View source for Place:Barcelona

{{EngvarB|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name           =Barcelona
| native_name             = <!-- if different from the English name -->
| other_name              =
| settlement_type         = City and municipality
<!-- images, nickname, motto --->
| image_skyline           = Barcelona collage.JPG
| imagesize               = 
| image_alt               =
| image_caption           =
| image_flag              = Flag of Barcelona.svg
| flag_alt                =
| image_shield            = Escudo de Barcelona.svg
| shield_alt              =
| nickname                = {{nowrap|''Ciutat Comtal''&nbsp;([[Social:Catalan language|ca]])/''Ciudad Condal''&nbsp;([[Social:Spanish language|es]]) <br> "City of Counts"}} <br> {{nowrap|''Cap i Casal de Catalunya''&nbsp;([[Social:Catalan language|ca]]) <br> "Head and Hearth of Catalonia"}}
<br> Abbreviation(s): <br/> ''Barna'', ''BCN''
| motto                   =
<!-- maps and coordinates ------>
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location within Catalonia##Location within Spain##Location within Europe
| pushpin_label_position  =
| pushpin_map_alt         =
| pushpin_map             = Catalonia#Spain#Europe
| pushpin_relief          = 1
| coordinates             = {{coord|41|23|N|2|11|E|type:city(1,582,738)_region:ES|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   =
| subdivision_type        = [[Earth:Sovereign state|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = {{flagcountry|Spain}}
| subdivision_type1       = Autonomous community
| subdivision_type2       = Province
| subdivision_type3       = Comarca
| subdivision_name1       = {{flag|Catalonia}} 
| subdivision_name2       = Barcelona
| subdivision_name3       = Barcelonès
<!-- established --------------->
| established_title       =
| established_date        =
<!-- seat, smaller parts ------->
| seat_type               =
| seat                    = Barcelona City Hall <!-- Casa de la Ciutat de Barcelona / Casa de la Ciudad de Barcelona -->
| parts_type              = Districts
| parts_style             = coll
| parts                   = {{nobold|10}}
| p1                      = Ciutat Vella
| government_type         = Mayor–council
| governing_body          = {{nowrap|Barcelona City Council}} <!-- Ajuntament de Barcelona / Ayuntamiendo de Barcelona -->
| leader_party            = Barcelona en Comú
| leader_title            = Mayor
| leader_name             = Ada Colau Ballano<ref name=municat>{{cite web|url=http://aplicacions.municat.gencat.cat/index.php?page=consulta&mostraEns=0801930008|title=Ajuntament de Barcelona|publisher=Generalitat of Catalonia|accessdate=13 November 2015}}</ref>
<!-- display settings  --------->
| total_type              = City
| unit_pref               = <!-- enter: Imperial, to display imperial before metric -->
<!-- area ---------------------->
| area_footnotes = <ref name=idescat>{{cite web|url=http://www.idescat.cat/emex/?lang=en&id=080193|title=El municipi en xifres: Barcelona|publisher=Statistical Institute of Catalonia|accessdate=23 November 2015}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 101.4
| area_urban_km2          =
<!-- elevation ----------------->
| elevation_footnotes     =&nbsp;(AMSL)
| elevation_m             = 12
<!-- population ---------------->
| population_total        = 1620809
| population_as_of        = 2017
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="ine.es">[http://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=2861 Barcelona: Población por municipios y sexo] - Instituto Nacional de Estadística. (National Statistics Institute)</ref>
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_urban        = 4840000<ref name="demographia">[http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf Demographia: World Urban Areas] – Demographia, April 2018</ref>
| population_metro        = 5474482<ref name="eurostat"/>
| population_rank         = 2nd
| population_demonym      = Barcelonan,&nbsp;Barcelonian <br/> ''barceloní'',&nbsp;''-ina''&nbsp;([[Social:Catalan language|ca]]) <br/> 'barcelonés'',&nbsp;''-esa''&nbsp;([[Social:Spanish language|es]])
<!-- postal codes, area code --->
| postal_code_type        = Postal code
| postal_code             = 080xx <!-- 08001–08080 -->
| area_code               = +34 ({{wipe|Spain}}) 93 (B)
<!-- INE code, city budget ----------->
| area_code_type          = Area code
| blank_name_sec1         = INE code
| blank_info_sec1         = 08 0193
| blank1_name_sec1        = City budget {{nobold|(2014)}}
| blank1_info_sec1        = €2.5 billion<ref>[http://www.lavanguardia.com/local/barcelona/20131231/54397686276/trias-aprueba-presupuesto-barcelona.html Trias aprueba definitivamente el presupuesto de Barcelona para 2014], ''La Vanguardia''.</ref>
<!-- language(s), patron saint(s), main festivity --------------->
| blank_name_sec2         = {{nowrap|[[Social:Languages of Spain|Official language]]}}
| blank_info_sec2         = [[Social:Catalan language|Catalan]] and [[Social:Spanish language|Spanish]]
| blank1_name_sec2        = Main festitivity
| blank1_info_sec2        = La Mercè
| website                 = {{url|www.barcelona.cat}}
| footnotes               =
| p2                      = Eixample
| p3                      = Gràcia
| p4                      = Horta-Guinardó
| p5                      = Les Corts
| p6                      = Nou Barris
| p7                      = Sant Andreu
| p8                      = Sants–Montjuïc
| p9                      = Sarrià-Sant Gervasi
| p10                     = Sant Martí
<!-- government type, leaders -->
| blank2_name_sec2        = Patron saint
| blank2_info_sec2        = Eulalia of Barcelona
<!-- website, footnotes -------->
}}

'''Barcelona''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|b|ɑːr|s|ə|ˈ|l|oʊ|n|ə}} {{respell|BAR|sə|LOH|nə}}, {{IPA-ca|bəɾsəˈlonə|lang}}, {{IPA-es|baɾθeˈlona|lang}}) is a city in {{wipe|Spain}}. It is the capital and largest city of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within city limits,<ref name="ine.es" /> its [[Engineering:Urban area|urban area]] extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the Province of Barcelona and is home to around 4.8 million people,<ref name="demographia"/><ref name="Boeing2016">{{cite journal|url=http://geoffboeing.com/publications/honolulu-rail-transit-barcelona/|author=Boeing, G.|title=Honolulu Rail Transit: International Lessons in Linking Form, Design, and Transportation|journal=Planext|date=2016|volume=2|pages=28–47|accessdate=29 April 2016}}</ref> making it the sixth most populous urban area in the [[Social:European Union|European Union]] after [[Place:Paris|Paris]], [[Place:London|London]], [[Place:Madrid|Madrid]], the Ruhr area and Milan.<ref name="demographia"/> It is one of the largest metropolises on the [[Place:Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean Sea]], located on the coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, and bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range, the tallest peak of which is {{convert|512|m|ft|lk=out|abbr=off}} high.

Founded as a Roman city, in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the [[History:Kingdom of Aragon|Kingdom of Aragon]], Barcelona continued to be an important city in the [[Place:Crown of Aragon|Crown of Aragon]] as an economic and administrative centre of this Crown and the capital of the [[Place:Principality of Catalonia|Principality of Catalonia]]. Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean are located in Barcelona. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class [[Place:Barcelona#Trade fair and exhibitions|conferences and expositions]] and also many international sport tournaments.

Barcelona is one of the world's leading tourist, economic, trade fair and cultural centres, and its influence in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the [[Global city|world's major global cities]].<ref name="GAWC">{{cite web |url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2010t.html |title=The World According to GaWC 2010 |publisher=Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network, [[Organization:Loughborough University|Loughborough University]] |accessdate=13 May 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010004859/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2010t.html |archivedate=10 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html |title=Inventory of World Cities |publisher=Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Study Group and Network |accessdate=1 December 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014191556/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html |archivedate=14 October 2013 }}</ref> It is a major cultural and economic centre in [[Place:Iberian Peninsula|southwestern Europe]], 24th in the world (before [[Place:Zürich|Zürich]], after Frankfurt)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atkearney.com/documents/10192/dfedfc4c-8a62-4162-90e5-2a3f14f0da3a |title=2012 Global Cities Index |date= |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020223227/http://www.atkearney.com/documents/10192/dfedfc4c-8a62-4162-90e5-2a3f14f0da3a|archivedate=20 October 2013}}</ref> and a financial centre. In 2008 it was the fourth most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union and 35th in the world with GDP amounting to €177 billion.<ref name="pricewater">{{cite web|url=https://www.ukmediacenter.pwc.com/imagelibrary/downloadMedia.ashx?MediaDetailsID=1562 |title=Global city GDP rankings 2008–2025 |publisher=Pricewaterhouse Coopers |accessdate=16 December 2009}}{{Dead link|date=February 2016}}</ref> In 2012 Barcelona had a GDP of $170 billion; and it was leading Spain in employment rate in that moment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brookings analysis of data from Oxford Economics, Moody’s Analytics, and the U.S. Census Bureau |url=http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/global-metro-monitor-3# |work=Brookings Global MetroMonitor |publisher=Brookings Institution |accessdate=14 January 2014 |author=Emilia Istrate |author2=Carey Anne Nadeau |date=30 November 2012 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6H7Jql2A9?url=http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/global-metro-monitor-3 |archivedate= 4 June 2013 |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }}</ref>

In 2009 the city was ranked Europe's third and one of the world's most successful as a city brand.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citymayors.com/marketing/city-brands.html |title=Paris, London and Barcelona are Europe’s top city brands |publisher=Citymayors.com |date=28 August 2008 |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927073641/http://www.citymayors.com/marketing/city-brands.html |archivedate=27 September 2013 }}</ref> In the same year the city was ranked Europe's fourth best city for business and fastest improving European city, with growth improved by 17% per year,<ref name="BEBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.citymayors.com/business/euro_bizcities.html |title=Best European business cities |publisher=City Mayors |date=28 October 2009 |accessdate=15 September 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723081225/http://www.citymayors.com/business/euro_bizcities.html |archivedate=23 July 2013 }}</ref> and the city has been experiencing strong and renewed growth for the past three years. Since 2011 Barcelona has been a leading [[Social:Smart city|smart city]] in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brusselnieuws.be/en/video/tvbrussel/barcelona-50-or-barcelona-smart-city-we-need-leaders-vision |title=Barcelona 5.0 or Barcelona smart city|publisher=tvbrussel|date=4 December 2014}}</ref> Barcelona is a transport hub, with the Port of Barcelona being one of Europe's principal seaports and busiest European passenger port,<ref name=StatServ2014>{{cite web|title=Port of Barcelona traffic statistics Accumulated data December 2013|url=http://content.portdebarcelona.cat/cntmng/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/1c206b0a-4787-49d8-9c8c-0563aa71719f/PortBcnTrafic2013_12_en.pdf|publisher=Statistics Service|accessdate=14 June 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614141353/http://content.portdebarcelona.cat/cntmng/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/1c206b0a-4787-49d8-9c8c-0563aa71719f/PortBcnTrafic2013_12_en.pdf|archivedate=14 June 2014 |page=6}}</ref> an international airport, Barcelona–El Prat Airport, which handles over 40 million passengers per year,<ref>{{cite web|title=2012 Annual Traffic Report|url=http://www.panynj.gov/airports/pdf-traffic/ATR2012.pdf|work=Annual Traffic Report of the Aviation Department|publisher=Port Authority of NY & NJ|accessdate=23 January 2014|author=Ralph Tragale|date=1 April 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613012135/http://www.panynj.gov/airports/pdf-traffic/ATR2012.pdf |archivedate=13 June 2013}}</ref> an [[Place:Barcelona#Roads and highways|extensive motorway network]], and a high-speed rail line with a link to France and the rest of Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europapress.es/economia/transportes-00343/noticia-economia-ave-reyes-inauguraran-ave-valencia-principes-conexion-albacete-20101210123611.html |title=First commercial trips|language=es |publisher=Europapress.es |date=10 December 2010 |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410223618/http://www.europapress.es/economia/transportes-00343/noticia-economia-ave-reyes-inauguraran-ave-valencia-principes-conexion-albacete-20101210123611.html|archivedate=10 April 2014}}</ref>

==Names==
The name ''Barcelona'' comes from the ancient Iberian ''Barkeno'', attested in an ancient coin inscription found on the right side of the coin in Iberian script as [[File:Barkeno.png|34px|Barkeno in Levantine Iberian script]],<ref>''Emerita: Revista de Lingüística y Filología clasica'' 11 (1943), p.468</ref> in ancient Greek sources as {{lang|grc|Βαρκινών}}, ''Barkinṓn'';<ref>Ptolemy, ii. 6. §&nbsp;8</ref><ref name="Schütte1917">{{cite book|author=Gudmund Schütte|title=Ptolemy's Maps of Northern Europe: A Reconstruction of the Prototypes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SkngAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA45|year=1917|publisher=H. Hagerup|page=45}}</ref> and in [[Social:Latin|Latin]] as ''Barcino'',<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Sir William|title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography: Abacaenum-Hytanis|year=1854|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|location=Boston, Massachusetts|page=378}}</ref> ''Barcilonum''<ref>Rufus Festus Avienus ''Ora Maritima'' [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/avienus.ora.html « et Barcilonum amoena sedes ditium. » v514] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812170724/http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/avienus.ora.html |date=12 August 2013 }}</ref> and ''Barcenona''.<ref name="Parthey1848">{{cite book|author=Gustav Parthey|title=Itinerarium Antonini Avgvsti et Hierosolymitanvm: ex libris manvscriptis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s0oMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA188|year=1848|publisher=F. Nicolai|page=188}}</ref><ref name="WesselingGrammarian1735">{{cite book|author1=Petrus Wesseling|author2=Hierocles (The Grammarian)|title=Vetera Romanorum itineraria, /: sive Antonini Augusti Itinerarium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iIJBAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA390|year=1735|publisher=apud J. Wetstenium & G. Smith|page=390}}</ref><ref name="Cook1910">{{cite book|author=Joel Cook|title=The Mediterranean and Its Borderlands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jEkWMQNh-8sC&pg=PA334|year=1910|page=334}}</ref>

Some older sources suggest that the city may have been named after the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca, who was supposed to have founded the city in the 3rd century BC,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Barcelona |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com |accessdate=14 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409161819/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Barcelona |archivedate=9 April 2014 }}</ref> but there is no evidence that Barcelona was ever a Carthaginian settlement, or that its name in antiquity, ''Barcino'', had any connection with the Barcid family of Hamilcar.<ref name="Corporation1957">{{cite book|author=P.F. Collier & Son Corporation|title=Collier's Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UpQVAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Barcino%22|year=1957|publisher=Collier|page=48}}</ref>
During [[History:Middle Ages|the Middle Ages]], the city was variously known as ''Barchinona'', ''Barçalona'', ''Barchelonaa'', and ''Barchenona''.

Internationally, Barcelona's name is wrongly abbreviated to 'Barça'. However, this name refers only to FC Barcelona, the football club. The common abbreviated form used by locals is ''Barna''.

Another common abbreviation is 'BCN', which is also the IATA airport code of the Barcelona-El Prat Airport.

The city is also referred to as the ''Ciutat Comtal'' in [[Social:Catalan language|Catalan]], and ''Ciudad Condal'' in Spanish, owing to its past as the seat of the Count of Barcelona.

==History==
[[File:Barcino marble barcelona.jpg|thumb|A marble plaque in the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat de Barcelona, dated from around 110–130 AD and dedicated to the Roman colony of Barcino]]

===Pre-history===
The origin of the earliest settlement at the site of present-day Barcelona is unclear. The ruins of an early settlement have been 
found, including different tombs and dwellings dating to earlier than 5000 BC.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Servei d'Arqueologia of Institut de Cultura de Barcelona|title=Caserna de Sant Pau del Camp|url=http://cartaarqueologica.bcn.cat/989|website=CartaArqueologica|publisher=Ajuntament de Barcelona|accessdate=2 May 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224118/http://cartaarqueologica.bcn.cat/989 |archivedate=3 March 2016|page=Description and Historical Notes|language=Spanish}}</ref><ref name="MontañaCamposFarré2008">{{cite journal|author1=MM Montaña |author2=OV Campos |author3=R Farré |title=Study of the Neolithic Excavation Site of the Sant Pau del Camp Barracks |journal=Quarhis |date=2008 |volume=II |issue=4 |page=3 |url=https://www.bcn.cat/.../04_QUARHIS_01_jaciment. |accessdate=2 May 2016 }}{{dead link|date=September 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The founding of Barcelona is the subject of two different legends. The first attributes the founding of the city to the mythological [[Religion:Hercules|Hercules]]. The second legend attributes the foundation of the city directly to the historical Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who supposedly named the city ''Barcino'' after his family in the 3rd century BC,<ref>Oros. vii. 143; Miñano, ''Diccion.'' vol.&nbsp;i. p.&nbsp;391; Auson. ''Epist.'' xxiv. 68, 69, ''Punica Barcino''.</ref> but there is no historical or linguistic evidence that this is true.<ref name="Corporation1957"/>

===Roman Barcelona===
In about 15&nbsp;BC, the Romans redrew the town as a ''castrum'' (Roman military camp) centred on the "''Mons Taber''", a little hill near the contemporary city hall (Plaça de Sant Jaume). Under the Romans, it was a colony with the surname of ''Faventia'',<ref>Plin. iii. 3. s.&nbsp;4</ref> or, in full, ''Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino''<ref>Inscr. ap. Gruter, p. 426, nos. 5, 6.</ref> or ''Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino''. Pomponius Mela<ref>ii. 6</ref> mentions it among the small towns of the district, probably as it was eclipsed by its neighbour ''Tarraco'' (modern Tarragona), but it may be gathered from later writers that it gradually grew in wealth and consequence, favoured as it was with a beautiful situation and an excellent harbour.<ref>Avien. ''Ora Maritima.'' 520: "Et Barcilonum amoena sedes ditium."</ref> It enjoyed immunity from imperial burdens.<ref>Paul. Dig. 1. tit. 15, de Cens.</ref> The city minted its own coins; some from the era of Galba survive.
[[File:Building 12 (5835826915).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The ''Mare de Déu de la Mercè'' statue on the Basílica de la Mercè]]

Important Roman vestiges are displayed in Plaça del Rei underground, as a part of the Barcelona City History Museum (MUHBA); the typically Roman grid plan is still visible today in the layout of the historical centre, the ''Barri Gòtic'' (Gothic Quarter). Some remaining fragments of the Roman walls have been incorporated into the cathedral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/spain/barcelona/walls/walls.html |title=Roman walls, Barcelona |publisher=Bluffton.edu |accessdate=5 May 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723083724/http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/spain/barcelona/walls/walls.html |archivedate=23 July 2013 }}</ref> The cathedral, also known as the Basilica ''La Seu'', is said to have been founded in 343.

===Medieval Barcelona===
The city was conquered by the Visigoths in the early 5th century, becoming for a few years the capital of all Hispania. After being conquered by the Arabs in the early 8th century, it was conquered in 801 by Charlemagne's son Louis, who made Barcelona the seat of the Carolingian "Hispanic March" (''Marca Hispanica''), a [[Social:Buffer zone|buffer zone]] ruled by the Count of Barcelona.

The Counts of Barcelona became increasingly independent and expanded their territory to include all of Catalonia, although on 6 July 985, Barcelona was sacked by the army of Almanzor.<ref>'''The Usatges of Barcelona: The Fundamental Law of Catalonia''', ed. Donald J. Kagay, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994), 7.</ref> The sack was so traumatic that most of Barcelona's population was either killed or enslaved.<ref>Roger Collins, ''Caliphs and Kings, 796–1031'', (Blackwell Publishing, 2012), 191.</ref> In 1137, [[History:Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]] and the County of Barcelona merged in dynastic union<ref name="bisson_31">{{cite book |title=The medieval Crown of Aragon. A short story |chapter=II. The age of the Early Count-Kings (1137–1213) (The Principate of Ramon Berenguer IV 1137–1162) |year=1986 |editor=Clarendon Press – Oxford |author=T.N. Bisson |page=31 |isbn=978-0-19-820236-3 }}<!--|accessdate=3 May 2008--></ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://libro.uca.edu/aarhms/newsletters/AAHRMSFall07text.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081003182453/http://libro.uca.edu/aarhms/newsletters/aahrmsfall07text.pdf |dead-url=yes |archive-date=3 October 2008 |title=Els impostos indirectes en el regne de Mallorca. |author=Cateura Benàsser, Pau |accessdate=24 April 2008 |format=PDF |isbn=978-84-96019-28-7 |df=dmy-all }} El Tall dels Temps, 14. (Palma de) Mallorca: El Tall, 1996.</ref> by the marriage of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronilla of Aragon, their titles finally borne by only one person when their son Alfonso II of Aragon ascended to the throne in 1162. His territories were later to be known as the [[Place:Crown of Aragon|Crown of Aragon]], which conquered many overseas possessions and ruled the western [[Place:Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean Sea]] with outlying territories in Naples and Sicily and as far as Athens in the 13th century. The forging of a dynastic link between the Crowns of Aragon and [[Place:Crown of Castile|Castile]] marked the beginning of Barcelona's decline. The Bank of Barcelona (''Taula de canvi''), probably the oldest public bank in Europe, was established by the city [[Social:Magistrate|magistrate]]s in 1401. It originated from necessities of the state, as did the Bank of Venice (1402) and the Bank of Genoa (1407).<ref>The Bankers magazine, volume 11, page 595, J. Smith Homans Jr., New York 1857.</ref>

[[File:Wyngaerde Barcelona 1563.jpg|thumb|Barcelona in 1563]]

===Barcelona under the Spanish monarchy===
The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in 1469 united the two royal lines. [[Place:Madrid|Madrid]] became the centre of political power whilst the colonisation of the Americas reduced the financial importance (at least in relative terms) of Mediterranean trade. Barcelona was a centre of Catalan separatism, including the Catalan Revolt (1640–52) against Philip IV of Spain. The [[Medicine:Plague (disease)|great plague]] of 1650–1654 halved the city's population.<ref>[http://libro.uca.edu/payne1/payne15.htm Chapter 15: A History of Spain and Portugal], Stanley G. Payne {{dead link|date=August 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

[[File:Fortress on Montjuic.jpg|thumb|The fortress at Montjuïc, most southerly point from which measurements were made when calculating the meridional definition of the metre]]
In the 18th century, a fortress was built at Montjuïc that overlooked the harbour. In 1794, this fortress was used by the French astronomer [[Biography:Pierre Méchain|Pierre François André Méchain]] for observations relating to a survey stretching to Dunkirk that provided the official basis of the measurement of a metre.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Adler |first1=Ken|title=The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey that Transformed the World|year=2002|publisher=Abacus|isbn=978-0-349-11507-8}}</ref> The definitive metre bar, manufactured from platinum, was presented to the French legislative assembly on 22 June 1799. Much of Barcelona was negatively affected by the Napoleonic wars, but the start of industrialisation saw the fortunes of the province improve. Urban planner Ildefons Cerdà designed the large Eixample district in the 1850s when the medieval city walls around Barcelona's old town were torn down.<ref name="Boeing2016"/>

===The Spanish civil war and the Franco period===
[[File:Government of the Republican Spain in Barcelona. 2.jpg|thumb|Barcelona was the capital of the [[Place:Second Spanish Republic|Republic of Spain]] from November 1937 until January 1939, Spanish Civil War.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/museuhistoria/es/publicaciones/juan-negrin-1892-1956-barcelona-capital-de-la-republica|title=Juan Negrín 1892-1956. Barcelona, capital de la República|author=MHCB, City Council of Barcelona, Institute of Culture, SECC|year=2006|location=Barcelona|ISBN=84-96411-13-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Historia mínima de Cataluña|location=Madrid|publisher=Turner Publicaciones S.L.|ISBN=978-84-16142-08-8|author=Jordi Canal|year=2015}}</ref> In that time, both Barcelona and Madrid were still under the rule of the republic. In the image Azaña and Negrín on the city outskirts.]]
During the Spanish Civil War, the city, and Catalonia in general, were resolutely Republican. Many enterprises and public services were "collectivized" by the [[Social:Confederación Nacional del Trabajo|CNT]] and UGT unions. As the power of the Republican government and the Generalitat diminished, much of the city was under the effective control of anarchist groups. The anarchists lost control of the city to their own allies, the Communists and official government troops, after the street fighting of the Barcelona May Days. The fall of the city on 26 January 1939, caused a mass exodus of civilians who fled to the French border. The resistance of Barcelona to Franco's coup d'état was to have lasting effects after the defeat of the Republican government. The autonomous institutions of Catalonia were abolished,<ref>Decree of 5 April 1938.</ref> and the use of the [[Social:Catalan language|Catalan language]] in public life was suppressed. Barcelona remained the second largest city in Spain, at the heart of a region which was relatively industrialised and prosperous, despite the devastation of the civil war. The result was a large-scale immigration from poorer regions of Spain (particularly Andalusia, Murcia and Galicia), which in turn led to rapid urbanisation.

===Late twentieth century===
In 1992, Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics. The after-effects of this are credited with driving major changes in what had, up until then, been a largely industrial city. As part of the preparation for the games, industrial buildings along the sea-front were demolished and two miles of beach were created. New construction increased the road capacity of the city by 17%, the sewage handling capacity by 27% and the amount of new green areas and beaches by 78%. Between 1990 and 2004, the number of hotel rooms in the city doubled. Perhaps more importantly, the outside perception of the city was changed making, by 2012, Barcelona the 12th most popular city destination in the world and the 5th amongst European cities.<ref>"[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/53030/Barcelona Barcelona (Spain)]". Encyclopædia Britannica. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013185559/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/53030/Barcelona |date=13 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-olympic-games-changed-barcelona-forever-2012-7?IR=T |title=How The Olympic Games Changed Barcelona Forever |work=Business Insider |first=Adam |last=Taylor |date=26 July 2012 |accessdate=19 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/after-the-party-what-happens-when-the-olympics-leave-town-901629.html |title=After The Party: What happens when the Olympics leave town |date=18 August 2008 |first=Simon |last=Usborne |work=The Independent |accessdate=19 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/wp084_eng.pdf |title=The economic impact of the Barcelona Olympic Games |author=Ferran Brunet i Cid |publisher=Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |year=2002 |accessdate=19 August 2017 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5iRr55PoO?url=http://olympicstudies.uab.es/pdf/wp084_eng.pdf |archivedate=22 July 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Legacy.pdf |title=Legacies of the Games |date=December 2013 |publisher=International Olympic Committee |accessdate=19 August 2017}}</ref>

=== Recent history ===

The death of Franco in 1975 brought on a period of democratisation throughout Spain. Pressure for change was particularly strong in Barcelona, which considered (with some
justification) that it had been punished during nearly forty years of Francoism for its support of the Republican government.<ref name="Mock2011">{{cite book|author=Steven Mock|title=Symbols of Defeat in the Construction of National Identity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xb-9J4KoT6EC&pg=PA274|date=29 December 2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-50352-5|page=274}}</ref> Massive, but peaceful, demonstrations on 11 September 1977 assembled over a million people in the streets of Barcelona to call for the restoration of Catalan autonomy. It was granted less than a month later.<ref name="Friend2012">{{cite book|author=Julius W. Friend|title=Stateless Nations: Western European Regional Nationalisms and the Old Nations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-SF4-ip95MoC&pg=PA97|date=19 June 2012|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-36179-9|page=97}}</ref>

The development of Barcelona was promoted by two events in 1986: Spanish accession to the European Community, and particularly Barcelona's designation as host city of the 1992 Summer Olympics.<ref name="ParkinSharma1999">{{cite book|author1=James Parkin|author2=D. Sharma|title=Infrastructure Planning|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGmju1KrbegC&pg=PA173|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Thomas Telford|isbn=978-0-7277-2747-3|page=173}}</ref><ref name="AbebeBolton2013">{{cite book|author1=Ngiste Abebe|author2=Mary Trina Bolton|author3=Maggie Pavelka|author4=Morgan Pierstorff|title=Bidding for Development: How the Olympic Bid Process Can Accelerate Transportation Development|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-4VAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA3|date=19 November 2013|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4614-8912-2|page=3}}</ref> The process of
urban regeneration has been rapid, and accompanied by a greatly increased international reputation of the city as a tourist destination. The increased cost of housing has led to a slight decline (−16.6%) in the population over the last two decades of the 20th century as many families move out into the suburbs. This decline has been reversed since 2001, as a new wave of immigration (particularly from Latin America and from Morocco) has gathered pace.<ref>The proportion of the population born outside of Spain rose from 3.9% in 2001 to 13.9% in 2006. {{cite web|url=http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/inf/guies/bcn.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-06-26 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220062823/http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/inf/guies/bcn.pdf |archivedate=2012-02-20 |df= }}</ref>

On 17 August 2017, a van was driven into pedestrians on La Rambla in the city, killing 14 and injuring at least 100, one of whom later died. Other attacks took place elsewhere in Catalonia. The Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, called the attack in Barcelona a jihadist attack. [[Organization:Amaq News Agency|Amaq News Agency]] attributed indirect responsibility for the attack to the [[Religion:Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-barcelona-victims-idUSKCN1AX24P|title=At least 13 dead in van crash in Barcelona city center: media|date=17 August 2017|publisher=|via=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ward|first1=Victoria|title=Barcelona scene|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/17/van-ploughs-crowd-barcelona1/|website=telegraph.co.uk|publisher=The Telegraph|accessdate=17 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40975552|title=Barcelona and Cambrils: 'Bigger' attacks were prepared|date=18 August 2017|publisher=|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{wide image|Barcelona. View from Tibidabo.jpg|800px|A panoramic view of Barcelona}}

===Location===
[[File:Barcelona ISS009-E-9987.jpg|thumb|right|Barcelona from high altitude]]

Barcelona is located on the northeast coast of the [[Place:Iberian Peninsula|Iberian Peninsula]], facing the [[Place:Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean Sea]], on a [[Earth:Plain|plain]] approximately {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} wide limited by the mountain range of Collserola, the Llobregat river to the southwest and the Besòs river to the north.<ref name="gec_3">{{cite encyclopaedia |encyclopedia=Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana |title=Barcelona |date=July 1971 |publisher=Edicions 62 |volume=3 |location=Barcelona |pages=193–229}}</ref> This plain covers an area of {{convert|170|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}},<ref name="gec_3"/> of which {{convert|101|km²|1|abbr=on}}<ref name="guies_estadistiques">{{cite web|url=http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/inf/guies/bcn.pdf |title=11 Barcelona.indd |format=PDF |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220062823/http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/inf/guies/bcn.pdf |archivedate=20 February 2012 }}</ref> are occupied by the city itself. It is {{convert|120|km|0|abbr=off}} south of the Pyrenees and the Catalan border with France.

Tibidabo, {{convert|512|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} high, offers striking views over the city<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen/fullscreen33.html|title=Barcelona Spain Tibidabo Sagrat Cor Church. Full Screen QTVR panoramic image |publisher=Panoramas.dk |accessdate=5 May 2009| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090428050829/http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen/fullscreen33.html| archivedate= 28 April 2009 | deadurl= no}}</ref> and is topped by the {{convert|288.4|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} Torre de Collserola, a [[Engineering:Radio masts and towers|telecommunications tower]] that is visible from most of the city. Barcelona is peppered with small hills, most of them urbanised, that gave their name to the neighbourhoods built upon them, such as Carmel ({{convert|267|m|ft|abbr=off|disp=or}}), Putget ({{convert|181|m|ft|abbr=off|disp=or}}) and Rovira ({{convert|261|m|ft|abbr=off||disp=or}}). The escarpment of Montjuïc ({{convert|173|m|ft|abbr=off|disp=or}}), situated to the southeast, overlooks the harbour and is topped by Montjuïc Castle, a fortress built in the 17–18th centuries to control the city as a replacement for the Ciutadella. Today, the fortress is a museum and Montjuïc is home to several sporting and cultural venues, as well as Barcelona's biggest park and gardens.

The city borders on the municipalities of Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià de Besòs to the north; the [[Place:Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean Sea]] to the east; El Prat de Llobregat and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat to the south; and Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Just Desvern, Esplugues de Llobregat, Sant Cugat del Vallès, and Montcada i Reixac to the west. The municipality includes two small sparsely-inhabited exclaves to the north-west.

===Climate===
According to the [[Earth:Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate classification]], Barcelona has a maritime [[Earth:Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean climate]] (''Csa''), with mild winters and warm to hot summers,<ref>{{cite book |last=Ahrens |first=C. Donald |date=2012 |title=Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment, 10th Edition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9cD6CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA504 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn= 978-0840054999}}</ref> while the rainiest seasons are autumn and spring. The rainfall pattern is characterized by a short (3 months) [[Earth:Dry season|dry season]] in summer, as well as less winter rainfall than in a typical Mediterranean climate. This subtype, labelled as "Portuguese" by the French geographer George Viers after the climate classification of Emmanuel de Martonne<ref>{{cite book|last=Viers|first=Georges|date=1987|title=Climatología|trans-title=Climatology|language=Spanish|location=Barcelona|publisher=Oikos-Tau|isbn=9788428102957}}, pp.166-167</ref> and found in the NW Mediterranean area (e.g. Marseille), can be seen as transitional to the [[Earth:Humid subtropical climate#Europe|humid subtropical climate]] (''Cfa'') found in inland areas such as the Po Valley (e.g. Milan), whose rainfall is greater in summer, a feature of [[Earth:Continental climate|continental climate]]s.

Its average annual temperature is {{convert|21.2|°C|°F|abbr=on}} during the day and {{convert|15.1|°C|°F|abbr=on}} at night. The average annual temperature of the sea is about {{convert|20|°C|°F|abbr=on}}. In the coldest month, January, the temperature typically ranges from {{convert|12|to|18|C|F}} during the day, {{convert|6|to|12|C|F}} at night and the average sea temperature is {{convert|13|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name="weather2travel">{{cite web|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/spain/barcelona.php|title=Weather2Travel.com: Barcelona Climate Guide|accessdate=16 June 2011| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110718005932/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/spain/barcelona.php| archivedate= 18 July 2011| deadurl= no}}</ref> In the warmest month, August, the typical temperature ranges from {{convert|27|to|31|C|F}} during the day, about {{convert|23|°C|°F|abbr=on}} at night and the average sea temperature is {{convert|26|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name=weather2travel/> Generally, the summer or "holiday" season lasts about six months, from May to October. Two months – April and November – are transitional; sometimes the temperature exceeds {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}}, with an average temperature of {{convert|18|-|19|C|F}} during the day and {{convert|11|-|13|C|F}} at night. December, January and February are the coldest months, with average temperatures around {{convert|15|°C|°F|abbr=on}} during the day and {{convert|9|°C|°F|abbr=on}} at night. Large fluctuations in temperature are rare, particularly in the summer months. Because of the proximity to the warm sea, frosts are very rare in the city of Barcelona. In fact, only 1 day in the last 30 years was recorded with a temperature under the freezing mark, {{convert|-1|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref>http://w1.bcn.cat/temps/docs/Can_Bruixa%201987-2010.pdf</ref> Snow is very infrequent.

Barcelona averages 78 rainy days per year (≥ 1&nbsp;mm), and annual average relative humidity is 72%, ranging from 69% in July to 75% in October. Rainfall totals are highest in late summer and autumn (September–November) and lowest in early and mid-summer (June–August), with a secondary winter minimum (February–March). Sunshine duration is 2,524&nbsp;hours per year, from 138 (average 4.5&nbsp;hours of sunshine a day) in December to 310 (average 10&nbsp;hours of sunshine a day) in July.<ref name="Meteorología">{{cite web |url=http://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=0076&k=cat |title=Valores Climatológicos Normales. Barcelona / Aeropuerto |accessdate=16 June 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410153233/http://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=0076&k=cat|archivedate=10 April 2014}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location=Barcelona Can Bruixa – Barcelona (1987–2010)
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|Jan record high C= 23.8
|Feb record high C= 24.8
|Mar record high C= 28.8
|Apr record high C= 27.7
|May record high C= 31.6
|Jun record high C= 35.8
|Jul record high C= 36.8
|Aug record high C= 38.2
|Sep record high C= 33.4
|Oct record high C= 32.6
|Nov record high C= 26.1
|Dec record high C= 23.1
|year record high C= 38.2
| Jan high C=14.8
| Feb high C=15.6
| Mar high C=17.4
| Apr high C=19.1
| May high C=22.5
| Jun high C=26.1
| Jul high C=28.6
| Aug high C=29.0
| Sep high C=26.0
| Oct high C=22.5
| Nov high C=17.9
| Dec high C=15.1
|year high C=21.2
| Jan mean C=11.8
| Feb mean C=12.4
| Mar mean C=14.2
| Apr mean C=15.8
| May mean C=19.3
| Jun mean C=22.9
| Jul mean C=25.7
| Aug mean C=26.1
| Sep mean C=23.0
| Oct mean C=19.5
| Nov mean C=14.9
| Dec mean C=12.3
|year mean C=18.2
| Jan low C=8.8
| Feb low C=9.3
| Mar low C=10.9
| Apr low C=12.5
| May low C=16.1
| Jun low C=19.8
| Jul low C=22.7
| Aug low C=23.1
| Sep low C=20.0
| Oct low C=16.5
| Nov low C=11.9
| Dec low C=9.5
|year low C=15.1
|Jan record low C= -1.0
|Feb record low C= 0.6
|Mar record low C= 0.4
|Apr record low C= 6.2
|May record low C= 6.3
|Jun record low C= 12.4
|Jul record low C= 15.5
|Aug record low C= 15.2
|Sep record low C= 12.5
|Oct record low C= 5.4
|Nov record low C= 1.7
|Dec record low C= 0.7
|year record low C= -1.0
| Jan precipitation mm=43.7
| Feb precipitation mm=31.4
| Mar precipitation mm=33.0
| Apr precipitation mm=47.7
| May precipitation mm=47.4
| Jun precipitation mm=32.5
| Jul precipitation mm=25.1
| Aug precipitation mm=40.8
| Sep precipitation mm=81.9
| Oct precipitation mm=96.5
| Nov precipitation mm=45.1
| Dec precipitation mm=46.8
|year precipitation mm=| Jan precipitation days=7.0
| Feb precipitation days=5.0
| Mar precipitation days=6.2
| Apr precipitation days=7.9
| May precipitation days=7.5
| Jun precipitation days=5.5
| Jul precipitation days=3.1
| Aug precipitation days=5.8
| Sep precipitation days=8.0
| Oct precipitation days=9.0
| Nov precipitation days=6.6
| Dec precipitation days=7.0
|year precipitation days=
|unit precipitation days=1&nbsp;mm
|Jan sun = 149
|Feb sun = 163
|Mar sun = 200
|Apr sun = 220
|May sun = 244
|Jun sun = 262
|Jul sun = 310
|Aug sun = 282
|Sep sun = 219
|Oct sun = 180
|Nov sun = 146
|Dec sun = 138
|year sun = 2524
|source 1 = Generalitat de Catalunya – Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (sunshine hours)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w1.bcn.cat/temps/es/climatologia/clima_barcelona|title=Barcelona Can Bruixa – climate (1987–2010) Barcelona.cat, Barcelona City Hall |accessdate=}}</ref>|date = September 2015
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Demografía Barcelona (España).PNG|right|upright=1.35|thumb|Demographic evolution, 1900–2007, according to the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística]]

According to Barcelona's City Council, Barcelona's population as of 1 January 2016 was 1,608,746&nbsp;people,<ref name="ASTBCN">[http://www.bcn.cat/estadistica/angles/dades/tpob/index.htm "Ajuntament de Barcelona - Population, household and homes statistics"], retrieved 12 June 2017.</ref> on a land area of {{convert|101.4|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}. It is the main component of an administrative area of Greater Barcelona, with a population of 3,218,071 in an area of {{convert|636|km²|0|abbr=off}} (density 5,060 hab/km²). The population of the urban area was 4,840,000.<ref name="demographia"/> It is the central nucleus of the Barcelona metropolitan area, which relies on a population of 5,474,482.<ref name="eurostat">[http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=met_pjanaggr3&lang=en Population on 1 January by broad age group, sex and metropolitan regions] - Eurostat, 2017</ref>

Spanish is the most spoken language in Barcelona (according to the linguistic census held by the Government of Catalonia in 2013) and it is understood almost universally. After Spanish, the [[Social:Catalan language|Catalan language]] is the second most spoken one in the city, and it is understood by 95% of the population, while 72.3% can speak it, 79% can read it, and 53% can write it,<ref>{{cite web|author1=Departament d'Estadística. Ajuntament de Barcelona |title=Coneixement del català: Evolució de les característiques de la població de Barcelona (Knowledge of Catalan in Barcelona) |url=http://www.bcn.cat/estadistica/catala/dades/tpob/pad/evo/ev11.htm |website=Ajuntament de Barcelona |accessdate=13 November 2015 |language=Catalan |date=2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231210119/http://www.bcn.cat/estadistica/catala/dades/tpob/pad/evo/ev11.htm |archivedate=31 December 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref> thanks to the language immersion educational system.

In 1900, Barcelona had a population of 533,000 people,<ref name="gec_3"/> which grew steadily but slowly until 1950, when it started absorbing a high number of people from other less-industrialized parts of Spain. Barcelona's population peaked in 1979 with 1,906,998 people, and fell throughout the 1980s and 1990s as more people sought a higher [[Philosophy:Quality of life|quality of life]] in outlying cities in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. After bottoming out in 2000 with 1,496,266 people, the city's population began to rise again as younger people started to return, causing a great increase in housing prices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/anuari/cap02/C0201010.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221131641/http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/anuari/cap02/C0201010.htm |archivedate=21 December 2007 |title=Ajuntament de Barcelona: Estadística: Evolució de la població. 1900–2005 |publisher=Web.archive.org |accessdate=26 June 2010}}</ref>

===Population density===
[[File:14-08-06-barcelona-RalfR-314.jpg|thumb|left|View over the Passeig de Gràcia avenue]]
''Note: This text is entirely based on the municipal statistical database provided by the city council.''

Barcelona is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe. For the year 2008 the city council calculated the population to 1,621,090 living in the 102.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> sized municipality, giving the city an average population density of 15,926 inhabitants per square kilometre with Eixample being the most populated district.

In the case of Barcelona though, the land distribution is extremely uneven. Half of the municipality or 50.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, all of it located on the municipal edge is made up of the ten least densely populated neighbourhoods containing less than 10% of the city's population, the uninhabited Zona Franca industrial area and Montjuïc forest park. Leaving the remaining 90% or slightly below 1.5 million inhabitants living on the remaining {{convert|52|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=off}} at an average density close to 28,500 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Of the 73 neighbourhoods in the city, 45 had a population density above 20,000 inhabitants per square kilometre with a combined population of 1,313,424 inhabitants living on 38.6&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> at an average density of 33,987 inhabitants per square km. The 30 most densely populated neighbourhoods accounted for 57.5% of the city population occupying only 22,7% of the municipality, or in other words, 936,406 people living at an average density of 40,322 inhabitants per square kilometre. The city's highest density is found at and around the neighbourhood of la Sagrada Família where four of the city's most densely populated neighbourhoods are located side by side, all with a population density above 50,000 inhabitants per square kilometre.

===Migration===
{| class="infobox" style="float:right;"
|colspan="2"|'''Largest groups of foreign residents in Barcelona'''<ref>{{cite web|title=Barcelona DaTaSHeeT 2012|url=http://barcelonacatalonia.cat/b/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/datasheet-2012-angles.pdf|publisher=Ajuntament de Barcelona|accessdate=9 September 2014}}</ref>
|-\
!Nationality || Population (2016)
|-
|{{flag|Italy}} || 26,676
|-
|{{flag|Pakistan}} || 19,160
|-
|{{flag|China}} || 18,434
|-
|{{flag|France}} || 13,506
|-
|{{flag|Morocco}} || 12,537
|-
|{{flag|Bolivia}} || 9,291
|-
|{{flag|Philippines}} || 8,682
|-
|{{flag|Ecuador}} || 8,109
|-
|{{flag|Peru}} || 7,944
|-
|{{flag|Colombia}} || 7,904
|}

In 2016 about 59% of the inhabitants of the city were born in Catalonia and 18.5% coming from the rest of the country. In addition to that, 22.5% of the population was born outside of Spain, a proportion which has more than doubled since 2001 and more than quintupled since 1996 when it was 8.6% respectively 3.9%.<ref name="ASTBCN" />

The most important region of origin of migrants is Europe, with many coming from Italy (26,676) or {{wipe|France}} (13,506).<ref name="ASTBCN" /> Moreover, many migrants come from Latin American nations as Bolivia, Ecuador or Colombia. Since the 1990s, and similar to other migrants, many Latin Americans have settled in northern parts of the city.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Sian Preece |title=The Routledge Handbook of Language and Identity |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |page=513}}</ref>

There exists a relatively large {{wipe|Pakistan}}i community in Barcelona with up to twenty thousand nationals. The community consists of significantly more men than women. Many of the Pakistanis are living in Ciutat Vella. First Pakistani migrants came in the 1970s, with increasing numbers in the 1990s.<ref>[http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/features/report-barcelona-pakistani-community/ "Barcelona's Pakistani community"], retrieved 12 June 2017.</ref>

Other significant migrant groups come from Asia as from {{wipe|China}} and the {{wipe|Philippines}}.<ref name="ASTBCN" /> There is a Japanese community clustered in Bonanova, Les Tres Torres, Pedralbes, and other northern neighbourhoods, and a Japanese international school serves that community.<ref>Conte-Helm, Marie. ''The Japanese and Europe: Economic and Cultural Encounters'' (Bloomsbury Academic Collections). A&C Black, 17 December 2013. {{ISBN|1780939809}}, 9781780939803. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=DKwVAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA111 111].</ref>

===Religion===
Most of the inhabitants state they are [[Organization:Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] (208&nbsp;churches).<ref name="LMBCN">{{cite web|author=Barcelona |url=http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/242726/0/mitad/mezquitas/barcelona/ |title=La mitad de las mezquitas de Catalunya están en Barcelona |publisher=20minutos.es |date= |accessdate=8 October 2015}}</ref>  In a 2011 survey conducted by InfoCatólica, 49.5% of Barcelona residents of all ages identified themselves as Catholic.<ref name="cbn.com">{{cite web|last=Digital |first=Protestante |url=http://www.cbn.com/mundocristiano/elmundo/2011/July/Espana-es-el-pais-europeo-en-el-que-mas-retrocede-el-catolicismo/ |title=España experimenta retroceso en catolicismo – El Mundo – Mundo Cristiano |publisher=CBN.com |date=7 July 2011 |accessdate=8 October 2015}}</ref> This was the first time that more than half of respondents did not identify themselves as Catholic.<ref name="cbn.com"/>  The numbers reflect a broader trend in Spain whereby the numbers of self-identified Catholics have declined.<ref name="cbn.com"/>

The province has the largest [[Religion:Muslim|Muslim]] community in Spain, 322,698 people in Barcelona province are of Muslim religion.<ref name="observatorio.hispanomuslim.es">http://observatorio.hispanomuslim.es/estademograf.pdf</ref> A considerable number of Muslims live in Barcelona due to immigration (169&nbsp;locations, mostly professed by Moroccans in Spain).<ref name="LMBCN" />  In 2014, 322,698 out of 5.5 million people in the province of Barcelona identified themselves as Muslim,<ref name="observatorio.hispanomuslim.es"/> which makes 5.6% of total population.

The city also has the largest [[Religion:Jews|Jewish]] community in Spain, with an estimated 3,500 Jews living in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/barcelona.html |title=The Jewish Virtual History Tour: Barcelona |publisher=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |date= |accessdate=27 August 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410232811/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/barcelona.html|archivedate=10 April 2014}}</ref> There are also a number of other groups, including [[Religion:Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] (71&nbsp;locations, mostly professed by Roma), Jehovah's Witnesses (21&nbsp;[[Religion:Kingdom Hall|Kingdom Hall]]s), [[Religion:Buddhism|Buddhists]] (13&nbsp;locations),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/ab/asia/equipament/controller/0,2317,1653_71890_3,00.html?accio=llista_eq&primera_busqueda=true&temaOriginal=&tema=0040101011_Religion&que=&opcio2=&opcio=districte&districte=&zona=&carrer=&numero=&al= |title=Barcelona: Directory: Theme: Religion |publisher=W3.bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005011256/http://w3.bcn.es/ab/asia/equipament/controller/0%2C2317%2C1653_71890_3%2C00.html?accio=llista_eq&primera_busqueda=true&temaOriginal=&tema=0040101011_Religion&que=&opcio2=&opcio=districte&districte=&zona=&carrer=&numero=&al= |archivedate= 5 October 2009 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> and Eastern Orthodox.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/oecatala.htm |title=Orthodox Church in Catalonia |publisher=Orthodoxengland.org.uk |date= |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617014750/http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/oecatala.htm|archivedate=17 June 2012}}</ref>

==Economy==
===General information===
{{wide image|Barcelona desde el mar - panoramio (1a).jpg|700px|A part of the 22@Barcelona, business and innovation district}}

The Barcelona metropolitan area comprises over 66% of the people of Catalonia, one of the richer regions in [[Earth:Europe|Europe]] and the fourth richest region per capita in Spain, with a [[Finance:Gross domestic product|GDP]] per capita amounting to €28,400 (16% more than the EU average). The greater Barcelona metropolitan area had a GDP amounting to $177 billion  (equivalent to $34,821 in per capita terms, 44% more than the EU average), making it the 4th most economically powerful city by gross GDP in the European Union, and 35th in the world in 2009.<ref name="pricewater"/> Barcelona city had a very high GDP of €80,894 per head in 2004, according to Eurostat.<ref name="urbanaudit.org">[http://www.urbanaudit.org/CityProfiles.aspx?CityCode=ES002C&CountryCode=ES Urban Audit – CityProfiles: Barcelona] – Eurostat, 2004  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723093909/http://www.urbanaudit.org/CityProfiles.aspx?CityCode=ES002C&CountryCode=ES |date=23 July 2013 }}</ref> Furthermore, Barcelona was Europe's fourth best business city and fastest improving European city, with growth improved by 17% per year {{As of|2009|lc=y}}.<ref name=BEBC/>

Barcelona was the 24th most "livable city" in the world in 2015 according to lifestyle magazine ''Monocle.''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://monocle.com/film/affairs/the-monocle-quality-of-life-survey-2015/ |work=Monocle|date=2015 |accessdate=25 November 2017|title=The Monocle Quality of Life Survey 2015}}</ref> Similarly, according to Innovation Analysts 2thinknow, Barcelona occupies 13th place in the world on ''Innovation Cities™ Global Index''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.innovation-cities.com/2thinknow-innovation-cities-global-256-index/|title=Independent city analysis and rankings for innovation in 2009|accessdate=1 August 2009|publisher=2thinknow|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409165153/http://www.innovation-cities.com/2thinknow-innovation-cities-global-256-index/|archivedate=9 April 2014}}</ref>

Barcelona has a long-standing mercantile tradition. Less well known is that the city industrialised early, taking off in 1833, when Catalonia's already sophisticated textile industry began to use steam power. It became the first and most important industrial city in the Mediterranean basin. Since then, manufacturing has played a large role in its history.

Borsa de Barcelona (Barcelona Stock Exchange) is the main stock exchange in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula.

Barcelona was recognised as the Southern European City of the Future for 2014/15, based on its economic potential,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w42.bcn.cat/web/en/noticies-i-premsa/noticies/actives/Barcelona-recognized-as-the-top-Southern-European-city-with-future-economic-potential.jsp|title=Barcelona, recognized as the top Southern European city with future economic potential |date=5 March 2014|accessdate=11 April 2014|website=Barcelona Growth|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413160012/http://w42.bcn.cat/web/en/noticies-i-premsa/noticies/actives/Barcelona-recognized-as-the-top-Southern-European-city-with-future-economic-potential.jsp|archivedate=13 April 2014}}</ref> by ''[[Finance:FDi Magazine|FDi Magazine]]'' in their bi-annual rankings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fdiintelligence.com/Locations/Europe/European-Cities-and-Regions-of-the-Future-2014-15|title=European Cities and Regions of the Future 2014/15 |date=17 February 2014|accessdate=11 April 2014|work=fDi Magazine}}</ref>

===Trade fair and exhibitions===
{{double image|right|World Trade Center Barcelona 2013 2.jpg|180|Palau de Congressos de Barcelona 2013.JPG|180|The World Trade Center Barcelona|The Palau de Congressos de Barcelona}}

Drawing upon its tradition of creative art and craftsmanship, Barcelona is known for its award-winning [[Social:Industrial design|industrial design]]. It also has several congress halls, notably Fira de Barcelona – the second largest trade fair and exhibition centre in Europe, that host a quickly growing number of national and international events each year (at present above 50). The total exhibition floor space of Fira de Barcelona venues is {{convert|405,000|m2|ha|0|abbr=on}}, not counting Gran Via centre on the Plaza de Europa. However, the Eurozone crisis and deep cuts in business travel affected the Council's positioning of the city as a convention centre.

An important business centre, the World Trade Center Barcelona, is located in Barcelona's Port Vell harbour.

The city is known for hosting well as world-class conferences and expositions, including the 1888 ''Exposición Universal de Barcelona'', the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition (Expo 1929), the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures and the 2004 [[Organization:World Urban Forum|World Urban Forum]].<ref>{{cite web|title=World Urban Forum 2004|url=http://mirror.unhabitat.org/categories.asp?catid=467|accessdate=1 September 2017}}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:14-08-05-barcelona-RalfR-022.jpg|thumb|left|Part of the beach promenade and the beach of ''La Barceloneta'' towards Port Olimpic]]

Barcelona was the 20th-most-visited city in the world by international visitors and the fifth most visited city in Europe after London, Paris, Istanbul and Rome, with 5.5 million international visitors in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 Cities Destination Ranking|url=http://blog.euromonitor.com/2013/01/top-100-cities-destination-ranking.html|publisher=blog.euromonitor.com|accessdate=24 March 2016}}</ref> By 2015, both Prague and Milan had more international visitors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Irresistible cities: World's 25 top tourism destinations|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/28/travel/most-visited-cities-euromonitor-2016/|publisher=edition.cnn.com|accessdate=24 March 2016}}</ref> With its Rambles, Barcelona is ranked the most popular city to visit in Spain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gospain.about.com/od/topspanishcities/a/topspanishcity.htm |title=Best Spanish Cities |publisher=Gospain.about.com |date=25 March 2014 |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410225548/http://gospain.about.com/od/topspanishcities/a/topspanishcity.htm |archivedate=10 April 2014 }}</ref>

Barcelona as internationally renowned a tourist destination, with numerous recreational areas, one of the best beaches in the world,<ref name=NationalGeographic/><ref name="discoverychannel">Movie "Worlds Best Beaches", Discovery Channel 2005</ref> mild and warm climate, historical monuments, including eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 519 hotels as of March 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotels-g187497-Barcelona_Catalonia-Hotels.html|title=Los 10 mejores hoteles en Barcelona 2016 – TripAdvisor – Precios y opiniones|author=|date=|work=tripadvisor.es|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323075044/https://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotels-g187497-Barcelona_Catalonia-Hotels.html|archivedate=23 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> including 35 five star hotels,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotels-g187497-zfc5-Barcelona_Catalonia-Hotels.html|title=10 mejores hoteles de 5 estrellas en Barcelona – TripAdvisor|author=|date=|work=tripadvisor.es}}</ref> and developed tourist infrastructure.

Due to its large influx of tourists each year, Barcelona, like many other tourism capitals, has to deal with pickpockets, with wallets and passports being commonly stolen items. For this reason, most travel guides recommend that visitors take precautions in order to ensure their possessions' safety, especially inside the metro premises. Despite its moderate pickpocket rate, Barcelona is considered one of the safest cities in terms of health security and personal safety,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/the-20-safest-cities-in-the-world-2015-1|title=20 Of The Safest Cities In The World|newspaper=Business Insider|access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref> mainly because of a sophisticated policing strategy that has dropped crime by 32% in just over three years and has led it to be considered the 15th safest city in the world by Business Insider.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-15-safest-cities-in-the-world-2016-12/#15-barcelona-7516-three-years-ago-the-barcelona-city-council-decided-to-increase-the-police-presence-on-the-streets-and-in-the-subway-the-strategy-has-yielded-results-with-crime-falling-by-32-1|title=The 15 safest cities in the world|newspaper=Business Insider|access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref>

While tourism produces economic benefits, the city is "overrun" ... by "hordes of tourists" according to one report. In early 2017, over 150,000 protesters warned that tourism is destabilizing the city. Slogans included "Tourists go home", "Barcelona is not for sale" and "We will not be driven out". By then, number of visitors had increased from 1.7 million in 1990 to 32 million in a city with a population of 1.62 million, increasing the cost of rental housing for residents and overcrowding the public places. While tourists spent an estimated €30 billion in 2017, they are viewed by some as a threat to Barcelona's identity.<ref>{{cite news |last=Burgen |first=Stephen |date=25 June 2018 |title='Tourists go home, refugees welcome': why Barcelona chose migrants over visitors|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jun/25/tourists-go-home-refugees-welcome-why-barcelona-chose-migrants-over-visitors |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=3 September 2018}}</ref> 

A May 2017 article in England's The Telegraph newspaper included Barcelona among the ''Eight Places That Hate Tourists the Most'' and included a comment from Mayor Ada Colau, "We don’t want the city to become a cheap souvenir shop [like Venice]". To moderate the problem, the city has stopped issuing licenses for new hotels and holiday apartments; it also fined AirBnb with a €30,000. The mayor has suggested an additional tourist tax and setting a limit on the number of visitors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Coffey |first=Helen |date=15 May 2017 |title=Eight Places That Hate Tourists the Most |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/places-hate-tourist-the-most-countries-ban-visitors-venice-thailand-amsterdam-japan-onsen-santorini-a7733136.html |work=The Independent |location=London |access-date=3 September 2018}}</ref> One industry insider, Justin Francis, founder of the Responsible Travel agency, stated that steps must be taken to limit the number of visitors that are causing an "overtourism crisis" in several major European cities. "Ultimately, residents must be prioritised over tourists for housing, infrastructure and access to services because they have a long-term stake in the city’s success.", he said.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hunt |first=Ellen |date=17 July 2018 |title=Residents in tourism hotspots have had enough. So what's the answer?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jul/17/residents-in-tourism-hotspots-have-had-enough-so-whats-the-answer |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=3 September 2018}}</ref> "Managing tourism more responsibly can help", Francis later told a journalist, "but some destinations may just have too many tourists, and Barcelona may be a case of that".<ref>{{cite news |last=Dogshun |first=Joe |date=7 March 2018 |title=Europe's beauty spots plot escape from the too-many-tourists trap |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/07/europes-beauty-spots-plot-escape-from-the-too-many-tourists-trap |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=3 September 2018}}</ref>

===Manufacturing sector===
Industry generates 21% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the region,<ref>[http://www.idescat.cat/territ/BasicTerr?TC=8&V3=1538&V4=1540&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=100&V0=3&V1=0&CTX=B&VN=3&VOK=Confirmar "''Valor afegit brut a preus bàsics. Base 2000 Per sectors (%)''" (en: "''Gross value added at basic prices. Base by sector (%)''")] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410224648/http://www.idescat.cat/territ/BasicTerr?TC=8&V3=1538&V4=1540&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=100&V0=3&V1=0&CTX=B&VN=3&VOK=Confirmar |date=10 April 2014 }} – Idescat, 2008</ref> with the energy, chemical and metallurgy industries accounting for 47% of industrial production.<ref>[http://www.idescat.cat/territ/BasicTerr?TC=5&V0=3&V1=0&V3=1538&V4=1541&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=100&CTX=B "''Valor afegit brut. Indústria per branques d'activitat (%)''" (en: "''Gross Value Added. Branches of industry (%)''")] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410224253/http://www.idescat.cat/territ/BasicTerr?TC=5&V0=3&V1=0&V3=1538&V4=1541&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=100&CTX=B |date=10 April 2014 }} – Idescat, 2008</ref> The Barcelona metropolitan area had 67% of the total number of industrial establishments in Catalonia as of 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grec.cat/home/errors/notrobat.htm|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20130306051759/http://www.grec.cat/home/errors/notrobat.htm|deadurl=yes|title=:: GREC.NET - ::|date=6 March 2013|archivedate=6 March 2013|publisher=}}</ref>

Barcelona has long been an important European automobile manufacturing centre. Formerly there were automobile factories of AFA, [[Company:Abadal|Abadal]], Actividades Industriales, Alvarez, [[Company:America (Spanish automobile)|America]], Artés de Arcos, Balandrás, Baradat-Esteve, [[Company:Biscúter|Biscúter]], J. Castro, Clúa, David, Delfín, Díaz y Grilló, Ebro trucks, {{ill|Edis (automobile)|lt=Edis|ca|Edis}}, Elizalde, Automóviles España, Eucort, Fenix, Fábrica Hispano, Auto Academia Garriga, Fábrica Española de Automóviles Hebe, [[Company:Hispano-Suiza|Hispano-Suiza]], Huracán Motors, Talleres Hereter, Junior SL, [[Company:Kapi (car)|Kapi]], La Cuadra, M.A., Automóviles Matas, Motores y Motos, Nacional Custals, National Pescara, Nacional RG, Nacional Rubi, Nacional Sitjes, Automóviles Nike, Orix, Otro Ford, Partia, [[Company:Pegaso|Pegaso]], [[Company:PTV (car)|PTV]], Ricart, Ricart-España, Industrias Salvador, Siata Española, Stevenson, Romagosa y Compañía, Garaje Storm, Talleres Hereter, Trimak, Automóviles Victoria, Manufacturas Mecánicas Aleu.<ref>"''Die große Automobil-Enzyklopädie''" – Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader, BLV, Munich 1986, {{ISBN|978-3-405-12974-3}}</ref><ref>"''The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile''" – Nick Georgano, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, {{ISBN|978-1-57958-293-7}}</ref>

Today, the headquarters and a large factory of SEAT (the largest Spanish automobile manufacturer) are in one of its suburbs. There is also a Nissan factory in the logistics and industrial area of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/COMPANY/PROFILE/EN_ESTABLISHMENT/EUROPE/ |title=NISSAN &#124;CORPORATE INFORMATION &#124;Outline of Company &#124;Facilities Overseas &#124;Europe |publisher=Nissan-global.com |date= |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419053449/http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/COMPANY/PROFILE/EN_ESTABLISHMENT/EUROPE/ |archivedate=19 April 2010 }}</ref> The factory of Derbi, a large manufacturer of motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, also lies near the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.derbi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=191 |title=Cómo llegar |publisher=Derbi |date= |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410223719/http://www.derbi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=191|archivedate=10 April 2014}}</ref>

As in other modern cities, the [[Finance:Secondary sector of the economy|manufacturing sector]] has long since been overtaken by the services sector, though it remains very important. The region's leading industries are textiles, chemical, [[Chemistry:Pharmaceutical|pharmaceutical]], motor, electronic, printing, [[Finance:Logistics|logistics]], publishing, in telecommunications industry and culture the notable Mobile World Congress, and [[Engineering:Information technology|information technology]] services.

===Fashion===
[[File:Pasarela The Brandery 2.jpg|thumb|right|The Brandery fashion show of 2011]]
The traditional importance of textiles is reflected in Barcelona's drive to become a major fashion centre. There have been many attempts to launch Barcelona as a fashion capital, notably ''Gaudi Home''.{{citation needed|reason=who or what is Gaudi Home; need cite for it and more info|date=January 2014}}

Beginning in the summer of 2000, the city hosted the prestigious Bread & Butter urban fashion fair until 2009, when its organisers announced that it would be returning to [[Place:Berlin|Berlin]]. This was a hard blow for the city as the fair brought €100&nbsp;m to the city in just three days.<ref>{{cite news |title=La feria de moda urbana Bread and Butter deja Barcelona |author=Leticia Blanco |work=El Mundo |date=20 January 2009 |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/01/19/barcelona/1232400722.html |accessdate=22 July 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113115745/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/01/19/barcelona/1232400722.html |archivedate=13 November 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=El Periódico |title=El presidente del Bread&Butter confirma oficialmente que la feria abandona Barcelona |author=EFE |date=23 January 2009 |url=http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idtipusrecurs_PK=7&idnoticia_PK=580966 |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515183129/http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idtipusrecurs_PK=7&idnoticia_PK=580966 |dead-url=yes |archive-date=15 May 2016 |quote=[Karl Heinz Muller, the entrepreneur behind B&B in announcing the move in a press conference held on January 23, 2009 said] No llores Barcelona, levántate y haz algo [don't cry Barcelona, get up and do something about it] Barcelona in Europe is a metropolis of fashion. |accessdate=22 July 2009 }}</ref>

Since 2009, ''The Brandery'', an urban fashion show, has been held in Barcelona twice a year until 2012. According to the Global Language Monitor’s annual ranking of the world's top fifty fashion capitals Barcelona was named as the seventh most important fashion capital of the world right after Milano and before [[Place:Berlin|Berlin]] in 2015.<ref>[http://www.languagemonitor.com/fashion/paris-towers-over-world-of-fashion-as-top-global-fashion-capital-for-2015/ "Paris Towers Over World of Fashion as Top Global Fashion Capital for 2015"], retrieved 12 June 2017.</ref>

==Government and administrative divisions==
[[File:Κυβερνητικό Μέγαρο Καταλονίας 2563.jpg|thumb|right|Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya]]

As the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, Barcelona is the seat of the Catalan government, known as the ''Generalitat de Catalunya''; of particular note are the executive branch, the parliament, and the High Court of Justice of Catalonia. The city is also the capital of the Province of Barcelona and the Barcelonès comarca (district).

Barcelona is governed by a city council formed by 41 city councillors, elected for a four-year term by [[Philosophy:Universal suffrage|universal suffrage]]. As one of the two biggest cities in Spain, Barcelona is subject to a special law articulated through the ''Carta Municipal'' (Municipal Law). A first version of this law was passed in 1960 and amended later, but the current version was approved in March 2006.<ref name="ley 1/2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos/doc.php?coleccion=iberlex&id=2006/04583 |title=BOE – LEY 1/2006, de 13 de marzo, por la que se regula el Régimen Especial del municipio de Barcelona |publisher=Boe.es |date=14 March 2006 |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430052956/http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos/doc.php?coleccion=iberlex&id=2006%2F04583 |archivedate=30 April 2008 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> According to this law, Barcelona's city council is organised in two levels: a political one, with elected city councillors, and one executive, which administrates the programs and executes the decisions taken on the political level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,2687,200713899_200720868_1,00.html |title=Ajuntament de Barcelona> Ajuntament> El Govern de la Ciutat |publisher=W3.bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728231233/http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0%2C2687%2C200713899_200720868_1%2C00.html |archivedate=28 July 2010 |deadurl=no |df= }}</ref> This law also gives the local government a special relationship with the central government and it also gives the mayor wider prerogatives by the means of municipal executive commissions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcn.cat/catala/laciutat/barcelona/organitzacio.htm |title=Ajuntament de Barcelona: Organització política |publisher=Bcn.cat |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723081931/http://www.bcn.cat/catala/laciutat/barcelona/organitzacio.htm |archivedate=23 July 2013 }}</ref> It expands the powers of the city council in areas like telecommunications, city traffic, road safety and public safety. It also gives a special economic regime to the city's treasury and it gives the council a veto in matters that will be decided by the central government, but that will need a favourable report from the council.<ref name="ley 1/2006"/>

[[File:Ajuntament de Barcelona (3400686886).jpg|thumb|left|The City Hall of Barcelona]]

The ''Comissió de Govern'' (Government Commission) is the executive branch, formed by 24 councillors, led by the Mayor, with 5 lieutenant-mayors and 17 city councillors, each in charge of an area of government, and 5 non-elected councillors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200720894_3,00.html |title=Ajuntament de Barcelona> Council> The city government> Council Executive |publisher=W3.bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122052303/http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0%2C4358%2C200713899_200720894_3%2C00.html |archivedate=22 January 2011 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> The plenary, formed by the 41 city councillors, has advisory, planning, regulatory, and fiscal executive functions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200720876_3,00.html |title=Ajuntament de Barcelona> Council> The city government> Plenary |publisher=W3.bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415090540/http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0%2C4358%2C200713899_200720876_3%2C00.html |archivedate=15 April 2011 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> The six ''Commissions del Consell Municipal'' (City council commissions) have executive and controlling functions in the field of their jurisdiction. They are composed by a number of councillors proportional to the number of councillors each political party has in the plenary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200720890_3,00.html |title=Ajuntament de Barcelona> Council> The city government> Committees of the Municipal Council |publisher=W3.bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415090118/http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0%2C4358%2C200713899_200720890_3%2C00.html |archivedate=15 April 2011 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> The city council has jurisdiction in the fields of [[Engineering:Urban planning|city planning]], transportation, municipal taxes, public highways security through the ''Guàrdia Urbana'' (the municipal police), city maintenance, gardens, parks and environment, facilities (like schools, nurseries, sports centres, libraries, and so on), culture, sports, youth and [[Social:Welfare|social welfare]]. Some of these competencies are not exclusive, but shared with the Generalitat de Catalunya or the central Spanish government. In some fields with shared responsibility (such as public health, education or social services), there is a shared Agency or Consortium between the city and the Generalitat to plan and manage services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aspb.cat |title=Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona |publisher=www.aspb.cat|accessdate=9 October 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Salón de Ciento. Ayuntamiento de Barcelona.jpg|thumb|right|The Saló de Cent, in the City Hall of Barcelona.]]

The executive branch is led by a Chief Municipal Executive Officer which answers to the Mayor. It is made up of departments which are legally part of the city council and by separate legal entities of two types: autonomous public departments and public enterprises.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200722250_3,00.html |title=Ajuntament de Barcelona> Council> The municipal administration |publisher=W3.bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100622011903/http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0%2C4358%2C200713899_200722250_3%2C00.html |archivedate=22 June 2010 |deadurl=no |df= }}</ref>

The seat of the city council is on the Plaça de Sant Jaume, opposite the seat of Generalitat de Catalunya. Since the coming of the Spanish democracy, Barcelona had been governed by the PSC, first with an absolute majority and later in coalition with ERC and ICV. After the May 2007 election, the ERC did not renew the coalition agreement and the PSC governed in a minority coalition with ICV as the junior partner.

After 32 years, on 22 May 2011, CiU gained a plurality of seats at the municipal election, gaining 15 seats to the PSC's 11. The PP hold 8 seats, ICV 5 and ERC 2.

===Districts===
[[File:Districtes de Barcelona.svg|right|thumb|Districts of Barcelona]]

Since 1987, the city has been divided into 10&nbsp;administrative districts (''districtes'' in Catalan, ''distritos'' in Spanish):
* Ciutat Vella
* Eixample
* Sants-Montjuïc
* Les Corts
* Sarrià-Sant Gervasi
* Gràcia
* Horta-Guinardó
* Nou Barris
* Sant Andreu
* Sant Martí

The districts are based mostly on historical divisions, and several are former towns annexed by the city of Barcelona in the 18th and 19th centuries that still maintain their own distinct character. Each district has its own council led by a city councillor. The composition of each district council depends on the number of votes each political party had in that district, so a district can be led by a councillor from a different party than the executive council.

==Education==
[[File:Universidad de Barcelona, Canciller del Ecuador ofrece conferencia (11986731433).jpg|thumb|Main hall of the University of Barcelona]]

Barcelona has a well-developed higher education system of public universities. Most prominent among these is the [[Organization:University of Barcelona|University of Barcelona]] (established in 1450), a world-renowned research and teaching institution with campuses around the city. Barcelona is also home to the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, and the newer Pompeu Fabra University, and, in the private sector the EADA Business School founded in 1957, became the first Barcelona institution to run manager training programmes for the business community. IESE Business School, as well as the largest private educational institution, the Ramon Llull University, which encompasses internationally prestigious schools and institutes such as the ESADE Business School. The Autonomous University of Barcelona, another public university, is located in Bellaterra, a town in the Metropolitan Area. Toulouse Business School and the Open University of Catalonia (a private Internet-centred open university) are also based in Barcelona.
[[File:Barcelona. University of Barcelona, faculty of Law. Lopez Iñigo, Subias Fages and Giráldez Dávila, architects (1958) (14958318511).jpg|thumb|Building of the faculty of Law of the University of Barcelona]]

The city has a network of public schools, from nurseries to high schools, under the responsibility of a consortium led by city council (though the curriculum is the responsibility of the Generalitat de Catalunya). There are also many private schools, some of them Roman Catholic. Most such schools receive a public subsidy on a per-student basis, are subject to inspection by the public authorities, and are required to follow the same curricular guidelines as public schools, though they charge tuition. Known as ''escoles concertades'', they are distinct from schools whose funding is entirely private (''escoles privades'').

The language of instruction at public schools and ''escoles concertades'' is Catalan, as stipulated by the 2009 Catalan Education Act. Spanish may be used as a language of instruction by teachers of Spanish literature or language, and foreign languages by teachers of those languages. An experimental partial immersion programme adopted by some schools allows for the teaching of a foreign language (English, generally) across the curriculum, though this is limited to a maximum of 30% of the school day. No public school or ''escola concertada'' in Barcelona may offer 50% or full immersion programmes in a foreign language, nor does any public school or ''escola concertada'' offer International Baccalaureate programmes.

==Culture==
Barcelona's cultural roots go back 2000 years. Since the arrival of democracy, the Catalan language (very much repressed during the dictatorship of Franco) has been promoted, both by recovering works from the past and by stimulating the creation of new works. Barcelona is designated as a [[Global city|world-class city]] by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html |title=Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network – Inventory of World Cities |accessdate=7 July 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630222000/http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html |archivedate=30 June 2007 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> The has also been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Literature since 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catalannews.com/culture/item/barcelona-becomes-a-unesco-city-of-literature|title=Barcelona becomes a UNESCO City of Literature|last=Prim|first=Sara|website=www.catalannews.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-10-03}}</ref>

===Entertainment and performing arts===
[[File:Liceu - Interior.jpg|thumb|The Liceu opera house]]

Barcelona has many venues for live music and theatre, including the world-renowned Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house, the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, the Teatre Lliure and the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall. Barcelona also is home to the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra (Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, usually known as OBC), the largest symphonic orchestra in Catalonia. In 1999, the OBC inaugurated its new venue in the brand-new Auditorium (L'Auditori). It performs around 75 concerts per season and its current director is Eiji Oue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.auditori.org/seccions/auditori/oferta_musical/auditori_obc/index.aspx |title=L'Auditori: OBC |publisher=Auditori.org |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725024346/http://www.auditori.org/seccions/auditori/oferta_musical/auditori_obc/index.aspx |archivedate=25 July 2011 }}</ref> It is home to the Barcelona Guitar Orchestra, directed by Sergi Vicente.
The major thoroughfare of La Rambla is home to mime artists and street performers.
Yearly, two major pop music festivals take place in the city, the Sónar Festival and the Primavera Sound Festival. The city also has a thriving alternative music scene, with groups such as The Pinker Tones receiving international attention.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roberts |first=Nina |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/arts/music/06rob.html |title=Catalan Musical Stew Keeps Barcelona Up All Night – New York Times |location=Barcelona (Spain) |publisher=Travel.nytimes.com |date=6 August 2006 |accessdate=5 May 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110202608/http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/arts/music/06rob.html |archivedate=10 January 2008 }}</ref>

===Media===
''El Periódico de Catalunya'', ''La Vanguardia'' and ''Ara'' are Barcelona's three major daily newspapers (the first two with Catalan and Spanish editions, ''Ara'' only in Catalan) while ''Sport'' and ''El Mundo Deportivo'' (both in Spanish) are the city's two major sports daily newspapers, published by the same companies. The city is also served by a number of smaller publications such as ''Ara'' and ''El Punt Avui'' (in Catalan), by nationwide newspapers with special Barcelona editions like ''El Pais'' (in Spanish, with an online version in Catalan) and ''El Mundo'' (in Spanish), and by several free newspapers like ''20 minutos'' and ''Què'' (all bilingual).

Barcelona's oldest and main online newspaper ''VilaWeb'' is also the oldest one in Europe (with Catalan and English editions).

Several major FM stations include Catalunya Ràdio, RAC 1, RAC 105 and Cadena SER. Barcelona also has a local [[Engineering:Television channel|TV stations]], BTV, owned by city council. The headquarters of Televisió de Catalunya, Catalonia's public network, are located in Sant Joan Despí, in Barcelona's metropolitan area.

===Sports===
[[File:Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys - Barcelona, Spain - Jan 2007.jpg|thumb|left|Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc (Barcelona Olympic Stadium) built for the 1936 Summer Olympics named ''People's Olympiad'', main stadium of 1992 Summer Olympics.]]

Barcelona has a long sporting tradition and hosted the highly successful 1992 Summer Olympics as well as several matches during the 1982 FIFA World Cup (at the two stadiums). It has hosted about 30 sports events of international significance.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
[[File:Camp Nou - Interior (2005).jpg|thumb|right|The Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe.]]
FC Barcelona is a sports club best known worldwide for its football team, one of the largest and the second richest in the world.<ref>[http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedKingdom/Local%20Assets/Documents/Industries/Sports%20Business%20Group/UK_SBG_DFML2011.pdf Football Money League] – [[Company:Deloitte|Deloitte]], 2011 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402202909/http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedKingdom/Local%20Assets/Documents/Industries/Sports%20Business%20Group/UK_SBG_DFML2011.pdf |date=2 April 2012 }}</ref> It has 72 national trophies (while finishing 46 times as runners-up) and 17 continental prizes (with being runners-up 11 times), including five UEFA Champions League trophies out of eight finals and three FIFA Club World Cup wins out of four finals. It is the only male football team in the world to accomplish a single season sextuple. FC Barcelona also has professional teams in other sports like FC Barcelona Regal (basketball), FC Barcelona Handbol (handball), FC Barcelona Hoquei (roller hockey), FC Barcelona Ice Hockey (ice hockey), FC Barcelona Futsal (futsal) and FC Barcelona Rugby (rugby union), all at one point winners of the highest national and/or European competitions. The club's museum is the second most visited in Catalonia. The matches against cross-town rivals RCD Espanyol are of particular interest, but there are other Barcelonan football clubs in lower categories, like CE Europa and UE Sant Andreu. FC Barcelona's basketball team has a noted rivalry in the Liga ACB with nearby Joventut Badalona.

[[File:Palau Sant Jordi Barcelona 2013.jpg|thumb|left|Palau Sant Jordi (St. George's sporting arena) and Montjuïc Communications Tower]]
Barcelona has three UEFA elite stadiums: FC Barcelona's Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe with a capacity of 99,354; the publicly owned Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, with a capacity of 55,926; used for the 1992 Olympics; and Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, with a capacity of 40,500. Furthermore, the city has several smaller stadiums such as Mini Estadi (also owned by FC Barcelona) with a capacity of 15,000, Camp Municipal Narcís Sala with a capacity of 6,563 and Nou Sardenya with a capacity of 7,000. The city has a further three multifunctional venues for sports and concerts: the Palau Sant Jordi with a capacity of 12,000 to 24,000 (depending on use), the Palau Blaugrana with a capacity of 7,500, and the Palau dels Esports de Barcelona with a capacity of 3,500.

Barcelona was the host city for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, which were held at the Palau San Jordi.<ref>http://www.bcn2013.com   {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112195344/http://www.bcn2013.com/ |date=12 November 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:F1 Circuit de Catalunya - Tribuna.jpg|thumb|right|Circuit de Catalunya/Circuit de Barcelona, race track of Formula 1 and MotoGP on the suburb of Barcelona.]]
Several road running competitions are organised year-round in Barcelona: the Barcelona Marathon every March with over 10,000 participants in 2010, the Cursa de Bombers in April, the Cursa de El Corte Inglés in May (with about 60,000 participants each year), the Cursa de la Mercè, the Cursa Jean Bouin, the Milla Sagrada Família and the San Silvestre. There's also the Ultratrail Collserola which passes {{convert|85|km|abbr=off}} through the Collserola forest. The Open Seat Godó, a 50-year-old ATP World Tour 500 Series tennis tournament, is held annually in the facilities of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. Each Christmas, a swimming race across the port is organised.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} Near Barcelona, in Montmeló, the 107,000 capacity Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya racetrack hosts the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix, the Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix, the Spanish GT Championship and races in the GP2 Series. Skateboarding and [[Earth:Cycling|cycling]] are also very popular in Barcelona; in and around the city there are dozens of kilometers of bicycle paths.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto;"
|+ '''Top sport clubs in Barcelona:'''
|-
! scope="col" |Club
! scope="col" |League
! scope="col" |Sport
! scope="col" |Venue
! scope="col" |Established
! scope="col" |Capacity
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |FC Barcelona
|Primera División
|Football
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Camp Nou
|1899
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |100,000
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |RCD Espanyol<ref>To 2009, home stadium of club is Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, today is Estadi Cornellà-El Prat lies in suburb of Barcelona, in El Prat de Llobregat.</ref>
|Primera División
|Football
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Estadi Cornellà-El Prat
|1900
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |40,500
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |CE Europa
|Tercera División
|Football
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Nou Sardenya
|1907
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |7,000
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |FC Barcelona Bàsquet
|Primera División
|Basketball
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Palau Blaugrana
|1926
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |7,585
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |FC Barcelona Handbol
|Primera División
|Handball
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Palau Blaugrana
|1942
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |7,585
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |FC Barcelona Ice Hockey
|Primera División
|Ice hockey
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Palau de Gel
|1972
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |1,256
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |FC Barcelona Hoquei
|Primera División
|Roller hockey
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Palau Blaugrana
|1942
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |7,585
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |FC Barcelona Futsal
|Primera División
|Futsal
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Palau Blaugrana
|1986
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |7,585
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |FC Barcelona Rugby
|Primera División
|Rugby union
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |CDMVdHT
|1924
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |no data
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Barcelona Dragons
|World League
|American football
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
|1991 <small>(withheld)</small>
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |56,000
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Barcelona Búfals
|Primera División
|American football
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" |Camp Municipal Narcís Sala
|1987
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: centre;" | 6,550
|}

=== Squatter's Movement ===
Barcelona is also home to numerous social centres and illegal squats that effectively form a shadow society mainly made up of the unemployed, immigrants, dropouts, [[Social:Anarchism|anarchists]], [[Social:Anti-authoritarianism|anti-authoritarians]] and [[Social:Autonomism|autonomists]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=To Get to the Other Side: a journey through Europe and its anarchist movements|last=Gelderloos|first=Peter|publisher=|year=2009|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref> Peter Gelderloos estimates that there around 200 squatted buildings and 40 social centres across the city with thousands of inhabitants, making it one of the largest squatter movements in the world. He notes that they pirate electricity, internet and water allowing them to live on less than one euro a day. He argues that these squats embrace an [[Social:Anarcho-communism|anarcho-communist]] and anti-work philosophy, often freely fixing up new houses, cleaning, patching roofs, installing windows, toilets, showers, lights and kitchens. In the wake of austerity, the squats have provided a number of [[Social:Social services|social services]] to the surrounding residents, including [[Engineering:Bicycle|bicycle]] repair workshops, [[Engineering:Carpentry|carpentry]] workshops, self-defense classes, free libraries, community gardens, free meals, [[Computer|computer]] labs, language classes, theatre groups, free medical care and legal support services.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Anarchy Works|last=Gelderloos|first=Peter|publisher=|year=2010|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref> The squats help elderly residents avoid eviction and organise various protests throughout Barcelona. Notable squats include Can Vies and Can Masdeus. Police have repeatedly tried to shut down the squatters movement with waves of evictions and raids, but the movement is still going strong.

==Transport==

===Airports===
[[File:Airport Barcelona seen from air.jpg|thumb|The Barcelona–El Prat Airport as seen from the air]]
Barcelona is served by Barcelona-El Prat Airport, about {{convert|17|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from the centre of Barcelona. It is the second-largest airport in Spain, and the largest on the Mediterranean coast, which handled more than 44.1 million passengers in 2016, showing an annual upward trend.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Barcelona/es/Page/1045569607435/Presentacion.html|title=AENA Aeropuerto de Barcelona El Prat 2014 |publisher=Aena.es |date= |accessdate=8 October 2015}}</ref> It is a main hub for Vueling Airlines and Ryanair, and also a focus for Iberia and Air Europa. The airport mainly serves domestic and European destinations, although some airlines offer destinations in Latin America, Asia and the United States. The airport is connected to the city by highway, metro (Airport T1 and Airport T2 stations), commuter train (Barcelona Airport railway station) and scheduled bus service. A new terminal (T1) has been built, and entered service on 17 June 2009.

Some low-cost airlines, also use Girona-Costa Brava Airport, about {{convert|90|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} to the north, Reus Airport, {{convert|77|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} to the south, or Lleida-Alguaire Airport, about {{convert|150|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} to the west, of the city. Sabadell Airport is a smaller airport in the nearby town of Sabadell, devoted to pilot training, aerotaxi and private flights.

===Seaport===
[[File:Port of Barcelona.jpg|thumb|left|The Port of Barcelona]]

The Port of Barcelona has a 2000-year-old history and a great contemporary commercial importance. It is Europe's ninth largest [[Finance:Containerization|container]] port, with a trade volume of 1.72 million TEU's in 2013.<ref name="traffic statistics 2013">[http://content.portdebarcelona.cat/cntmng/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/1c206b0a-4787-49d8-9c8c-0563aa71719f/PortBcnTrafic2013_12_en.pdf Port of Barcelona traffic statistics 2013] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614141353/http://content.portdebarcelona.cat/cntmng/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/1c206b0a-4787-49d8-9c8c-0563aa71719f/PortBcnTrafic2013_12_en.pdf |date=14 June 2014 }} – Port de Barcelona, 2014</ref> The port is managed by the Port Authority of Barcelona. Its {{convert|10|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} are divided into three zones: Port Vell (the old port), the commercial port and the logistics port (Barcelona Free Port). The port is undergoing an enlargement that will double its size thanks to diverting the mouth of the Llobregat river {{convert|2|km|0|abbr=off}} to the south.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apb.es/wps/portal/!ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os_hgz2DDIFNLYwMLfzcDAyNjQy9vLwNTV38LM_1wkA6zeH_nIEcnJ0NHAwNfUxegCh8XA2-nUCMDdzOIvAEO4Gig7-eRn5uqX5CdneboqKgIAAeNRE8!/dl2/d1/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnB3LzZfU0lTMVI1OTMwOE9GMDAyMzFKS0owNUVPODY!/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/ExtranetAnglesLib/El%20Port%20de%20Barcelona/el+port/historia+del+port/cami+cap+el+futur/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005031426/http://www.apb.es/wps/portal/!ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os_hgz2DDIFNLYwMLfzcDAyNjQy9vLwNTV38LM_1wkA6zeH_nIEcnJ0NHAwNfUxegCh8XA2-nUCMDdzOIvAEO4Gig7-eRn5uqX5CdneboqKgIAAeNRE8!/dl2/d1/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnB3LzZfU0lTMVI1OTMwOE9GMDAyMzFKS0owNUVPODY!/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=%2Fwps%2Fwcm%2Fconnect%2FExtranetAnglesLib%2FEl%20Port%20de%20Barcelona%2Fel+port%2Fhistoria+del+port%2Fcami+cap+el+futur%2F |dead-url=yes |archive-date=5 October 2009 |title=Port de Barcelona |language=es |publisher=Apb.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |df=}}</ref>
[[File:Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain - Jan 2007.jpg|thumb|The Port Vell in winter]]

The Barcelona harbour is the leading European cruiser port and a most important Mediterranean turnaround base.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portdebarcelona.cat/en/web/port-del-ciudada/cruceros |title=Port Barcelona – Cruises |publisher=Portdebarcelona.cat |date= |accessdate=30 March 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331005714/http://www.portdebarcelona.cat/en/web/port-del-ciudada/cruceros|archivedate=31 March 2014}}</ref> In 2013, 3,6 million of pleasure cruises passengers used services of the Port of Barcelona.<ref name="traffic statistics 2013"/>

The Port Vell area also houses the Maremagnum (a commercial mall), a multiplex cinema, the [[IMAX]] Port Vell and one of Europe's largest aquariums – Aquarium Barcelona, containing 8,000 fish and 11 sharks contained in 22 basins filled with 4 million litres of sea water. The Maremagnum, being situated within the confines of the port, is the only commercial mall in the city that can open on Sundays and public holidays.

===Railway===
[[File:Barcelona - Estación de Sants y Hotel Barceló Sants 2.jpg|thumb|The main railway station Estación de Sants]]

Barcelona is a major hub for RENFE, the Spanish state railway network. The city's main Inter-city rail station is Barcelona Sants railway station, whilst Estació de França terminus serves a secondary role handling suburban, regional and medium distance services. Freight services operate to local industries and to the Port of Barcelona.

RENFE's AVE high-speed rail system, which is designed for speeds of {{convert|310|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, was extended from [[Place:Madrid|Madrid]] to Barcelona in 2008 in the form of the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line. A shared RENFE-SNCF high-speed rail connecting Barcelona and France ([[Place:Paris|Paris]], Marseilles and Toulouse, through Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line) was launched in 2013. Both these lines serve Barcelona Sants terminal station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avui.cat/noticia/article/2-societat/5-societat/252283-barcelona-estrena-tgv.html|title=Barcelona estrena TGV|publisher=Avui|date=9 February 2008 |accessdate=11 July 2011 |language=catalan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catalannewsagency.com/politics/item/the-last-high-speed-railway-stretch-between-barcelona-and-france-has-finally-been-unveiled-after-years-of-delays|title=The last High Speed railway stretch between Barcelona and France has finally been unveiled after years of delays|publisher=Catalan News Agency|date=8 January 2013|accessdate=27 January 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410223210/http://www.catalannewsagency.com/politics/item/the-last-high-speed-railway-stretch-between-barcelona-and-france-has-finally-been-unveiled-after-years-of-delays|archivedate=10 April 2014}}</ref>

Besides RENFE's services, other rail services in the Barcelona area are operated by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), owned by the Catalan government. The FGC operates largely commuter rail services, but also carries freight to the Port of Barcelona, as well as a number of [[Engineering:Rack railway|rack railway]]s and [[Engineering:Funicular|funicular]]s and three of the lines of the Barcelona Metro (see ''local public transport'' below). Other suburban services are operated by Rodalies de Catalunya over RENFE tracks.

===Roads and highways===
[[File:BCN-rdaDalt-9976sh.jpg|thumb|upright|B-20 motorway in Barcelona.]]

Barcelona lies on three international routes, including European route E15 that follows the Mediterranean coast, European route E90 to Madrid and Lisbon, and European route E09 to Paris. It is also served by a comprehensive network of motorways and highways throughout the metropolitan area, including A-2, A-7/AP-7, C-16, C-17, C-31, C-32, C-33, C-60.

The city is circled by three half ring roads or bypasses, Ronda de Dalt (B-20) (on the mountain side), Ronda del Litoral (B-10) (along the coast) and Ronda del Mig (separated into two parts: Travessera de Dalt in the north and the Gran Via de Carles III), two partially covered<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcn.es/turisme/english/turisme/rutes/rondes_fr.htm |title=The covered Rondes (by-pass) |publisher=Bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516235933/http://www.bcn.es/turisme/english/turisme/rutes/rondes_fr.htm |archivedate=16 May 2009 }}</ref> fast highways with several exits that bypass the city.

The city's main arteries include Diagonal Avenue, which crosses it diagonally, Meridiana Avenue which leads to Glòries and connects with Diagonal Avenue and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, which crosses the city from east to west, passing through its centre. The famous boulevard of La Rambla, whilst no longer an important vehicular route, remains an important pedestrian route.

The Estació del Nord (Northern Station), a former railway station which was renovated for the 1992 Olympic Games, now serves as the terminus for long-distance and regional bus services.

===Local public transport===
[[File:LlefiàL10.JPG|thumb|right|Barcelona Metro]]

Barcelona is served by a comprehensive local public transport network that includes a metro, a bus network, two separate modern tram networks, a separate historic tram line, and several funiculars and [[Engineering:Aerial tramway|aerial cable cars]]. Most of these networks and lines form a coordinated fare system, administered by the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM), although they are operated by a number of different bodies. This integrated public transport is divided into different zones (1 to 6) and depending on usage various Integrated Travel Cards<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmb.cat/en/abonaments-integrats|title=Integrated travel cards – Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona|author=|date=|work=tmb.cat}}</ref> are available.

The largely underground Barcelona Metro network comprises twelve lines, identified by an "L" followed by the line number as well as by individual colours. Eight of these lines are operated on dedicated track by the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), whilst four lines are operated by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) and some of them share tracks with that company's commuter lines.

[[File:Barcelona Tram 01.jpg|left|thumb|Barcelona Tram]]

Another company, TRAMMET, operates the city's two modern tram networks, known as Trambaix and Trambesòs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/V01/Serveis/Noticies/V01NoticiesLlistatNoticiesCtl/0,2138,1653_35144087_1_573780100,00.html?accio=detall&home=HomeBCN&nomtipusMCM=Noticia |title=News related with the council plans for the tram network union |publisher=W3.bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003195712/http://w3.bcn.es/V01/Serveis/Noticies/V01NoticiesLlistatNoticiesCtl/0%2C2138%2C1653_35144087_1_573780100%2C00.html?accio=detall&home=HomeBCN&nomtipusMCM=Noticia |archivedate= 3 October 2009 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> The historic tram line, the Tramvia Blau,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmb.net/en_US/barcelona/moute/planols/planotramviablau.jsp |title=Information of Tramvia Blau |publisher=Tmb.net |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224023817/http://www.tmb.net/en_US/barcelona/moute/planols/planotramviablau.jsp |archivedate=24 December 2009 }}</ref> connects the metro (L7, operated by FGC) to the Funicular del Tibidabo (operated by TMB). The Funicular de Tibidabo climbs the Tibidabo hill, as does the Funicular de Vallvidrera (FGC). The Funicular de Montjuïc (TMB) climbs the Montjuïc hill. The city has two [[Engineering:Aerial lift|aerial cable cars]]: the Montjuïc Cable Car (to the Montjuïc castle) and the Port Vell Aerial Tramway that runs via Torre Jaume I and Torre Sant Sebastià over the port.

Buses in Barcelona are a major form of public transport, with extensive local, interurban and night bus networks. Most local services are operated by the TMB, although some other services are operated by a number of private companies, albeit still within the ATM fare structure. A separate private bus line, known as Aerobús, links the airport with the city centre, with its own fare structure.

[[File:14-08-06-barcelona-RalfR-222.jpg|thumb|Two typical Barcelona taxis]]

Barcelona has a metered taxi fleet governed by the Institut Metropolità del Taxi (Metropolitan Taxi Institute), composed of more than 10,000 cars. Most of the licences are in the hands of self-employed drivers. With their black and yellow livery, Barcelona's taxis are easily spotted, and can be caught from one of many taxi ranks, hailed on street, called by telephone or via app.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_city_guide/all_about/taxis_in_barcelona | title = Barcelona Taxi Information | work = Barcelona.com | accessdate = 28 January 2014| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140202102147/http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_city_guide/all_about/taxis_in_barcelona | archivedate = 2 February 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bcnweb2.bcn.es:8885/taxi/infocorp/informacio.html|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20031208074138/http://bcnweb2.bcn.es:8885/taxi/infocorp/informacio.html|deadurl=yes|title=Invalid Host Specified|date=8 December 2003|archivedate=8 December 2003|publisher=}}</ref>

On 22 March 2007,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicing.com/noticias/detalle_noticia.php?TU5fTk9USUNJQVM%3D&Ng%3D%3D&MQ%3D%3D |title=Noticies: Data d'inici 22 de març a les 14:00 h. Pots realitzar l'alta al servei a partir del dia 16/03/07 |publisher=Bicing |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029155839/http://www.bicing.com/noticias/detalle_noticia.php?TU5fTk9USUNJQVM=&Ng=%3D&MQ=%3D |archivedate=29 October 2007 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> Barcelona's City Council started the [[Engineering:Bicing|Bicing service]], a bicycle service understood as a public transport. Once the user has their user card, they can take a bicycle from any of the more than 400 stations spread around the city and use it anywhere the urban area of the city, and then leave it at another station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicing.com/modulos/modulos.php?TU5fSU5GT1JNQUNJT04%3D&NA%3D%3D&Nw%3D%3D |title=Què és |publisher=Bicing |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125090551/http://www.bicing.com/modulos/modulos.php?TU5fSU5GT1JNQUNJT04=&NA=%3D&Nw=%3D |archivedate=25 January 2010 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> The service has been a success, with 50,000 subscribed users in three months.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicing.com/noticias/detalle_noticia.php?TU5fTk9USUNJQVM%3D&Ng%3D%3D&MzA%3D |title=Notícies: El Biking ja té més de 50.000 abonats |publisher=Biking |accessdate=26 June 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003183507/http://www.bicing.com/noticias/detalle_noticia.php?TU5fTk9USUNJQVM=&Ng=%3D&MzA= |archivedate= 3 October 2009 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref>

==Main sights==
[[File:Sagrada Familia 01.jpg|thumb|Sagrada Família church, designed by Gaudí]]

The ''Barri Gòtic'' (Catalan for "Gothic Quarter") is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. Many of the buildings date from medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Catalan ''[[Philosophy:Modernisme|modernista]]'' architecture (related to the movement known as Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe) developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. Several of these buildings are World Heritage Sites. Especially remarkable is the work of architect Antoni Gaudí, which can be seen throughout the city. His best-known work is the immense but still unfinished church of the [[Engineering:Sagrada Família|Sagrada Família]], which has been under construction since 1882 and is still financed by private donations. {{As of|2015}}, completion is planned for 2026.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/sagrada-familia-reaches-its-final-stage-of-construction/413476/ | title = Gaudí's Barcelona Basilica, La Sagrada Família, Reaches Its Final Stage of Construction - The Atlantic | publisher = The Atlantic | accessdate = 1 February 2017}}</ref>

Barcelona was also home to Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion. Designed in 1929 for the International Exposition for Germany, it was an iconic building that came to symbolise modern architecture as the embodiment of van der Rohe's aphorisms "less is more" and "God is in the details." The Barcelona pavilion was intended as a temporary structure and was torn down in 1930 less than a year after it was constructed. A modern re-creation by Spanish architects now stands in Barcelona, however, constructed in 1986.

Barcelona won the 1999 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for its architecture,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBATrust/Awards/RoyalGoldMedal/Royal%20Gold%20Medallists%201848%20-%202008.pdf | title = RIBA Royal Gold Medallists | publisher = RIBA | accessdate = 28 January 2014| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140202101307/http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBATrust/Awards/RoyalGoldMedal/Royal%20Gold%20Medallists%201848%20-%202008.pdf | archivedate = 2 February 2014 }}</ref> the first (and {{As of|2015|lc=y}}, only) time that the winner has been a city rather than an individual architect.

[[File:Barcelona - Plaça Reial.jpg|thumb|centre|upright= 3|Plaça Reial]]

===World Heritage Sites===
Barcelona is the home of many points of interest declared World Heritage Sites by [[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]]:<ref>The seventh element of Place World Heritage "Works of Antoni Gaudí" is the Crypt in Colònia Güell, which is located at Santa Coloma de Cervelló.</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
!
|[[File:14-08-06-barcelona-RalfR-241.jpg|200px]]||150px||200px||[[File:Casa Vicens, Barcelona - panoramio.jpg|200px]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Name
|Park Güell||Palau Güell||Casa Milà||Casa Vicens
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Code, year
|320-001, 1984||320–002, 1984||320–003, 1984||320–004, 2005
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Coordinates
|{{coord|41|24|59.6|N|2|09|07.9|E}}||{{coord|41.379183|N|2.174445|E}}||{{coord|41|23|51.3|N|2|09|46.9|E|name=Casa Milà}}||{{coord|41|22|50.5|N|2|10|30.6|E}}
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
!
|[[File:15-10-28-Sagrada Familia-WMA 3127-3136.jpg|200px]]||200px||150px||[[File:Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau 24.jpg|200px]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Name
|[[Engineering:Sagrada Família|Sagrada Família]]||Casa Batlló||Palau de la Música Catalana||[[Philosophy:Hospital de Sant Pau|Hospital de Sant Pau]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Code, year
|320-005, 2005||320–006, 2005||804–001, 1997||804–002, 1997
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Coordinates
|{{coord|41|24|19.8|N|2|10|30.2|E|name=Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia}}||{{coord|41|22|00.3|N|2|09|59.0|E}}||{{coord|41|23|16|N|2|10|30|E}}||{{coord|41|24|50|N|2|10|30|E}}
|}
{{clear}}

===Historic buildings and monuments===
{{Category see also|Buildings and structures in Barcelona}}
[[File:Barcelona Cathedral Santa Eulalia 11.jpg|thumb|upright|Barcelona Cathedral]]

* [[Religion:Minor basilica|Minor basilica]] of [[Engineering:Sagrada Família|Sagrada Família]], the symbol of Barcelona.
* Palau de la Música Catalana and [[Philosophy:Hospital de Sant Pau|Hospital de Sant Pau]], designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, included in the UNESCO Heritage List in 1997.
* Works by Antoni Gaudí, including Park Güell, Palau Güell, Casa Milà (La Pedrera), Casa Vicens, Sagrada Família (Nativity façade and crypt), Casa Batlló, crypt in Church of Colònia Güell. The first three works were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The other four were added as extensions to the site in 2005.
* The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia (Gothic)
* Gothic basilica of Santa Maria del Mar
* Gothic basilica of Santa Maria del Pi
* Romanesque church of Sant Pau del Camp
* Palau Reial Major, medieval residence of the sovereign Counts of Barcelona, later [[History:Kingdom of Aragon|Kings of Aragon]]
* The Royal Shipyard (gothic)
* Monastery of Pedralbes (gothic)
* The Columbus Monument
* The Arc de Triomf, a triumphal arch built for entrance to 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition.
* Expiatory church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the summit of Tibidabo.

===Museums===
[[File:Palau Nacional Barcelona Pano 2013.jpg|thumb|The National Museum of Art of Catalonia stands out for its collection of Romanesque painting, considered one of the most complete in Europe.{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}]]

Barcelona has a great number of museums, which cover different areas and eras. The National Museum of Art of Catalonia possesses a well-known collection of Romanesque art, while the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art focuses on post-1945 Catalan and Spanish art. The Fundació Joan Miró, Picasso Museum, and Fundació Antoni Tàpies hold important collections of these world-renowned artists, as well as the Can Framis Museum, focused on post-1960 Catalan Art owned by Fundació Vila Casas.
Several museums cover the fields of history and archaeology, like the Barcelona City History Museum (MUHBA), the Museum of the History of Catalonia, the Archeology Museum of Catalonia, the Barcelona Maritime Museum, and the privately owned Egyptian Museum. The Erotic museum of Barcelona is among the most peculiar ones, while CosmoCaixa is a science museum that received the European Museum of the Year Award in 2006.
The FC Barcelona Museum has been the most visited museum in the city of Barcelona, with 1,506,022 visitors in 2013.

===Parks===
[[File:Parc de la Ciutadella Barcelona Mai 2013.jpg|thumb|Parc de la Ciutadella north of La Barceloneta]]
Barcelona contains sixty municipal parks, twelve of which are historic, five of which are thematic (botanical), forty-five of which are urban, and six of which are forest.<ref>{{cite web|author=Parcs i Jardins, Institut Municipal |url=http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_mapa.htm |title=Parcs i Jardins> Els Parcs> Els Parcs de Barcelona |publisher=Bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105064630/http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_mapa.htm|archivedate=5 January 2010|deadurl=yes}}</ref> They range from vest-pocket parks to large recreation areas. The urban parks alone cover 10% of the city ({{convert|549.7|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}).<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> The total park surface grows about {{convert|10|ha|acre|0|abbr=on}} per year,<ref>{{cite web|author=Parcs i Jardins, Institut Municipal|url=http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_ciu.htm |title=Parcs i Jardins> Els Parcs> Història> La ciutat i el verd |publisher=Bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003183148/http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_ciu.htm|archivedate=3 October 2009|deadurl=yes}}</ref> with a proportion of {{convert|18.1|m2|sqft|0}} of park area per inhabitant.<ref>{{cite web|author=Parcs i Jardins, Institut Municipal|url=http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_demo.htm |title=Parcs i Jardins> Els Parcs> Història> La democràcia |publisher=Bcn.es |accessdate=26 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331111427/http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_demo.htm|archivedate=31 March 2009|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

Of Barcelona's parks, Montjuïc is the largest, with 203&nbsp;[[Hectare|ha]] located on the mountain of the same name.<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> It is followed by Parc de la Ciutadella (which occupies the site of the old military citadel and which houses the Parliament building, the Barcelona Zoo, and several museums); {{convert|31|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}} including the zoo), the Guinardó Park ({{convert|19|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Park Güell (designed by Antoni Gaudí; {{convert|17.2|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Oreneta Castle Park (also {{convert|17.2|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Diagonal Mar Park ({{convert|13.3|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}, inaugurated in 2002), Nou Barris Central Park ({{convert|13.2|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Can Dragó Sports Park and Poblenou Park (both {{convert|11.9|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}), the Labyrinth Park ({{convert|9.10|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}), named after the garden maze it contains.<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> There are also several smaller parks, for example, the Parc de Les Aigües ({{convert|2|ha|acre|1|disp=or|abbr=on}}). A part of the Collserolla Park is also within the city limits. PortAventura, one of the largest amusement parks in Europe, with 3,000,000 visitors per year, is located one hour's drive from Barcelona.<ref>[http://www.teaconnect.org/sites/default/files/misc/files/2009report.pdf The Global Attractions Attendance Report] – Themed Entertainment Association, 2009 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319052819/http://www.teaconnect.org/sites/default/files/misc/files/2009report.pdf |date=19 March 2012}}</ref> Also, within the city lies Tibidabo Amusement Park, a smaller amusement park in Plaza del Tibidabo, with the Muntanya Russa amusement ride.

===Beaches===
[[File:Platges de Barcelona.svg|right|thumb|upright= 2.5|Beaches of Barcelona]]
Barcelona beach was listed as number one in a list of the top ten city beaches in the world according to ''National Geographic''<ref name="NationalGeographic">{{cite web|url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/beach-cities-photos/#/beach-barcelona-spain_21757_600x450.jpg|title=Top 10 Beach Cities|accessdate=30 July 2010| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20100721215624/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/beach-cities-photos/| archivedate= 21 July 2010 | deadurl= no}}</ref> and ''Discovery Channel''.<ref name="DiscoveryChannel">Movie "Worlds Best Beaches", Discovery Channel 2005 {{YouTube|8bdvj5gubnA}}</ref> Barcelona contains seven beaches, totalling {{convert|4.5|km|mi|abbr=off}} of coastline. Sant Sebastià, Barceloneta and Somorrostro beaches, both {{convert|1100|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}} in length,<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> are the largest, oldest and the most-frequented beaches in Barcelona.

The Olympic Harbour separates them from the other city beaches: Nova Icària, Bogatell, Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant. These beaches (ranging from {{convert|400|to|640|m|ft|abbr=on}} were opened as a result of the city restructuring to host the 1992 Summer Olympics, when a great number of industrial buildings were demolished. At present, the beach sand is artificially replenished given that storms regularly remove large quantities of material. The 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures left the city a large concrete bathing zone on the eastmost part of the city's coastline. Most recently, Llevant is the first beach to allow dogs access during summer season.

===Other sights===
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Church of Santa Maria del Mar.jpg|Santa Maria del Mar church
File:Barcelona SMaria del Pi.jpg|Santa Maria del Pi church
File:Casa de l'Ardiaca 02.jpg|The Roman and Medieval walls
File:Can Framis BCN.JPG|Can Framis Museum
File:Observatori Fabra - Vista des del Tibidabo - 1.jpg|[[Astronomy:Fabra Observatory|Fabra Observatory]]
File:Arc de Triomf Barcelona 2013.jpg|The Arc de Triomf
File:Barcelona - Castell dels Tres Dragons (2).JPG|Castell dels Tres Dragons
File:14-08-05-barcelona-RalfR-032.jpg|Hotel Arts (left) and Torre Mapfre (each {{convert|154|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in height
File:Barcelona March 2015-2a.jpg|Torre Agbar
File:Torre de Collserola 2013.jpg|The Torre de Collserola on the Tibidabo is the tallest structure in Barcelona (288.4m).
File:Barcelona in Parc Güell.JPG|The view from Gaudí's Park Güell
File:14-08-05-barcelona-RalfR-003.jpg|Port Vell Aerial Tramway
File:Barcelona August 2014 - Seilbahn de Montjuic 001.jpg|Montjuïc Cable Car
File:Monument a Colom, Barcelona, Spain - Jan 07.jpg|<center>Statue of Christopher Columbus</center>
File:14-08-05-barcelona-RalfR-001.jpg|W Barcelona (Hotel Vela)
File:353 Plaça de toros Monumental, c. Marina - Gran Via.JPG|La Monumental
File:Barcelona - Edificio Colón 3.jpg|Colón building
File:Bcn 3530 Palauet Albeniz pp.jpg|Palauet d'Albéniz
File:Tunnelaquarium 14-05-2009 15-54-09.JPG|Aquarium Barcelona
File:Barcelona - Font Màgica - 2016.jpg|Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
File:Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor 2013.jpg|Sagrat Cor
File:Torres venecianes Barcelona 2013.jpg|The Venetian Towers in Plaça d'Espanya
File:Catalunya Barcelona1 tango7174.jpg|Plaça de Catalunya
File:15-10-27-Vista des de l'estàtua de Colom a Barcelona-WMA 2791.jpg|La Rambla, a popular shopping street and promenade
File:Barcelona - Carrer del Bisbe.jpg|Gothic Quarter
File:Port Authority Barcelona 2013.jpg|Barcelona's old Customs building at Port Vell
</gallery>

==International relations==

===Twin towns and sister cities===
[[File:Barcelona.sarajevo.mural.jpg|thumb|right|Mural dedicated to Barcelona, Barcelona Square, Sarajevo.]]
Barcelona is twinned with the following cities:<sup>(in [[Physics:Chronology|chronological]] order)</sup><ref name=BCA>{{cite web |url=http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/relacionsinternacionalsicooperacio/ca/barcelona-en-el-mon |title=Relacions Internacionals i Cooperacio – Ciutats agermanades |publisher=Direcció de Relacions Internacionals i Cooperació, Ajuntament de Barcelona |language=Catalan |accessdate=8 September 2016}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagdeco|FRA}} Montpellier, France, 1963<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|TUN}} [[Place:Tunis|Tunis]], Tunisia, 1969<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|BRA}} Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1972<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|MEX}} Monterrey, Mexico, 1977<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|ROK}} Busan, South Korea, 1983<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|US}} Boston, United States, 1983<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|DEU}} Cologne, Germany, 1984<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|BRA}} São Paulo, Brazil, 1985<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|URU}} [[Place:Montevideo|Montevideo]], Uruguay, 1985<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|RUS}} Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1985<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|CUB}} [[Place:Havana|Havana]], Cuba, 1993<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|JPN}} Kobe, Japan, 1993<ref name=BCA/><ref name="Kobe sisters">{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofkobe.org/sister_cities.html|title=Kobe's Sister Cities|accessdate=11 August 2013|work=Kobe Trade Information Office|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421095804/http://www.cityofkobe.org/sister_cities.html|archivedate=21 April 2013}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|BEL}} Antwerp, Belgium, 1997<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|TUR}} Istanbul, Turkey, 1997<ref name=BCA/><ref>{{cite web |language=tr |url=http://www.ibb.gov.tr/tr-TR/kurumsal/Birimler/DisIliskilerMd/Documents/guncelleme08032010/kardes_sehir_isbirligi_ve_iyi_niyet_anlasmasi_imzalanan_seh.pdf |title=Kardes sehir isbirligi ve iyi niyet anlasmasi imzalanan seh |format=PDF |publisher=IBB |work=ibb.gov.tr |year=2010 |accessdate=8 September 2016}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|IRL}} [[Place:Dublin|Dublin]], Ireland, 1998<ref name=BCA/><ref name="Dublin">{{cite web|url=http://www.dublincity.ie/Press/FactsAboutDublin/Pages/FactsAboutDublin.aspx|title=Dublin City Council: Facts about Dublin City|publisher=2006–2009 Dublin City Council|accessdate=14 July 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410225048/http://www.dublincity.ie/Press/FactsAboutDublin/Pages/FactsAboutDublin.aspx|archivedate=10 April 2014}}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|PSE}} Gaza, Palestine, 1998<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|ISR}} [[Place:Tel Aviv|Tel Aviv]], Israel, 1998<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|GRE}} [[Place:Athens|Athens]], Greece, 1999<ref name=BCA/><ref group=note>Not according to the [http://www.kedke.gr/uploads/twinnedcities.pdf official listing by Greek government]</ref>
*{{flagdeco|BIH}} [[Place:Sarajevo|Sarajevo]], Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2000<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|CHI}} Valparaíso, Chile, 2001<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Place:Shanghai|Shanghai]], China, 2001<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|UAE}} Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2006<ref name=BCA/>
*{{flagdeco|US}} {{wipe|San Francisco}}, United States, 2010<ref name=BCA/>
{{div col end}}

===Other partnerships and co-operations===
Other forms of co-operation and city friendship similar to the twin city programmes exist to many cities worldwide.<ref name=BCA/>
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} Shenzhen, China<ref name=BCA/><ref>{{cite web |language=zh-cn |url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/zwgk/wsz/201103/t20110322_1645217.htm |script-title=zh:外事志--深圳市人民政府外事办公室 |publisher={{noitalic|{{lang|zh-hans|深圳市外办}} |title=Archived copy |access-date=7 August 2013 |archive-url= |archive-date=19 July 2014 |dead-url=yes |df=dmy-all }}[Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office] |date=2011-03-22 |accessdate=19 July 2014 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl= |archivedate=19 July 2014 |df= }}{{cite web |url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/zwgk/wsz/201103/t20110322_1645217.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=19 July 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/684VwWBgc?url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/zwgk/wsz/201103/t20110322_1645217.htm |archivedate=31 May 2012 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/ycgy/201101/t20110120_1631663.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=13 November 2013 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113092638/http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/ycgy/201101/t20110120_1631663.htm |archivedate=13 November 2013 |df= }}, 20 January 2011. (Translation by [[Software:Google Translate|Google Translate]].)  {{cite web|url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/ycgy/201101/t20110120_1631663.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=13 November 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/684VviYTN?url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/ycgy/201101/t20110120_1631663.htm |archivedate=31 May 2012 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/yhjl/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=12 November 2014 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112101846/http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/yhjl/ |archivedate=12 November 2014 |df= }}, 13 September 2011. (Translation by [[Software:Google Translate|Google Translate]].)  {{cite web|url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/yhjl/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=12 November 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6OU0GCxai?url=http://www.szfao.gov.cn/ygwl/yxyc/yhjl/ |archivedate=31 March 2014 |df= }}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
[[File:Figueras y Moragas.jpg|thumb|upright|Estanislao Figueras]]
[[File:2017-09-02 Álvaro Soler (Tag der Sachsen 2017 in Löbau) by Sandro Halank–2.jpg|thumb|upright|Álvaro Soler]]
*Olegarius (1060–1137), bishop, archbishop and saint
*Joanna of Aragon (1454–1517), Queen of Naples
*Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 8th Duke of Alburquerque (1619–1676), military officer, viceroy of New Spain and viceroy of Sicily
*Estanislao Figueras (1819–1882), lawyer and politician, 1st President of the [[Place:First Spanish Republic|First Spanish Republic]]
*[[Biography:Francesc Pi i Margall|Francesc Pi]] (1824–1901), President of the [[Place:First Spanish Republic|First Spanish Republic]]
*Romà Ribera (1848–1935), genre painter 
*Francesca Bonnemaison i Farriols (1872–1949), educator, established the first library exclusively for women in Europe, in Barcelona in 1909
*Joan Peiró (1887–1942), anarchist leader and writer
*Joan Miró (1893–1983), painter and sculptor
*Ricardo Zamora (1901–1978), professional football player
*Jose Barraquer (1916-1998), ophthalmologist and pioneer of [[Physics:Refractive surgery|refractive surgery]]
*Paco Godia (1921–1990), Formula 1 racing driver
*Antoni Tàpies (1923–2012), painter and sculptor
*Jordi Pujol (born 1930), until 2003 Chairman of the CiU, from 1980 to 2003 Government of Catalonia
*Montserrat Caballé (born 1933), operatic soprano
*Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1939–2013), writer
*Pasqual Maragall (born 1941), mayor of Barcelona from 1982 to 1997, from 2003 to 2006 Government of Catalonia
*Teresa Duran (born 1949), writer and illustrator
*José Antonio Bowen (born 1952), jazz musician and president of [[Organization:Goucher College|Goucher College]]
*Artur Mas (born 1956), former Catalan president
*Sito Pons (born 1959), motorcycle racing driver
*Isabel Bacardit (born 1960), artist
*Manuel Valls (born 1962), French politician of the Catalan descent of the Parti socialiste (PS), from April 2014 to December 2016 French Prime Minister
*Pedro de la Rosa (born 1971), an automobile racing driver
*Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (born 1971), tennis player
*Sete Gibernau (born 1972), motorcycle racing driver
*Carlos Checa (born 1972), motorcycle racing driver
*Pau Gasol (born 1980), professional basketball player
*Joan Pedrola (born 1980), male model
*Gerard Piqué (born 1987), professional football player
*Álvaro Soler (born 1991), singer

==See also==

* Architecture of Barcelona
* List of markets in Barcelona
* List of tallest buildings in Barcelona
* Plans for Winter Olympics held in Barcelona
* Public art in Barcelona
* Mobile World Congress

==Notes and references==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=note}}

===References===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite encyclopedia |title=Barcelona|encyclopedia=Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana |publisher=Ed. Enciclopèdia Catalana S.A. |location=Barcelona}}
* Busquets, Joan. ''Barcelona: The Urban Evolution of a Compact City'' (Harvard UP, 2006) 468 pp.
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1177/0096144210384250|title=Review Essay: Barcelona: Forms, Images, and Conflicts: Joan Busquets (2005)|date=January 2011|last1=McDonogh|first1=G. W.|journal=Journal of Urban History|volume=37|pages=117–123|number=1}}
* Marshall, Tim, ed. ''Transforming Barcelona'' (Routledge, 2004), 267 pp.
* Ramon Resina, Joan. ''Barcelona's Vocation of Modernity: Rise and Decline of an Urban Image'' (Stanford UP, 2008). 272 pp.

==External links==
* [http://www.barcelona.cat/en/ Official website of Barcelona]
* [http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/ciudades-pueblos/grandes-ciudades/barcelona.html Official website of Barcelona in Spain's national tourism portal]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Barcelona
|N  = Montcada i Reixac
|NE = Santa Coloma de Gramenet
|E  = Sant Adrià de Besòs
|SE = ''Balearic Sea''
|S  = El Prat de Llobregat
|SW = Esplugues de Llobregat<br>L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
|W  = Molins de Rei<br>Sant Feliu de Llobregat<br>Sant Just Desvern
|NW = Cerdanyola del Vallès<br>Sant Cugat del Vallès
}}
<!--Navigation boxes-->
{{Navboxes
|title=Articles related to Barcelona
|list=
}}


[[Category:Capitals in Europe]]

{{Sourceattribution|Barcelona|1}}