front of an orange clamshell roofline. No wonder it was chosen as one of the worthy treasures on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Those unique organic shapes Gaudi incorporates have always served their purpose on his architecture, a technique also evident among Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs. Take the Colonia Guell chapel for instance. Notice how distinct the arches are – sharp-angled, organic decorations blending perfectly well into the basic structure, making a cave-like effect. Gaudi’s contributions will always be a sought-after attraction for both locals and tourists, even for a city filled with excellent structures. There’s no other way but to experience and find out why.

Bytheway did you know that one of Gaudis first work can be found at Place Real close to the famous Las Ramblas? He designed the lamp posts….
Place Real, Barcelona