Buildings from more than 2000 years of history have been preserved in Barcelona: from Roman times to the Gothic era, from Modernisme, as the Catalan Art Nouveau is called here, to modern and imposing buildings.
Many of the monuments in Barcelona are famous landmarks and real attractions for visitors. A number of buildings that you can visit today as top sights in Barcelona are famous far beyond the borders of Spain, their architects are groundbreaking for their and subsequent epochs.
Monuments in Barcelona, tickets and information
Architectural history of Barcelona
The building history in Barcelona is unmistakable: you will find buildings from Roman times in Barcelona. Monumental remains of the former city wall as well as parts of the Temple of Augustus can be visited today. The Gothic also left clear traces in Barcelona, such as the Santa Maria del Mar and the Cathedral of La Seu.
Don't get confused: Modernisme is not modernity
"Modernisme" is often translated as "modernity". That's just wrong! Modernisme is the Catalan Art Nouveau that led to imposing buildings, especially between 1878 and 1910. The buildings are modern, because most of them do not require air conditioning, for example, and still have a good indoor climate. But despite the similarity in name, they have nothing to do with modern glass and concrete buildings.
The buildings of modernisme
If you stroll through the streets of Barcelona, ââyou will always experience architectural surprises: the Modernisme (1878 - 1910), which is omnipresent in Barcelona, ââhas produced many unusual and unconventional buildings, above all the buildings of the world-famous architect Antoni Gaudi and his Casa Milà, Casa Batlló and above all his life's work, the Sagrada Familia.
Of course, there are several representatives of such an important epoch of architecture: Lluis Domènech i Montaner, who built the Hospital Sant Pau and the Palau de la Música, among other things, and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, whose impressive building Casa de les Punxes.
Barcelona and modernity
Significant impulses to erect modern and beautiful buildings in Barcelona came from the 1929 World Exhibition and the 1992 Olympic Games in particular. The German Pavilion at the World Exhibition by Mies van der Rohe is considered one of the first significant examples of modern architecture.
For urban renewal in the course of the Olympic Games, it was possible to free oneself from the dreariness of the Franco era and to continue the tradition of creativity that was lived in modernism with modern styles. Not always undisputed, but that is also what makes many buildings so appealing.
With this change, modernism and "functionalism" were introduced into the cityscape of Barcelona. As in many other major European cities, the celebrities of modernity also realized themselves in Barcelona. In Barcelona, ââthis epoch brought with it, above all, a large-scale conversion of industrial wasteland and factories. New parks, buildings and landmarks of the city were created.
The urban area "El Diagonal Mar" around the "Forum" is particularly worth seeing. In the course of the urban development "@22" and the "Superillas", the most modern buildings fit into a unique new urban planning.
Notable buildings from this era:
- Norman Foster: TV tower on the Tibidabo "Torre de Collserola"
- Jean Nouvel: The "Torre Glòries" illuminated at night
- Enric Miralles: Market hall in the old town "Mercat de Santa Caterina"
- Richard Meier: Museum of Contemporary Architecture "MACBA"
- Ricardo Bofill: the famous "W Hotel" on Barcelona's beach.