Barcelona, << `bahr` suh LOH nuh >> (pop. 1,636,732), is the second largest city in Spain. Only Madrid has more people. Barcelona lies on a gently sloping coastal plain in northeastern Spain. Barcelona is the capital of both the province of Barcelona and the autonomous (self-governing) region of Catalonia.
Barcelona is Spain’s most important manufacturing center. Manufactures include automobiles, chemicals, electronics, metal products, processed foods, and textiles and clothing. Barcelona is one of Spain’s leading ports. Its exports include citrus fruit, textiles, and wine. The city also has a stock exchange, a subway system, and airport facilities.
Barcelona’s historic center is the Gothic Quarter, called the Barri Gòtic in the Catalan language of the region. The quarter is known for its concentration of buildings dating from the 1200’s to the 1400’s. One of the best known is La Seu, a Gothic cathedral. The Eixample (Extension) neighborhood, west of the Gothic Quarter, features many buildings by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí’s work is known for its vivid colors, curving surfaces, and flowing lines. Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, a church that was unfinished at his death, is one of many architectural treasures in this neighborhood.
According to legend, the Carthaginian leader Hamilcar Barca founded Barcelona about 230 B.C. However, the earliest evidence of the city dates to about 100 B.C., when a Roman military outpost was established near the harbor. In A.D. 1137, Barcelona united with Aragon. As the capital of Catalonia, the city came under French rule in 1640. Spain regained control of the city in 1652. From 1808 to 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars, the French again occupied Barcelona. Since then, it has been under Spanish control.
In the 1800’s, Barcelona developed into Spain’s leading industrial city. In the mid-1800’s, it was the site of revolts against the Spanish monarchy. Labor unrest led to violence in Barcelona during the early 1900’s. The city was the seat of the Republican government for a time during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In 1962, flash floods left about 450 people dead and another 400 people missing in the Barcelona area. It was the worst natural disaster in Spain’s history. The 1992 Summer Olympic Games were held in Barcelona.
In August 2017, terrorists drove a van into a crowd in Barcelona’s popular Las Ramblas district, killing at least 14 people.
