Barcelona is the
second most populated Spanish city and
the principal industrial and commercial
centre of the country. The chief
manufactured products are textiles,
precision instruments, machinery, railway
equipment, paper, glass, and plastics.
Barcelona is one of
the major Mediterranean ports and a
financial and publishing centre of Spain.
The oldest section of the city was built
on the harbour and is traversed by the
Rambla, a paved thoroughfare extending
from the harbour to the Plaza de
Catalunya, the focal point of the city.
Dominating Barcelona’s skyscape are
the fantastic open-work spires of Templo
Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, or
Church of the Sacred Family. Other places
of interest include the Church of San
Pablo del Campo (built in 914), the
Gothic Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, a
monument to Christopher Columbus, and the
nearby peak Tibidabo (532 metres/1,745
feet). Among the many cultural
institutions are the University of
Barcelona (1450), the Autonomous
University of Barcelona, the Royal
Archives of Aran, the Archaeological
Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art, and
the Museum of Modern Art.
According to
legend, Barcelona was founded as Barcino
about 230 BC by the Carthaginian general
Hamilcar Barca. The city’s selection
as the site for the 1992 Summer Olympics
sparked a massive municipal redevelopment
programme.
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