General Information and useful
links
Introduction to
Barcelona
Barcelona is a northern city in the South - that is to say, it
is a progressive, modern European city, and at the same time traditionalist, popular, and
typically Mediterranean. This dichotomy between tradition and progress is a characteristic
of both the city and it's nearly two million inhabitants.
Ever since the Middle Ages, Barcelona has acted as a cultural, and
economic center for the entire Catalonian region, which at one time was a kingdom, then a
Spanish region, and more recently, an Autonomous Community with a government of its own.
Barcelona is a city with a rich cultural heritage. This tradition is
manifested in its spectacular architecture, especially from the Gothic and Modern periods;
expressed in its music, sculpture and theater; and captured in its paintings. Names as
Angel Guimera, Gaudi, Picasso, Miro, J. LL Sert, Tapies, Josep Carreras, Monserrat
Caballe, and Jaume Aragall have an universal ring. Barcelona is also famous for museums
and art galleries, for its opera and concerts, for its popular celebrations, its night
life and its cooking.
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