Just
decades ago, few tourists would have considered visiting the
northern Spanish city of Barcelona. However, this once rather
rundown industrial centre that seemed to have little to offer
has undergone a seismic change that culminated in the hosting
of the Olympic Games in 1992, an event which completely transformed
Barcelona. As well as a string of purpose built sporting developments
springing up all over the city - with the epicentre on the slopes
of Montjuïc - Barcelona benefited from major investments
that saw the face of the city dramatically change.
Barcelona
has become something of a Mecca for the world's top architects
who have flocked here to conjure up an array of modern structures
and avant-garde designs. Many have drawn their inspiration from
the seminal work of Barcelona's most famous son, the modernist
architect Antoni Gaudi, whose unique style can still
be savoured around the city in a number of key buildings. His
masterpiece is the unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral, but
his work even can be seen in the lampposts and fountains of
Plaça Reial. Fortunately the rush of new construction
has not completely dwarfed the older buildings as the old and
new architectural styles harmoniously combine.
Barcelona is the kind of city where an avant-garde glass and
steel new office block can rest happily within striking distance
of a gothic cathedral, a city where the old port has been rejuvenated
without losing any of its charm.
The
city is also solidifying its position as a major regional economic
power, tucked as it is, strategically close to the French border
and with a wide Mediterranean coastline. Its key industries
include manufacture, textiles, electronics and tourism. Today
the focus is on Barcelona developing as part of the new Europe,
a theme emphasised by the Euromed Conference in the late 1990s,
which looked at ways of developing the Spanish-French border
region. Another sign of this intent are the ambitious plans
to build a high speed rail track from Barcelona to link up with
the French TGV network and on to the rest of Europe.
The
locals are very aware of the city's potential and a strong desire
still remains amongst some to create an independent Catalan
state with Barcelona at its helm, instead of the current Spanish
set-up where Barcelona plays second fiddle in political terms
to Madrid. Some observers believe
that the desire for outright independence has waned since the
death of General Franco and the granting of a greater deal of
autonomy to the region, but in the bars and cafés of
the city the patriotic feelings still remain strong.
Nowhere
is this proud drive for greater self-determination more evocative
than at Camp Nou, the home of Barcelona FC, one of Europe's
greatest football teams, when a capacity 120,000 crowd pulsates
to a rousing victory over arch rivals Real Madrid.
With
a balmy year round climate - not too steamily hot in summer
and with few genuinely cold days in winter - it is not surprising
that Barcelona is attracting an increasing number of visitors.
Indeed Barcelona has entered the millennium as one of Europe's
most popular short break destinations.
BARCELONA - city overview
