BARCELLONA 2017 VIAGGIO D’ISTRUZIONE 5 °BU
Catedral de Barcelona The Cathedral of Barcelona, whose official Catalan name is Catedral de la Santa Creu the Santa Eulalia and means "Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Santa Eulalia", took this name in honor of the patron saint of Barcelona Eulalia. The façade, featuring in the center the main portal, flanked by two towers with high pinnacles, is adorned in the vertical Gothic style, with a great profusion of images of angels and saints.The portal, with a large Gothic Arch with archivolts, is divided into two parts by a sculpture by Agapito Vallmitjana, depicting Christ; On the sides, the Apostles of the same sculptor. In the archivolts, 76 figures of angels, prophets and kings of sculptor Joan Roig i Solé. In the interior, the engraved stone medallions in the columns of the arches that represent Ascension and Pentecost are the artist Antonio Claperós.The cathedral is made up of three aisles of equal height, with the central one measuring twice the lateral ones, closed by a semicircular deambulatory that passes behind the presbytery, overlooked by ten chapels with gothic windows that give light to the apse, covered by ogive bows.
Palau de la Generalitat The Palau de la Generalitat is set in Plaza Sant Jaume and it is the site of the Catalonia’s Government. Here the President of Generalitat meets with his counselors to take political and economic decisions about Catalonia and its inhabitants. In the Palau we can see a lot of different architectionic styles (Neoclassical, Renaissence, Gothic and Baroque) because it took more than 200 years to build it. There are also some granite columns which are important because they’re 1900 years old and they come from Troya, Turkey. In the building there are a lot of important places, such as the Courtyard of the orange trees, the Gothic cloister and the Sant Jordi’s Salon.
El Born Centre Cultural The 'Mercato del Born' is considered the second Barcelona's most important 'mercado', after the 'Boqueira' sited on the Rambla street. The market's activity ended in 1900, and this site has become an exhibition space called 'El Born Centre Cultural'. In 2002 ancient ruins have been found under the market' structure. Nowadays it is an excavation area of XVII century, and it has become a cultural center visited by thousands of people every day. In this archaeological site we can find the ruins of the Roman city destroyed by Bourbon troops in 1794. This cultural centre will be a dissemination center to reflect about the past, the present and the future of the Catalan city.
Arco del trionfo The Triomphe Arc is a Mudejar style building at the intersection between Passeig de LluĂs Companys and Passeig de Sant Joan. The arch is 30 meters high and was built on the occasion of the 1888 Universal Exposition by Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas to serve as a door to access the exhibition site. The Triumphal Arch celebrates artistic, scientific and economic progress with symbols of Spanish prosperity to "flaunt" during the Exposition. In the interior of the arc are the shields of the 49 Spanish provinces. The friezes represent allegories: on the front and the back is the city of Barcelona; on the other hand, agriculture, industry, trade, and science and the arts are represented. Twelve winged figures are on the corners to represent the allegory of fame, in two distinct postures: half the trumpets play and the other half have laurel branches. The arch was restored in 1989. Its imposing and central location makes it one of the places to visit during a stay in Barcelona.
Port Vell Port Vell has its name because it’s the ancient port of the city. During the Olympic Games of 1992 Barcelona’s coast was refurbished and the Port was shaped in the way that we can see it today. Now, Port Vell is much more than a port, in fact there are a lot of attractions for the visitors, such as the Mall with restaurants and shops and the famous Aquarium. However the real charm of this place is the sea with its moored boats. Probably the two most suggestive places in the port are the Moll Bosh i Alsina and the Rambla de Mar, a moving walkway .
Colonna di Colombo The monument to Cristoforo Colombo is in honour of Cristoforo Colombo located at the end of the Ramblas in front of the port of Barcelona. It is located in the Portal de la Pau (Portal of Peace), a point of union between the lower extremities of the Ramblas and Passeig de Colom (Colombo promenade) in front of the harbour. The monument measures 60 meters, the Colombo real statue is on top of an iron column and measures 7 meters. The sculptural complex was conceived by Gaiety Buigas I Monravà , the statue made by sculptor Refeal Atchè. The statue represents Colombus with his right arm extended and his index finger pointing to the sea. Inside the column there is an elevator mounted to the semisphere beneath the feet of the statue.
Fondacio Joan Mirò The museum is divided into two parts practically; The first concerns works by Joan Mirò, the second part is devoted to an exhibition about modern art. Regarding Mirò's space he understood all the stages of his art, from the first Cuban influences to the symbolism of Mirò. The works are also varied; you can admire small pictures and then go to big canvases and conclude with sculptures or tapestries. The museum is built on a hill so once on the terrace you can have a beautiful panorama of Barcelona. Obviously, it would have been helpful to buy a audio guide as it is difficult to get the first impression of what Joan Mirò wanted to represent, but in conclusion the museum is a very nice to visit.
Museo Nazionale The National Museum of Art of Catalunya, also known as MNAC , is one of the most important museums in Barcelona. It is located at tops of Montjuic Hill, in front of Plaza de Espanya, and is famous for its collection of Romantic paintings and Catalan art exhibitions of the 19th and 20th centuries. Born in 1990 by the union of the collections of the Museum of modern Art and the Catalan Museum of Art, there was then added a new section of numismatics and part of the General Library of History of Art. Later was introduced a new department dedicated to photography . Today the museum has about 250.000 works and, in addition to temporal and itinerant exhibitions, it also has the foundations of study and preservation of artworks.
La Pedrera (Casa Milà) Casa Milà, a beacon shining with creation and knowledge Casa Milà, popularly known as ‘La Pedrera’ (the stone quarry), an ironic allusion to the resemblance of its façade to an open quarry, was constructed between 1906 and 1912 by Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926). For its uniqueness, artistic and heritage value have received major recognition and in 1984 was inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List, for its exceptional universal value. Nowadays it is the headquarters of Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation and houses a cultural centre that is a reference point in Barcelona for the range of activities it organises and the different spaces for exhibitions and other public uses it contains. Casa Milà today is a beacon shining with creation and knowledge, a great container full of content, which has a crucial role to play in the transformation of society and commitment to the people.
Casa Batllò Casa Batlló is a renowned building located in the center of Barcelona and it's considerated as one of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpieces. It can be considered as a Modernisme or Art Nouveau work. The ground floor has got an unusual tracery,with its irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work. Everything is extremely colourful with a lot of mosaics and the roof terrace is one of the most popular features of the entire house due to its famous dragon back design. In fact Gaudí represents an animal’s spine by using tiles of different colours on one side. The facade has three distinct sections which are harmoniously integrated. The lower ground floor with the main floor and two first-floor galleries are contained in a structure of Montjuïc sandstone with undulating lines. The central part of the facade evokes the surface of a lake with water lilies with small lilac balconies.
Sagrada Familia It is a great Catholic church masterpiece created by the architect Antoni Gaudí, the greatest exponent of Catalan modernism. The vastness of the scale of the project and its characteristic style have made it one of the main symbols of the city; according to 2011 data it is the most visited monument in Spain, with 3.2 million visitors. There are two facades: the Passion facade was begun in 1954 according to the drawings and explanations Gaudí had left. The towers were completed in 1976 and since then they have been working on sculptural decoration. Gaudí designed this facade during the convalescence of the Maltese fever in Puigcerda in 1911. Dedicated to Jesus' passion, he intends to reflect on the suffering of Christ in his crucifixion, as a redemption of the sins of men; the Gloria's façade is the main of the church, and for this reason it isthe largest one, which gives access to the central nave. Its work began in 2002 and it is devoted to the heavenly glory of Jesus.
Park Guell The Park Güell is a public park system composed of gardens and architectonic elements located on Carmel Hill, in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). The Parc Güell has multiple entrances. The most beautiful one certainly is the main access from the Carrer d'Olot. Typical of Gaudí are the two pavilions with cafe on both sides of the entrance. If you go straight through these buildings, you get to a staircase, which is guarded in the middle by a friendly dragon. As well as the surrounding walls and the famous bench above the market hall the dragon also is decorated with split ceramics. From the staircase you get to a very unusual room. Consisting of 86 columns, it was originally thought of as a marketplace of the residential area - the original purpose of Parc Güell. The columned hall, forest of Roman inspired columns, support the main eye catcher, the large terrace. Originally, the hall was planned as a market hall for residential area only. The allusion to Roman temple refers to a Roman road that led here. The columns that support a balustrade seem palms. There is also the popular world famous bench made of coloured mosaic ceramic which is fantastic.
Mercado de la Boqueria Boqueria's market is the most important market in Barcelona. It’s located on the Rambla and was born in 1200 but its structure was inaugurated only in 1840.
Inside you can find dishes from all over the world such as exotic fruit, fish, meat, smoothies, Japanese and typical Spanish cuisine such as Tapas or Paella,candies, pizza, buns and lot of chocolate! To visit it all it takes 35/40 minutes but tasting all the foods offered ,you could spend the entire day in it. Of course it is one of the most characteristic places in this wonderful city.
Barceloneta The Barceloneta is a triangular spot of land that cuts into the sea boats in the old harbour, or Barcelona’s Port Vell, on one side, and sandy beaches in the other. The neighbourhood, with its narrow, rectilinear streets, was built on a military grid structure to provide accomodation for the former inhabitants of La Ribera who had lost their homes due to the construction of the citadel. The houses were low-rise and small in scale so as not to obstruct views of the city.
Cosmo Caixa CosmoCaixa is a science museum located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Formerly known as the Science Museum of Barcelona, it closed for renovations in 1998 and reopened in 2004 under its current name. The museum features a variety of exhibitions, permanent and temporary, that showcase the environment, nature, science and space. CosmoCaixa also has a planetarium and exhibitions devoted to interaction such as touch and play for small children. It also has a bookstore, gift shop, library, teaching center and cafe. The museum is sponsored by la Caixa.
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau The Sant Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is a complex between 1901 and 1930, designed by the Catalan modernist architect LluÏs Domènech i Montaner. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the present building was built in the twentieth century, Sant Pau Hospital was founded in 1401 through the union of six small medieval hospitals. A fire destroyed the old building and so was built the present Hospital decorated by many mosaics, sculptures and ceramics. It was a fully functioning hospital until June 2009, when the new hospital opened next to it, before undergoing restoration for use as a museum and cultural center, which opened in 2014.
Torre Agbar The Agbar Tower is a famous skyscraper located in the district of Sant Marti. It is a work by the architect Jean Nouvel and emulates a geyser that gives it its characteristic bullet shape. It’s inspired by Catalan symbols such as the bell towers of the Sagrada Familia. The building was built between 1999 and 2005. With its 145 meters high, it is Barcelona's third tallest building with 38 floors (4 underground) including auditorium, car parks, offices, rooms, cafeteria and panoramic views. The palace is the seat of the Agbar Multinational Group, but it also houses other offices of different companies. Its particular design has made it a very popular tourist building and a symbol of the city.
The tower was built following a bio-climatic architecture to adapt it to the surrounding environment. This allows the Agbar Tower to change color depending on daylight and seasons. In addition, the building is equipped with 4,500 LED that makes it possible night lighting and also generates special images.