Presentation
Mediterranean. Two thousand years of history. Open to every innovation.
Welcoming, plural, diverse. A city to live and share.
A city experiencing the year 2003 from the Mediterranean.
Dynamic, innovative, pioneering, modernist, Gothic, recreational,
Olympic, spectacular...with as many places
to discover as stories to tell.
This Barcelona that's waiting for you is a city
with a Roman subsoil and living in the 21st century, where people
speak two languages, where Gothic architecture stands alongside
the most contemporary buildings, where economic dynamism blends
with intellectual effervescence, and where the sea is a stage
and the mountain its backdrop. Today's Barcelona
is living one of its finest moments.
Come to Barcelona and take it away in your memory.
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is located
on the coast and bounded by the Collserola ridge and rivers Besós
and Llobregat. The city is less than 150 kilometres fromthe Pyrenees.
Barcelona's location on the shores of the Mediterranean means
that it enjoys a warm, welcoming climate and pleasant temperatures
all year round. Rainfall is occasionally heavy, with levels of
around 1.000mm per year. This helps to maintain the many green
areas around the city.
In Barcelona, as in the rest of Catalonia, the are two official language:
Catalan, the language of th region, and Spanish, the official language
of Spain.
As in most countries, the clocks are an hour ahead of solar time (GMT)
in winter, and two hours ahead in summer. The clocks change twice during
the year.
In Barcelona mealtimes are usually a little late
than in the rest of Europe. Breakfast is between 9am and 11am
and is similar to other countries on the continent. Lunch is
served in restaurants between 1pm and 3pm and dinner form 9pm
until midnight.
The working day usually begins between 8am and
9am and people break for lunch at 2pm. In the afternoon businesses
open from 4pm to 8pm.
The Euro (€) is the currency of the European Union.
Cultural city
Barcelona is known throughout the world
as a cultural city, with an important heritage and a
permanent and exciting range of activities on offer.
It is a city of renowned architectural interest, from its Roman walls
to the new urban planning schemes of the eighties. Particular highlights
are its modernista heritage and contemporary architecture. Over the next
five years the city will step up its range of cultural facilities with
pioneering initiatives which are open to all and invite participation.
Each year will be dedicated to a particular theme -music, art, architecture,
sport- in a programme which will culminate in 2004 with the Universal
Forum of Cultures.
Barcelona affords countless
possibilities for recreation. Over 40 museums: monographic
art collections such as the Museu Picasso, the Fundació Joan
Miró and the Fundacio Antoni Tàpies which hold
permanent exhibitions of works by the artists As well as temporary
shows; the world's finest collection of Romanesque art at the
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya; Temporary exhibitions of
contemporary art at the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona
- MACBA ; and numerous art galleries.
Theatre companies of international standing -Els
Comediants, La Fura dels Baus, Els Joglars, El Tricicle- and
spectacular Local festivals pulsating with life and colour such
as the Mercè. Major events such as the Grec summer festival,
one of the most important culturefests on the European calendar.
Barcelona is famed for the
wide variety of its musical events. From classical music,
opera and ballet, through jazz, flamenco, pop and rock, to
the most innovative festivals. In 1999 the city regained its
opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, and opened the Auditori
with a programme featuring the most diverse genres and musical
styles. In addition to these musical events we find those of
the Palau de la Música Catalana, a jewel of modernista
architecture.
Design is a characteristic of
Barcelona. You can find design in its streets, squares,
bars and restaurants. In recent years, the city has become
a permanent showroom for design.
The city also has a funfair on one of its emblematic
mountains:Tibidabo. It has restaurants with their own distinctive
style, which offer the full flavour of Catalan cuisine and a
wide variety of international cooking.
Numerous recreational spaces, cinemas, theatres,
flamenco performances, Europe's biggest aquarium, bullfights,
art, music, dancind sardanas, popular festivals ... endless possibilities
to help you experience the city to full.
Font:
Web Turisme de Barcelona |
