Barcelona’s History of Catalonia: The Travelers Tour Guide
Nowadays lovely Barcelona allures to the visitors from all around the globe. This vibrant metropolis, the second most populous in Spain, ranks as the second largest urban center in the nation. Its plenty of attractions have down remarkable entertaining sights and sounds to travel to enjoy!
Barcelona, in particular, as the capital of the historic region of Catalonia has to fascinate also for history enthusiasts. Those looking for things to do in Barcelona will clearly need to include some useful city walking tour into their trip. Walking leisurely through this scene is an actual historical journey.
Each district has fabulous attractions for people interested in the regional history of Catalonia and the history of Barcelona. Take a Gothic Quarter tour (Barri Gotic) to experience centuries past lingering on a comprehensive tapestry in the once-narrow streets, old-stoned structure of which the entire town area still displays not anchored to go through more newly built sections of the City and see for yourself the influence with globalization. Here you will find a variety of entertaining, attractive activities.
Catalonia’s rich past is calling out to the tourists now. Bring home a life-time of memories. Don’t miss this chance to see this unspoiled and wonderful landscape!
Historic Places
Barcelona contemporary walking tours allow people to discover the history and culture of Catalonia intensely. Do your best to leave on a number of these excursions while visiting in order to receive an idea of how much the City has contributed to contemporary Spain. A quick glance at some of the major historical periods of Barcelona is the one that will give most of the people a “itinerary” of ‘essentials’ to see:
Modern Catalonia
Today, the Catalan autonomous region situated in the northeastern part of Spain measures 32,108.2 kilometres across and has a population of 7,565,603.(1) It abuts France and Andorra along the rugged north and thence borders Spain in the Iberian Peninsula. Its eastern coast enjoys the presence of the blue Mediterranean sea. The Balearic Islands lie approximately 133 miles to the southeast of this region’s historic capital city and most important port, Barcelona.
Around 1.6 million people reside within Barcelona city limits. However as estimates attribute a total population of 4.7 million on the outer parts of Greater Barcelona Area, this urban center is the sixth-most populous urban center of Europe(2). With the pleasant, mild, Mediterranean climate, and its outstanding bays, coastal Catalonia has millions of tourists visiting each year. According to a report by the Barcelona Tourism Board Barcelona was a destination, in 2012 recorded that European tourism came fourth in the rankings context of most visited cities.(3)
There should be a history of Barcelona implicit in the one of Marseille maritime significance as centre of the Mediterranean consortium. (These trends recur through Barcelona history with frequency.)
Today, tourists who take walking tours through the streets of Barcelona can also spend a pleasant time resting under the warm, wide beaches of the city. Tourists have seen an excellent variety of seaside locations close by cafes and eateries.
In particular in the historic center of Barcelona city Ciutat Vella an area developed mostly in the 1700s and later also completely rebuilt, Somorrostro Beach is a popular destination for those looking for recreation by the sea. Barcelona and Catalan coast provide a number of public beaches and ports where tourists can sunbath or engage in water activities.
Ancient History
Catalonian archaeologists continue trying to find out where their ancestors first settled thousands of years ago.(4) Prehistoric residents of the region of Catalonia had no writing system and therefore today only things that their ancestors left behind, such as artifacts or paintings discovered in many caves in Catalonia, indicate a prehistoric people. Nomadic groups of cave dwellers may even have lurched into the Barcelona region. Traces of Stone Age groups living on the Iberian Peninsula dating back approximately 35,000 have been discovered by researchers.(5)
A grupações de primeiros povos-nômades chegaram e se fundiram em diferentes partes sede da Iberia. Of course, incoming Celts settled in the Catalan region around the 9th century before B.C.(6) There must have been Iberian ports that were frequently visited by Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian merchants.(5)
The Roman Period
In addition, the ancient Romans went as merchant legation to the Iberian Peninsula, where they would often clash with the commercial interests of the power rival Carthage, a Mediterranean power circles. In fact, it is Roman forces who carried out a successful military conquest and ran areas of modern-day Catalonia and other parts of modern-day Spain and Portugal from at the minimum 200 B.C. up to the early 5th century A.D. as a province inside Rome’s empire.(7
They piled cities in the Iberian Peninsula as well as dropped local infrastructures through building bridges, roads, city walls, aqueducts (water conveys) and public amenities. Although the exact beginning of by Barcelona may have pre-dated The Roman Era, the city had been recognised by at least 15 BG as a small outpost served by a garrison. The nearby coastal district of Tarragona in the south apparently stayed more in-line with regards to its size during this time frame. By the 5th century, virtually all citizens of Roman communities in Spain were Christian.
Today, tourists can still see the traces of Barcelona’s Roman secondary water conduits. Researchers have looked at historical records side-by-side with the findings of modern excavations to follow the history of this massive ancient public enterprise.
The Barcelona City History Museum in Placa del Rei has attempted to show several stands of artifacts and statues from the Roman Period. For example, the museum has a virtual tour of the city thousands of years ago during the Roman era. Visitors to Barcelona can travel south about 60 miles to the historic city of Tarragona gives a quick walk to prehistoric sites (which include Roman amphitheater). Among many other items from Roman antiquity, the National Archeologic Museum of Tarragona allows the public to catch a glimpse of a wide array of wreckage.
A Time of Conflict
Eventually, the Roman Empire weakened. Rome was invaded by pagan nomadic tribe from the north in a number of territories. Visigoths however overcame the mountainous Pyrenees to come and control large territories in the Iberian Peninsula, including that around Barcelona, in the early 5th century AD.
This period which had once been referred to as “the Dark Ages” by medieval scholars experienced vast periods of war and conflict. North of Catalonia the Germanic tribe of the Salian Franks built the Merovingian Empire. King Clovis I claimed the helmsmanship of the Frankish tribes between 481 and 511. Christianity spread far and wide in the region (which is todayWhilst part of the modern nation of France) in the two centuries that followed.
At the beginning of the 700s, Islamic North African Moors crossed into the Iberian Peninsula from the south. They conquered extensive territory. Having crossed the Pyrenees, they seemed on the point of decimating the Frankish Kingdom, but Charles Martel led a decisive drive in their face to the Battle of Tours, 732. In areas influenced by the Moors, a part of the native population had convert to Islam.
The Moors built up a rich cultural landscape in much of the southern areas of the Iberian Peninsula. Although they had a limited influence within the area of Barcelona, a district in the north that did not remain under the Moors control. The Franks exert a great influence in Catalonia region.
In 751, Pepin the Small had gotten himself declared King of the Franks and launched a new Carolingen Dynasty in France. Charlemagne (c.742-814), who succeeded the king to the throne, undertook a further effort to retake for Frank territory to south of the Pyrenees. He therefore invaded Catalonia in an attempt to install his vassals into power along a “Spanish March”, a buffer zone between the Moorish Empire and Frankish Empire. Charlemagne’s son, Louis I, threw his father’s efforts a helping hand by installing a Count of Barcelona. The Carolingen dynasty also established other feudal vassals in Spain, such as one within the northern city of Jaca in Aragon.
In the following century, the rulers of Barcelona and surroundings remained vassals of the Kingdom of France. Several Counts of Barcelona took control of Catalonia in progressively larger measure and self-government during this period. They were at war with the Moorish powers for centuries continuing to invade and then accept Islamic presence in the several areas of considerable Christian populations that they now controlled.
The Moorish chieftain Almanzor laid a brutal siege to the City of Barcelona in July, 985. It was a disastrous raid, that led to great loss of life. Many inhabitants of the city perished in the conflicts, and the conquerors sold others into slavery. The Count of Barcelona, Borrel II, took refuge in Montserrat, and in vain applied to the French king. Even as he was to swear fealty to the new French Capetian dynasty in 988, Borrel II and his succession calibrated, from then on, what they could, in fact, control of Catalonia. They rettook Washington Heights, and from that vantage point also gradually gained control of other surrounding neighborhoods. Apparently, the older quarter of Barcelona today dates from a time period after the 985 siege.
More than a century of later, Count Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona won a part of Ampurias. He also wished for the re-settlement of former settlements in Tarragona as far as City of Barcelona to the south. Much of Catalonia found itself in war zone during this time, with many Christian and Islamic principalities in the Iberian Peninsula locked for many years in a cycle of fighting and conflict.
In Barcelona, the Museum of Catalan History provides displays and heritage relating both to this turbulant history of the country, as well as to quieter periods in its past. The Gothic Quarter and Ciutat Vella house some of the oldest landmarks and sites of interest in this cosmopolitan urban center. These sections, amongst the oldest areas of the City, are still to be found examples of tortuous medevial streets fashioned before that of professional by city planning. Travelers take a great interest in exploring the medieval history of the City of Barcelona that is noticed in Barcelona Cathedral by observing the grandures of design developed from this, and also others.
The Kingdom of Aragon
In 1137, An important geopolitical turning point was reached in the year that the Count of Barcelona, Raymon Berenguer IV, married Petronilla, heiress of the Kingdom of Aragon. Their son Alfonso II succeeded to both the throne of Aragon and that of Barcelona as count. The marriage brought about the essentially merging of Catalonia with the rising Kingdom of Aragon in northern Spain.
Throughout the next few centuries Barcelona was relatively calm as part of the Kingdom of Aragon. The war against the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula had advanced to the far south. It is stated that the Kings of Aragon and Castile came to the agreement of the division of land to try and recover from the Moors in 1179.
Barriselmusqueñicentre repressionona-Barclonana was under engochment as a commercialgranding port during thist time. Valencia was recovered for the Kingdom of Aragon from the Moors in 1238. By then, Barcelona was becoming a commercial and military sea port with a growing Navy. The Kingdom of Granada eventually remained as the last Moorish principality in the Iberian Peninsula. It would not fall until 1492.)
The Catalan fleet helped the Kingdom of Aragon with the conquest of other Mediterranean lands. In 1282, King Peter III of Aragon gained reign of Sicily as well. Aragon purchased Sardinia in 1320 and later briefly took the Kingdom of Naples on the Italian Mainland.
Traders of Barcelona experienced a fair degree of prospersity with the length of this interval. While scenarios of protection came about from Aragon residents that were heavily contributed, many Catalans concentrated intensely on business as well as sea quests.
Tourists enjoying modern Barcelona can see the city’s seafront to see how important seafaring has been in its history. The harbor is a natural harbour giving great access to the western part of the Mediterranean Sea.
The “Golden Age” of Spain
As a result of dynastic succession, in 1516 the Spanish throne passed to the Habsburg (also spelled “Hapsburg”) Dynasty, a prominent ruling family with extensive holdings in the territory now located within the modern nation of Austria. The Habsburg family ruled Spain until 1700, during a period when the nation enjoyed global superpower status.
During these years, gold, silver, and other precious commodities flowed to Spain from its numerous colonies. This wealth contributed to the creation of some famous landmarks in Barcelona. Many people in Spanish colonies in the Western Hemisphere adopted the Spanish language and embraced aspects of Spanish cultural and religious life.
Conflicts developed in many nations in Europe between Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation. The Spanish government frequently supported Catholic governments seeking to suppress the spread of Protestant sects during this period. The monarchy continued to maintain a close association with the Catholic Church, a bond reflected in works of art from this period.
The National Art Museum houses an impressive collection of art relating to the Catalan area from the Tenth Century to the present. It’s galleries relating to this era in Spanish history interest many visitors, as does the impressive museum building itself. Walking tours of Barcelona sometimes include a visit to the museum.
The Enlightenment
Spanish power waned somewhat during the second half of the 17th century. The monarchy’s participation in a series of military campaigns in Europe during the Reformation placed a financial strain upon the government. In 1700, the throne passed by dynastic succession from the Habsburg family to a French prince, who became the new King of Spain.
This development sparked the War of Spanish Succession when several other European nations allied against Spain and France. The conflict lasted until 1714 and resulted in the loss of a number of Spanish colonial possessions. The King of Spain by treaty agreed to surrender any claim to inherit the French throne.
King Philip V passed laws which strengthened the central authority of the Spanish government. His successors also passed some reforms. By 1750, the intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment gained adherents in Spain. However, the conservative Spanish monarchy resisted embracing constitutional government.
The large Placa de Catalunya (Catalonia Plaza) near the center of Barcelona demonstrates the city planning which eventually came into vogue as a result of Enlightenment influences. It provides a refreshing diversion for visitors on walking tours who enjoy admiring the magnificent fountains and colorful geometric designs in the pavement. This location serves as a demarcation point between older neighborhoods in Barcelona and more modern sections.
Political Turmoil
Spain initially opposed the Republic established during the French Revolution, then later formed a brief alliance with Napoleon. When Spain considered terminating this agreement, Napoleon invaded and placed his younger brother on the Spanish throne, sparking a revolt.
Spanish revolutionaries established Spain’s first constitutional monarchy through the Constitution of 1812 during a period of opposition to Napoleon. In 1814 the defeat of Napoleon led to the restoration of King Ferdinand VII as King of Spain. He rejected the Constitution of 1812 and resumed an authoritarian style of rule. A number of Spanish colonies broke away and established independent nations in the wake of this development.
In 1820, the King was forced to accept the Constitution of 1812 as a result of a financial calamity, but he regained greater control again in 1823. His successors proved more willing to accept constitutional limits on their powers. A disastrous war with the United States in 1898 resulted in the loss of most of Spain’s remaining colonies.
A brief but unsuccessful uprising occurred in Catalonia in 1909. Spain maintained neutrality during World War I, but in 1923 the monarchy supported the establishment of a dictatorship under General Miguel Primo de Rivera. The arrival of depressed economic circumstances caused King Alfonso XIII to remove him in 1930. Many Spanish voters by then had abandoned support for the King, who fled the country when his constituents in 1931 established a Republic.
People taking walking tours of Barcelona may enjoy a visit to the Museum Frederic Mares. If offers an extensive collection of religious artwork and artifacts from several Spanish historical periods. Many pieces date from the tumultuous 1800s.
A walk through Barcelona might also include a tour of Park Guell, which displays delightful creations from an architect who spent time residing in Barcelona, Antoni Gaudi. A devout Catholic, he also designed a world-famous modern cathedral.
Modern Spain
The first Republic experienced extreme political polarization as rival factions contended with one another for power. It failed in 1936 with the outbreak of a bitter civil war between Falangists on the right and Republicans and Communists on the left. In 1939, General Francisco Franco led the right wing Nationalists to a military victory.
General Franco established a dictatorship in Spain after engaging in brutal reprisals. He imprisoned thousands of former Republicans and severely restricted freedom of the press and civil liberties. During World War II, Spain remained officially neutral. General Franco’s dictatorship continued until his death from natural causes in 1975, only liberalizing towards the end of this period.
Visiting the Barcelona Picasso Museum offers insights into the period of the Spanish Civil War. Born in Spain, the acclaimed artist spent most of his life residing in France. Some of his most famous works dealt with the violence which accompanied the end of the short-lived Spanish Republic.
Before he died, General Franco gave control of the Spanish government to King Juan Carlos. The Spanish government established a new constitution in 1978 and created a constitutional monarchy and a freely elected government. Catalonia forms one of 17 autonomous communities within Spain.
Spain joined the European Economic Community (now the EU) in 1986. It enjoyed a prosperous period of growth for several decades but experienced a painful recession in 2008. It ranks as the fourth largest economy in the European Union today.(8)
This dynamic city offers a variety of modern attractions of interest to visitors who take walking tours. With fashionable boutiques and numerous fine restaurants, Barcelona supplies a variety of activities for visitors seeking to combine a vacation with a history avocation. For instance, a visit to Barcelona Aquarium (near Puerto de Barcelona) and the Barcelona Zoo provide opportunities to see many interesting animals, including some endangered species. Both locations can easily fill an entire day!
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