Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous community Katalonien in Spain. It is because of the Mediterranean, approx.. 120 km south the Pyreneeses and the border to France. Barcelona is also over 1,6 million inhabitants (conditions 30 June 2005) the second largest city of Spain and the largest Kataloniens. The portion the foreign fellow citizen living in the city amounts to 15.9 % (conditions 31 December 2005). Related to the number of inhabitants Barcelona is the elftgroesste city of the European union. In the area Àrea of the Metropolitana de Barcelona (approx. 630 km²) more humans live than 3.12 millions. This union from 36 cities and municipalities is in the area of the dye of Barcelona (approx. 800 km²), in which about 3.9 million humans live. In the Metropolregion Barcelona (Regió Metropolitana de Barcelona) live approx... 4,5 millions inhabitants.

After the legend Barcino of Hamilkar Barkas, the father of Hannibal from Karthago, was created. Later the Romans the city removal to a fortress (castrum). The center of the city was to a small hill because of the Mons Taber, in the proximity of the today's city hall (Plaça de Sant Jaume). Still today one can discover the remnants of the Roman stadtmauern in the old part of town. Important Roman pieces of find are issued under the Plaça del Rei. In 5. Century was conquered the city by the Goten, in 8. of the Mauren. 801 it was back-conquered by Ludwig I.. 985 Barcelona von Almansor, realm Weser of the Kalifen by Córdoba, was taken to that which lies in the today's Andalusien, in possession. It left however the city a little later again. In the Middle Ages Barcelona was capital of the Kingdom of Aragonien and an important sea and trading nation in the western Mediterranean with important colonies on Sardinien and Sicilies.

The center of the city forms as traffic junction the Plaça de Catalunya, from here can to foot the Roman ruins, the modern plan city Eixample be attained, those for their square house block with the tapered corners (Ka:Xamfrans; Sp:Chaflanes) and the many Modernisme buildings admits is. The older city is hauptsaechtlich flat. The newer quarters however lie at the top of Barcelona, to the hills, so that some roads remind there of San Francisco. In the Barri Gòtic, that gothical quarters and historical town centre, stand today still numerous beautiful architectural certifications of the medieval king and commercial town such as La Catedral, the cathedral of the holy Eulàlia, the king place (Plaça del Rei), the Frederic Marés museum and the city hall (Ajuntament). A particularly interesting road is La Rambla (or splinter. Read RAM-BLOW, kat. Les Rambles), a broad avenue, which leads from the center to the port. It is full humans until late into the night, and there are there numerous flower and bird salesmen, news stands, road musi edges, acrobats, cafes and restaurants. Worth seeing at RAM-BLOW are the multicolored and lively market Mercat de la Boqueria, the place Plaça Reial with his arcades and palms as well as the typical restaurants, and the world-famous opera house the El Liceu. At the port-turned away end RAM-BLOW is the fountain Font de Canaletes, to who it is after-said that everyone, which drank once from it, its heart at Barcelona loses and its life long always comes back. At the end of the promenade, at the old port, the statue of Christoph Kolumbus stands. There are also the dockyards, the Drassanes, which accommodate today the navigation museum Museu Marítim. It tells the history of the navigation in the Mediterranean area and even issues a 1:1-Modell of a galeere.

The old port accommodates the modern leisure center Maremagnum, which contains the largest the Mediterranean dedicated Ozeanarium together with numerous discotheques, fashion shops, cinemas (among other things a IMAX cinema) also. Barcelona became of the Katalanen themselves up to the Olympiad 1992 as "the city with the back the sea" (Catalan: "ciutat d'esquena aluminium mar") tituliert. Industrial areas blocked view and entrance to the sea. In the course of the organization measures for the Olympiad 1992 then sufficient funds stood for order, in order to open the city center within the range of the old port and the coastal strip bordering northeast over the old Fischer quarter Barceloneta outside with broadly beach put on and an attractive opposite the sea. Barcelona and the modernism End 19. Century developed in Barcelona its own form of art nouveau, which is called Modernisme. Their most prominent representative is Antoni Gaudí, which lived and worked in Barcelona. Some famous buildings are to be visited by it. In addition the Casa Milà (La Pedrera) counts under others, which Palau Gueell, which Parc Gueell, which Casa Batlló, which Casa Vicens, which Casa Calvet and the still unfinished church Sagrada Família, at which since 1882 one builds. Since 1984 and/or. 2005 belongs these buildings to the world cultural heritage of the UNESCO. Since 1997 has Barcelona with two buildings of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which de Sant Pau and the Palau de la Música Catalana, further world inheriting oh stature get hospital.