The population of Barcelona: in figures, facts and photographs. The main attractions of Barcelona - the tourist pearl of Spain

It is a beautiful, unusual and one of the most popular tourist cities in the world. It occupies part of the Mediterranean coast. The capital of Catalonia is located in the southern part of Spain and has geographical coordinates of 2°11′00″ east longitude and 41°23′00″ north latitude.

Location of Barcelona on the map

On the map of the European continent, the city is located in its southwestern part. France is located 120 km from Barcelona.

On the map of Spain, the capital of Catalonia occupies southern part. Malaga is located 990 km from it, - 623 km, and - 351 km.

urban areas

The city administratively consists of 10 districts, of which the most visited by tourists are three - Montjuic with the hill of the same name, Eixample with the main architectural masterpieces Gaudí and the historic center of Barcelona Old city with the Gothic Quarter.

Interactive city map

The interactive map of the city has civil and tourist sites- cafes, restaurants, attractions, museums, hotels, squares, streets, etc. It can increase and decrease.

City map with attractions

The capital of Catalonia is filled with amazing historical and architectural sites - the Gothic Quarter, the houses of Mila and Batlló with bizarre shapes, the Picasso and Miro museums, the Montjuic tower and fortress on the mountain of the same name, the art museum, singing fountains, the unusual Sagrada Familia, the famous Park Güell and many others. . The site barcelona.city-tour.com has a map with all the most famous sights of the city. There you can also book a bus tour of Barcelona.

Subway map

You can walk for many hours in the capital of Catalonia, but to see all its sights you need the metro, which is inexpensive, fast and convenient public transport. Many famous sights of the city are located near metro stations. On Monday-Thursday it operates from five in the morning until midnight, on Fridays - until two in the morning, and on Saturdays - until Sunday morning. On holidays, the subway may operate differently. The schedule in this case must be specified separately. Ticket for 45 min. metro rides cost 2.15 euros. It can also be used for travel on any other public transport in Barcelona. The metro map of the Catalan capital can be carefully studied on its official website www.tmb.cat.

Airports

Barcelona has 3 airports. Reus is 105 kilometers away, Girona is 95 kilometers away and El Prat is 15 kilometers away. The latter is the largest and busiest Catalan airport. It receives 20 million passengers annually. The airport is equipped with two terminals - T1 serves domestic and international flights, and T2 - low-cost airlines. A map of El Prat can be viewed on the portal www.barcelona-airport.com.

HISTORY OF FC BARSALONA

1908-1926

In 1908, one of the club's co-founders and former striker Joan (Joan, Hans) Gamper became president of the club for the first time. This happened when the club was on the verge of collapse: after winning the 1905 Catalan championship, the club did not win any trophies for three years, and its financial situation also deteriorated sharply. Subsequently, Gamper was re-elected five times as president of the club. One of Gamper's greatest accomplishments was helping Barça acquire their own stadium. On March 14, 1909, the team "moved" to the Carrer Indústria stadium, with a capacity of 8,000 spectators.

Gamper also began a campaign to increase the number of club members, and by 1922 their number exceeded 10,000. In the same 1922, the team again changed their home arena, moving to the Camp de Les Corts (or simply Les Corts); the original capacity of this stadium was 22,000 seats, later expanded to an impressive 60,000 seats.

“FC Barcelona cannot die. And he won't die. If now no one wants to take care of the affairs of the club, I will do it myself. I am sure that I will be supported by those who did not doubt me even when football generally seemed abnormal. From this day on, I want to forget the injustice and deceit that made me retire from the affairs of the club, and I want to fight so that one day we, all together, get back on our feet ... ”(From the speech of Hans (Joan) Gamper at a meeting of the Board of Directors FC Barcelona December 2, 1908).

In 1912, Gamper invited the Filipino-Spanish striker Paulino Alcantara to the club, who would give this team 13 years of his career (1912-1916, 1918-1927), score 357 goals during this time, becoming the top scorer in the history of the club, and open a long series of world-famous football masters who have ever played for Barcelona.

In 1917, the ex-player of the team in 1912-1916, Englishman Jack Greenwell, who coached the team until 1924, became the coach of Barça at the suggestion of Gamper. These measures helped to improve the situation in the club. As a result, during the era of Gamper's presidency, Barcelona won eleven Catalan Championships, six Spanish Cups and four Pyrenean Cups, this was the first "golden age" of the club. In addition to Alcantara, the then Barça squad, under President Gamper and coach Greenwell, included the likes of Emilio Sagi Lignan (aka Sagi-Barba), Josep Samitier, Felix Sesumaga, Franz Platko and the great goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora. However, Zamora, after several years of playing at Barça, moved to the camp of her worst enemy - Espanyol.

1923-1939

In the middle of the club's glorious 1920s, Barcelona began to suffer from unsportsmanlike political conflicts that would mark decades of the club's history.

On June 14, 1925, the crowd during the game in honor of the Catalan Orpheus choir sang the Royal March - the official anthem of the Spanish kingdom, canceled under the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. In retaliation, the Barcelona stadium was closed by the authorities for six months (then the period was reduced to three), and Gamper was forced to resign as president of the club. The founder of the club committed suicide on 30 July 1930 during a period of depression caused by personal and financial problems.

Although there were still many good players in the team, such as Josep Escola, the club entered a period of setbacks as political conflicts in the country pushed sport into the background in the eyes of society. Barca faced a crisis on three fronts at once: financial, social (the number of club members was constantly decreasing) and sports (although the team consistently won the Catalan championships (1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1938), but success at the all-Spanish level from eluded them, with the exception of the victory in the Mediterranean League in 1937, but this, however, was already wartime with all its features).

On August 6, 1936, soldiers from Francisco Franco's army arrested and killed club president Josep Sunol near Guadarrama. In the summer of 1937, the team, led by head coach Patrick O'Connell, went on a tour of the United States and Mexico, where they were considered ambassadors of the Second Spanish Republic. At this time, the Spanish Civil War was in full swing. This trip improved the financial situation of the club, but after it more than half of the team did not return to the war-torn Spain, remaining in search of asylum in Mexico and France.

On March 16, 1938, the aircraft of Franco's forces dropped a bomb on the Barca social club, causing great damage. A few months later, the city of Barcelona was occupied by the Francoists, and the club, as a symbol of the "unruly" Catalan nationalists, is facing a number of serious problems. By that time, the club's membership had dwindled to 3,486.

1939-1974

At the end of the Civil War, under the conditions of the established Franco dictatorship, the Catalan language and the flag were banned (as part of the fight against separatism). Football clubs were also banned from using non-Hispanic names. As a result, the team in 1941 was forced to change its name from the old, English-language Football Club Barcelona to the "correct" Spanish Club de Fútbol Barcelona; under this name the club will exist for 33 years. At the same time, the Catalan flag was removed from the coat of arms.

In 1943, at the home stadium of Les Corts, in the first semi-final match of the Generalissimo Cup (Copa del Generalísimo - this is how the Spanish Cup was renamed by the new government, it is also the former King's Cup), the team defeated Real Madrid with a score of 3: 0. Madrid won the return match 11:1.

Despite the difficult political situation, Barcelona were able to achieve great success in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1945, the team won the Spanish championship for the first time since 1929, Josep Samitier was the coach of the winning squad, and such masters as Cesar Rodriguez, Antoni Ramallets and Juan Velasco played for the team at that time.

In 1948 and 1949, the team won two more league titles. Also in 1949, the Latin Cup was won.

Under the guidance of coach Ferdinand (Fernando) Dauchik and with the presence of Ladislao Kubala, who is considered by some experts to be the best Barça player of all time, in 1952 the team took five trophies: the Spanish Championship, the Spanish Cup (at that time officially called the Copa del Generalísimo , the Generalissimo Cup, that is, Franco), the Latin Cup, the Spanish Super Cup (“Eva Duarte Cup”, as it was called in those years in honor of Eva (Evita) Duarte de Peron) and the Martini and Rossi Cup. In 1953, the team made a double, winning the championship and the Spanish Cup. In the 1957 season, another victory was won in the Spanish Cup. In 1958 the Fairs Cup was taken.

In 1957, the newly commissioned Camp Nou became the club's new stadium.

The string of victories continued under the new coach Helenio Herrera.

The squad by that time was strengthened by the young Luis Suarez, who became the player of the year in Europe in 1960, and two Hungarians from the legendary "golden team", Sandor Kocsis and Zoltan Cibor, who left their homeland after the suppression of the USSR and the countries of the so-called. "people's democracy" of the uprising in Hungary (they were taken to the team on the recommendation of Kubala, who knew them closely). With such a line-up, Barça made a national double in 1959 (the championship and the Spanish Cup), and in 1960 took the second Fairs Cup in its history and again won the national championship. In 1961, they became the first club in history to knock out Real Madrid from the European Champion Clubs' Cup, breaking the six-year "monopoly" of Madrid on this title. In the final of the Champions Cup in Bern, the Spaniards lost to the Portuguese Benfica with a score of 2:3.

The 1960s were generally not very successful for a club of this level: two Copa del Rey (1963 and 1968) and the 1966 Fairs Cup. In those years, the draw of the championship of Spain became " internal affairs"Two Madrid giants - Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid," Barça could not then intervene in their rivalry.

In 1974, the team returned to its original name - Futbol Club Barcelona.

1974-1978

In the 1973-1974 season, the team was joined by the man who was destined to become the new legend of Barça - the Dutch forward Johan Cruyff (Cruyff). Having already established himself as a master of football during his time at Ajax, Cruyff immediately established himself in the first team and soon became the leader of the team. He quickly became a favorite of the Barça fans for his performance, but especially rose in their eyes after he told reporters that he had chosen Barça over Real Madrid (who were also interested in the services of the Dutchman). allegedly because, out of conviction, he could not play for the club associated with the name of Franco. In addition, he later named his son by the Catalan name Jordi. Largely thanks to Cruyff in 1974, Barcelona won the Spanish Primera for the first time since 1960, and at the same time defeated Real Madrid in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu with a score of 5: 0. Also in his first season with Barça, Cruyff was voted the best player of the year in Europe. In 1978, Cruyff left the club and went to play in the USA.

1978-1988

In 1978, Josep Luis Nunez was elected president of the club. His main goals as head of the club were to develop Barça into a world-class club and ensure financial stability.

During the Nunez era, Barca won two European Cup Winners' Cups - in 1978/79 (winning the final against Fortuna Düsseldorf in Extra time) and 1981/82 (in the final at the native Camp Nou, Liege Standard was beaten with a score of 2: 1) years; also the team at that time won three King's Cups (1980/81, 1982/83, 1987/88).

Before the start of the 1981/1982 season, the German Udo Lattek was appointed coach of the club, who managed to win the Cup Winners' Cup with the team. In June 1982, the team was reinforced by the Argentinean Diego Maradona, who moved from the Argentine team Boca Juniors for a then record transfer fee of £ 3 million. However, soon, in 1984, the superstar (who managed to "have a hand" in winning the Copa del Rey in 1983) was bought by the Italian club Napoli, breaking the world transfer record (£ 5 million).

Before the start of the 1984/1985 season, Englishman Terry Venables was appointed coach of the club. Also, the German midfielder Bernd Schuster came to the club. In the 1984/1985 season, the team confidently won the Spanish championship. And the following season, she reached the final of the Champions Cup, where she lost to the Romanian Steaua at the Ramon Sanchez Pisjuan stadium in Seville (0:2 in the penalty shootout).

In the summer of 1986, English striker Gary Lineker, Welsh striker Mark Hughes and promising Basque goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta joined the club. At the same time, Bernd Schuster left the team, moving into the camp of the worst enemy - Real Madrid. Before the start of the 1987/1988 season, Luis Aragones became the club's coach instead of Venables. That season ended with the club's victory in the Copa del Rey (in the final, Real Sociedad was beaten 1-0) and the uprising of the players against President Nunez, which is known as Motín del Esperia, which, however, did not prevent Nunez from continuing to stay in office (he was the head of the club until 2000), but many players were forced to leave the club after this event.

1988-1996

In 1988 Johan Cruyff returned to the club as head coach. The composition of the team that he led received a little later, in the early 90s, the nickname "Dream Team" ("Dream Team"), by analogy with the legendary US basketball team of those years, which won the 1992 Olympics, which took place just in Barcelona.

A galaxy of brilliant players came to Barça at that time: Amor, Guardiola, José Maria Baquero, Chiki Begiristain, Nadal, Eusebio, Goikoechea, Gheorghe Hadji (“Carpathian Maradona”), Ronald Koeman, Mikael Laudrup, Romario and Hristo Stoichkov.

Between 1991 and 1994, Barça won the Spanish Championship four times in a row. On the European arena, the team won the 1988/1989 Cup Winners' Cup (winning the final over Sampdoria 2: 0) and the 1991/92 Champions Cup (in a dramatic match at Wembley, the same Sampdoria was beaten, the decisive goal from a free kick Ronald Koeman scored in the 111th minute of the match). In addition, the collection of club trophies was replenished with the Spanish Cup (1990), the UEFA Super Cup (1992) and three Spanish Super Cups. In 1992 in Tokyo, the team lost in the final of the Intercontinental Cup to the Brazilian club Sao Paulo (1:2).

However, the winning streak soon came to an end. In the 1993/94 Champions League final in Athens, Barça were defeated 0-4 by Milan. This was the first serious, major defeat in several years. In 1996, after two not very successful seasons (1994/1995, 1995/1996), Cruyff left the team's coaching bridge. In this position, the Dutchman set two club coaching records: for the duration of his tenure and for the number of trophies won (11). Cruyff's departure is considered to be the end of the Dream Team era, most of the players from that legendary line-up also left the team by the beginning of 1997.

1996-2003

After the departure of Cruyff, Englishman Bobby Robson took his place, who spent only one season in this post (1996/97), but very successful: the team made a “cup hat-trick” (Spain Cup, Spanish Super Cup and Cup Winners' Cup). Also, during his stay at Barça, Robson managed to acquire the future superstar Ronaldo from the Dutch PSV and utter a phrase that has become a catch phrase: “Catalonia is a country, and FC Barcelona is its army.” However, Ronaldo played only one season for the club, leaving for Inter Milan. Robson was replaced as coach by the Dutchman Louis van Gaal. By this time the club had been strengthened by Luis Figo, Giovanni de Oliveira, Luis Enrique Martinez, Patrick Kluivert and Rivaldo.

In the 1997/98 season, the team made a "double", winning the championship and the Spanish Cup. True, the performance in the Champions League was unsuccessful, while Barcelona also suffered a major defeat at the Camp Nou stadium from Dynamo Kyiv 0:4. In 1999 the club celebrated its centenary. best gift for the anniversary was another victory in the championship of Spain.

In the same year, one of the leaders of the club, Rivaldo, was recognized as the best football player in Europe, becoming the fourth Barça player to receive this award. However, Barça's loss in the Champions League semi-final to compatriots Valencia was seen as a failure, especially against the background of the victory in that tournament of the Catalans' main rivals - Real Madrid; and in the end, all this led to the fact that, despite the great success of the club in the domestic arena, both long-term president Josep Nunez and head coach Louis van Gaal had to resign from their posts. In the same unlucky year for the club, one of its key players, fan favorite Luis Figo, left for Real Madrid. The short time of the presidency of Joan Gaspar (2000-2003) was not marked by a single trophy won.

2003-2008

In 2003, after the resignation of Gaspard, the club was headed by a new young president, Joan Laporta, and a young coach, Frank Rijkaard, a former star of Ajax and Milan, took the helm of the team.

Under his leadership, the team began to gradually, step by step, return to its former glory. Players such as world champions Ronaldinho and Edmilson, Olympic champion Samuel Eto'o, leaders of the French Monaco Rafael Marquez and Ludovic Giuly, Champions League winner Deco, forward Henrik Larsson, defenders Belletti and Van Bronkhorst have also come to the club. this time, their talent and their own pupils who previously played for the club: goalkeeper Victor Valdes, defender Carles Puyol (who received the captain's armband), midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta and striker Lionel Messi.

In the first season of Rijkaard (2003/04), the team came second in the championship, and already in the second (2004/05) they confidently won the Example and took the Spanish Super Cup. In the same season, Ronaldinho, Barça's attacking leader, became the FIFA World Player of the Year and received the Ballon d'Or.

In the 2004/05 Champions League, the team was in for a failure: already in the first round of the playoffs, after a home win (2:1) over Chelsea, they were beaten by them away at Stamford Bridge 4:2.

In the 2005/06 season, the team was in for a triumph.

In November 2005, Barça beat Real Madrid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, that match was a benefit performance for Ronaldinho, who was even applauded by the hosts' fans. That match was also the second victory at the Bernabeu for Rijkaard, he became the first in the history of the blue garnet coach who defeated Real Madrid away twice.

In that season, Barca easily won the Spanish championship, then took the country's Super Cup, twice beating another irreconcilable rival, Espanyol, in it. But the apogee of success was May 17, 2006, when Barcelona in Paris at the Stade de France in the Champions League final defeated London's Arsenal 2:1. That match was at first unsuccessful for the Catalans (the score was opened by Gunner Saul Campbell in the 37th minute), but then the removal of London goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in the debut of the match affected, Arsenal went on the defensive, and towards the end of the match, Barça -taki put the squeeze on the opponent, Eto'o and Belletti distinguished themselves, both times they were assisted by Henrik Larsson, who replaced him.

At the 2006 Club World Cup, Barca finished second, losing in the final to the Brazilian Internacional 0-1 (Adriano Gabira scored a goal in the last minutes for the Brazilians). And in the European Super Cup, the team with a score of 0:3 was beaten by Sevilla.

The 2006/07 season was not so successful for Barca, even though the club was strengthened in the off-season by new players - world champion Gianluca Zambrotta, world vice-champion Lilian Thuram and Icelandic Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. In the pre-season tour of the United States, the leading forwards Messi and Eto'o were injured and dropped out for a long time. The club could not find its game for a long time during the season, but in the end it still achieved second place in the championship (scoring the same number of points as the winner, but losing in additional indicators), which, however, against the backdrop of previous victories, was regarded by many as a failure. In the Champions League, Barca were eliminated already at the 1/8 stage, losing on the rule of goals scored in a foreign field to Liverpool (1:2, 0:1).

Before the 2007/08 season, the team was joined by striker Thierry Henry, bought from the London Arsenal for € 24 million, French Lyon defender Eric Abidal, Iuvarian midfielder Yaya Toure and central defender of the Spanish Zaragoza Gabriel Milito, which, coupled with those already in The composition of the masters gave great hopes for success. But, alas, the season was a failure. The team turned out to be uncompetitive in the national championship, losing not only to Real Madrid, but also to Villarreal and took only third place in the Example, and even then not without difficulty. In the Champions League, Barça lost in the semi-final to Manchester United (0:1 on aggregate). At the end of this unsuccessful season, Frank Rijkaard was sacked from the club.

2008-2012

In the summer of 2008, the team was headed by its legendary player Josep Guardiola, with his arrival, the renewal of the squad began. The team left Gianluca Zambrotta, Lilian Thuram, Edmilson, Deco, Esquerro, Ronaldinho. In exchange for the departed, Barca acquired six players, including Daniel Alves, Seydou Keita, Alexander Hleb, Gerard Pique.

At the end of the season, the team won the national title for the 19th time. In the final of the Copa del Rey, which took place on May 13, 2009 at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Barcelona won this title for the 25th time, defeating Athletic Bilbao 4-1. On the goal of Gaiska Toquero, scored in the 8th minute of the match, the Catalans responded with four - performed by Yaya Toure, Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic and Xavi. The victory at the Mestalla was Barça's 100th title in more than centennial history club.

Among other things, during the national championship, the club twice defeated the eternal rival - Real Madrid: with a score of 2:0 in Barcelona and 2:6 in Madrid. The latter result was a record for the number of goals scored by Barcelona against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

On May 27, 2009, Barcelona won the Champions League at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, beating Manchester United 2-0 in the final. The goals were scored by Eto'o and Messi.

Thus, the club made a triplet, winning the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Championship and the Champions League in one season, which has not yet been possible for any of the Spanish clubs.

In a two-round confrontation for the Spanish Super Cup, the team defeated Athletic Bilbao. On August 16, 2009, at the San Mames, the blue garnets won 2: 1, a week later at the Camp Nou, Barcelona celebrated a victory with a score of 3: 0.

In the match for the UEFA Super Cup, which took place on August 28, 2009 in Monaco at the Louis II Stadium, Barcelona defeated Shakhtar Donetsk with a score of 1:0. In the 115th minute, Lionel Messi's pass was taken advantage of by Pedro, who sent the ball almost from the penalty mark into the left corner from the Shakhtar goalkeeper.

On December 19, 2009, Barcelona in the final of the Club World Cup won a strong-willed victory over the Argentine Estudiantes in extra time with a score of 2: 1 (the winning goal in the 110th minute of the meeting was scored by Lionel Messi). Thus, Barcelona won all six competitions in which it took part, and became the first football club in the world in history to achieve such a result.

Before the 2009/10 season, Barcelona were strengthened by left-back Maxwell from Inter. The Brazilian replaced Silvinho, who, after becoming a free agent, moved to Manchester City. Then the representatives of the Catalan and Milan clubs announced a new high-profile transition. Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to Barcelona, ​​and Samuel Eto'o went to Inter. In addition to the Cameroonian striker, Barcelona paid an additional €46 million for Ibrahimovic, making the Swede the club's most expensive acquisition and one of the most expensive in the world. The lease of Alexander Gleb was also considered part of the deal, but the transition fell through, and instead of Inter, Gleb went to the German Stuttgart.

In the 2009/10 season, the Blue Garnet again won the Spanish Championship, and they also showed good results in the European arena. The team made it to the playoffs of the Champions League from the first place in the group and reached the semi-finals, where they were stopped by Inter Milan, who subsequently won the tournament. Barcelona also defended the Spanish Super Cup in the confrontation with the Basque Athletic (5:1).

The off-season before the 2010/11 season was marked by minor changes in the blue garnet camp. The team left such players as Thierry Henry, Rafael Marquez (both in the New York Red Bulls), Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Dmitry Chygrynsky (Shakhtar). Zlatan Ibrahimovic went to Milan on loan with the possibility of a subsequent purchase for € 24 million, who never found an understanding with Josep Guardiola. However, the team made several acquisitions. Immediately after the end of the 2009/10 Examples, one of the leaders of the Spanish national team, David Villa, joined the team. For his transfer, Barcelona paid Valencia € 40 million. Also, the Brazilian Adriano was acquired from Sevilla, designed to replace Rafa Marquez. Towards the start of the new season, Argentine captain Javier Mascherano moved from Liverpool.

The 2010/11 season began for Barcelona with the defense of the Spanish Super Cup. Having lost the first match to Sevilla (3:1), in the second leg the Catalan club defeated the opponent with a score of 4:0.

In La Liga of the 2010/11 season, a sensation happened already in the second round - Barcelona lost at home to the modest Hercules with a score of 0:2. On November 29, El Clasico took place at the Camp Nou. Coming after 12 rounds in the first place, Real Madrid, led by José Mourinho, was defeated 5-0. The match was nervous, replete with clashes of players who were shown 12 yellow and 1 red card. Jose explained the devastating defeat of his team like this: Barcelona played their best football on the field, and Real Madrid played the opposite. This match did not work out for the team. But we must not forget that I have been in charge of Real Madrid for only a few months, while Guardiola has been coaching Barça for several years and they have everything clearly set.

On January 16, after the Catalans won 4-1 against Malaga, Barcelona became the winner of the first round with 52 points, which is a La Liga record. On February 5, in a home match against Atlético Madrid, Barcelona won their 16th consecutive league title, breaking Real Madrid's record of 15 consecutive victories set 50 years ago. Barça's winning streak was interrupted by Sporting Gijon (1:1).

On May 28, 2011, Barcelona defeated Manchester United 3-1 in the 2010/2011 Champions League Final, goals scored by Pedro, David Villa and Lionel Messi.

After lengthy negotiations in August 2011, London's Arsenal agreed on the terms of the transfer of their captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona, ​​the deal amounted to €40 million. In addition, the team was replenished by Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez, who moved from Italian Udinese for €26 million .

On 26 August 2011, Barcelona defeated Porto 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup. By winning this trophy, the Catalan club overtook Real for the first time since 1964 in the number of titles won: it was Barca's 76th official trophy, one more than Madrid.

On December 18, 2011, Barcelona again became the world champion among clubs, defeating the Brazilian Santos in the final with a score of 4: 0, Messi scored twice, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas scored another goal.

On May 25, 2012, the Catalan club won its 26th Copa del Rey, beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the final match. Goals scored by Pedro (2) and Lionel Messi.

On 27 April 2012 head coach Josep Guardiola announced that he was going to leave the club. According to him, the reason for leaving was fatigue from work and a desire to relax. The result of his work on the coaching bridge - 14 trophies in four seasons - was a record figure, and Guardiola became the most successful coach in the history of the club, surpassing Johan Cruyff, who has 11 titles.

2012-2014

In the summer of 2012, after the departure of Guardiola, the team was headed by his assistant - Tito Vilanova. In the summer transfer window, the squad has undergone minor changes. Left-back Jordi Alba was bought from Valencia for € 14 million, replacing Eric Abidal, who suspended his career. Alexander Song Bilong was also bought from the London Arsenal, instead of Seydou Keita, who left for the Chinese Dalian Airbin.

For the new coach, the start of the season was not the best. In the fight for the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona lost to its main rival, Real Madrid, according to the rule of a goal scored in a foreign field (3:2, 1:2). However, in the championship, the start was the best in the history of Examples. The first loss of points followed in the 7th round, where the Catalans shared points with Real Madrid (2: 2) at home, but this was the only game in the first round where Barcelona did not take three points.

During the first lap, Tito Vilanova's team scored a record 55 points. The first defeat in the championship occurred in San Sebastian, where the "blue garnet", leading during the meeting 2:0, lost to the middle peasants of the championship "Real Sociedad" with a score of 3:2. On February 26, Barcelona were eliminated from the Copa del Rey. After the first match with Real Madrid, a 1-1 draw was recorded, but then on the road, the Madrid confidently beat the Catalans with a score of 1:3. On matchday 35, Barcelona became La Liga champions, winning the Spanish title for the 22nd time in their history and scoring a record 100 points. In the final match of the Copa Catalunya, Barcelona defeated Espanyol in a penalty shootout (1:1, 4:2 - on penalties), having won this trophy for the first time since the 2006/07 season. On July 19, 2013, during a press conference between club president Sandro Rossel and Catalan sports director Andoni Zubizarreta, Vilanova's resignation as head coach of Barcelona was announced due to health problems.

On July 23, 2013, the name of the new coach was announced on the official website of the Catalan club: it was the fifty-year-old Argentine Gerardo Martino, who had previously successfully worked with the Paraguayan national team and the Argentine club Newell's Old Boys. The contract is for two years. In the off-season, Barcelona made a high-profile transfer: the club joined the striker of the Brazilian national team and football club Santos Neymar. According to various sources, the young talent cost the Catalan club between 57 and 72 million euros. At the same time, Barcelona left David Villa, who moved to Atlético Madrid, Thiago Alcantara, who left for Bayern, and Eric Abidal, who signed a contract with Monaco.

Gerardo Martino made his debut as Barcelona coach on 2 August in a friendly match for the Joan Gamper Cup against Santos, in which the Catalan club defeated the Brazilians 8-0. On August 29, Barcelona won their first and, as it turned out, the only title of the season - the Spanish Super Cup. Having drawn both matches with Atlético Madrid (1:1, 0:0), Barcelona won this trophy due to a goal scored in a foreign field in the first meeting of these clubs; the only goal for the Catalans was scored by newcomer Neymar. This Spanish Super Cup was the 11th in history for Barcelona.

The team under the leadership of the Argentine coach started the Spanish Championship with 8 victories in a row, and Gerardo Martino himself became the first specialist in the history of the club, who was able to win the first 7 matches of the Examples. In addition, Martino became the 3rd coach in the history of the championships of Spain, who achieved such a result.

The first defeat of the season came in a Champions League group stage match against Ajax, in which Barcelona lost to Amsterdam 2-1. After the failure in the Champions League, the "blue garnet" lost in the national championship - away to "Athletics" from Bilbao. Barcelona left the group in the Champions League in 1st place. In 1/8 Barca was to meet with Manchester City. In the first match away, blue garnet wins 2-0, thanks to goals from Messi (from the penalty spot) and Dani Alves. At the Camp Nou, a 2-1 victory was recorded, with the Argentinean and the Brazilian again scoring goals. As a result, Barcelona defeated Manchester City with a total score of 4-1. On March 23, in the next El Clasico, held at the Santiago Bernabeu, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-4, Messi scored a hat-trick. In doing so, Barcelona ended Real Madrid's 35-match unbeaten streak (Real's last loss was at Camp Nou, in which Barça won 2-1). In the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the Catalans lost on aggregate to Atlético Madrid (1:1, 0:1).

On April 16, 2014, in the final of the Spanish Cup, Barcelona lost 1: 2 to their eternal rival Real Madrid.

On May 17, 2014, Barcelona lost the Spanish championship, drawing with Atlético Madrid, who later became the champion. Head coach Tata Martino resigned after this match and left the post of head coach of the team. Luis Enrique, who previously headed the Celta Vigo club, was appointed the new head coach.

2014-2017

On May 19, 2014, it became known that the former Barcelona player Luis Enrique was appointed head coach, with his arrival, the renewal of the squad began. Victor Valdes, Jose Pinto, Oyer Olazábal, Cesc Fabregas, Jonathan dos Santos, Alexis Sanchez, Isaac Cuenca, Bojan Krkic left the team. Players such as Ibrahim Afellay, Alexandre Song, Christian Tello, Gerard Deulofeu were loaned out, as well as the player's career was ended by club captain Carles Puyol. In place of the departed, Barcelona acquired Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo, Jeremy Mathieu, Douglas, Thomas Vermaelen, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez. In addition, Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez were transferred from Barcelona B to the first team.

On October 25, Barcelona lost to Real Madrid 3-1 away. This match ended the dry streak of Barça newcomer Claudio Bravo, who did not concede for 776 minutes.

On January 11, 2015, the Catalans outplayed the current champion, Atlético Madrid (3:1), in their field, Neymar, Leo Messi and Luis Suarez scored goals. On May 17, Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon stadium beat Atlético Madrid (the only goal scored by Messi) and became the 23-time champion of Spain.

In the Champions League, Barcelona took first place in their group (the Cypriot APOEL were beaten twice (1:0 and 4:0) and the Amsterdam Ajax (3:1 and 2:0), defeat and victory in two matches with PSG (2:3 and 3:1)). In 1/8 against Manchester City in the first away game, the Catalans won with a score of 2: 1 (Luis Suarez scored a double). In the return match, Barcelona won a minimal victory - 1:0 (Rakitić) and advanced further. In the quarterfinals, the Blue Garnet again met with Paris Saint-Germain. In both meetings Barcelona won 3:1 and 2:0. Neymar scored three goals, Luis Suarez scored twice more. In the semi-finals, Barcelona played with Bayern Munich under the leadership of Josep Guardiola. In the first match at the Camp Nou, Barça won 3-0, Lionel Messi scored twice and Neymar scored one goal. In the return match, the Blue Garnet lost to Bayern Munich - 2:3 (Neymar made a double), but three years later, in the sum of two meetings, they reached the final of the tournament.

On May 30, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey for the 27th time in its history, beating the Basque Athletic with a score of 3: 1 in the final meeting (Messi scored twice, Neymar scored one more goal) and became the first team since 1954 to win in all matches of the Spanish Cup in one draw. In addition, the goals scored by Messi and Neymar in the final allowed the club's strikers Messi-Suarez-Neymar, with 120 goals, to become the highest scoring trio in the history of Spanish football. The previous goalscoring record was held by Real Madrid players Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema, who scored 118 goals in the 2011/12 season.

On June 6, the club beat Turin's Juventus 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin (goals by Rakitic, Suarez and Neymar) and won the fifth European Cup in its history, earning the right to keep it forever. This final was the last match for the club of one of the veteran Spaniards Xavi, after which he continued his career in the Qatari club Al-Sadd. Lionel Messi, along with Criscitano Ronaldo, became the top scorer in the history of the European Cup / Champions League in this tournament. With three major titles this season, Barcelona became the first club in history to win the Treble twice.

In the 2015/2016 season, Xavi and Pedro left the team, who moved to Chelsea, and Martin Mantoya was also sent on loan. Instead of the departed, Barcelona acquired midfielder Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid and defender Aleish Vidal from Sevilla. Since Barcelona were banned from registering players, they could only make their debut in January.

Barcelona started the season with a UEFA Super Cup match against Sevilla (5:4), the winning and last goal for Barça was scored by Pedro in the 115th minute of the match. Later in the match for the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona lost to Athletic Bilbao.

In the 1/8 of the Champions League, Barcelona met with the London Arsenal - 2:0, 3:1. In 1/4 Barcelona lost to Atlético Madrid 2:1, 0:2.

On May 14, in the last round, Barcelona, ​​having beaten Granada 3-0, became the champion of Spain for the 24th time. Luis Suarez became the author of all three goals, simultaneously becoming the top scorer in La Liga and the owner of the Golden Boot.

In the off-season 2016/2017, Barça was once again active in the transfer market, many new, young players came to the team, but only French defender Samuel Umtiti could really meet the expectations, who almost immediately reserved a place in the first team. Due to the large arrival of newcomers and their not the best game, Barcelona was unstable throughout the season, losing points against not the best clubs, which led to the fact that on March 1, Luis Enrique announced that he would leave the post of head coach of the team at the end of the season. The piquancy of the situation was given by the fact that this information appeared a week before the second leg of the 1/8 finals of the Champions League, in which the Catalans had to perform a miracle in order to go to the next round (they lost the first match to PSG with a score of 0:4). Later, the coach admitted that he was not going to lead another team, but simply wanted to relax.

On March 8, Barcelona defeated PSG 6-1 and made European Cup/Champions League history as the first side to qualify for the next round of the play-offs despite a 4-0 defeat in the first leg.

In the 1/4 finals of Barcelona, ​​Juventus got into rivals. The Catalans lost the first match on the road with a score of 0:3. The return game took place at the Nou Camp on 19 April and ended 0-0. Juve advanced to the semi-finals.

In the championship of Spain, Barcelona lost the title to Real Madrid, who became the champion for the first time in 5 years.

On May 27, 2017, as part of the Copa del Rey final, Luis Enrique played his last match as head coach of Barcelona. The team successfully beat Alaves 3-1 to win the Copa del Rey for the third time in a row, and won the tournament for the 29th time in history. And Luis Enrique himself became one of the most titled coaches of Barca, winning 9 out of 13 possible trophies.

2017-present

On May 29, the name of the new coach was officially announced - Ernesto Valverde, who previously coached Athletic Bilbao. The official presentation was on June 1st. In the first match under the new coach, Barça beat Juventus 2-1 in the International Champions Cup, also beating Manchester United and Real Madrid, Barcelona became the winner of this tournament, for the first time in history.

On August 3, 2017, Barcelona officially announced the departure of striker Neymar for a record-breaking 222 million euros for world football (this amount of compensation was spelled out in the Brazilian contract). The player moved to PSG. The club was replenished in the summer transfer window by Gerard Deulofeu, Nelson Semedo, Paulinho, and a young promising player Ousmane Dembele, who moved for a record, at that time, for the club 105 million euros (excluding bonuses).

Despite good showings during friendly games, Barcelona started the season with a defeat in the Spanish Super Cup, losing to Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate (3-1 at home, 2-0 away). After that, Barça had an incredible unbeaten run that ended on 17 January 2018, in the away leg of the 1/4 Copa del Rey against Espanyol (1-0), but in the second leg, Barça won 2-0 and went through. In the Spanish Championship and the Champions League, Barça was still invincible. During this segment, Barca beat such big teams as Juventus in the group stage of the Champions League (3-0 - at home; 0-0 - away), and Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 17th round of the Spanish Championship (3-0, Suarez, Messi, Vidal). Barcelona's game has changed, it has become more pragmatic and ball control is not as important an aspect of the game as it used to be, and due to the departure of Neymar and Dembele's injury, Barca began to play more often in a 4-4-2 formation instead of the usual 4-3- 3, the departure of Neymar also helped left-back Jorda Alba to get into the attack more often, which eventually made him one of the most productive defenders of the European season. Also, a newcomer to Barça, the Brazilian Paulinho, began to show a good game, whose transfer at the beginning of the season was assessed negatively by everyone, since the 30-year-old player bought for 40 million euros from the Chinese Championship, according to many, was not a player of the level of Barcelona. However, the Brazilian from the very first matches began to benefit the team and quickly fell in love with the Barça fans, he quickly adapted to the Barça game, and found a good understanding on the field with Messi and Suarez, which allowed him to become the 3rd scorer of the team during the campaign of the season.

On January 23, 2018, it was announced that after seven and a half seasons at Barcelona, ​​Javier Mascherano was leaving the team, he moved to Chinese Hebei China Fortune. Arda Turan, who moved to Istanbul, and Rafinha Alcantara, who moved to Inter Milan, also left the team. In place of those who left, Barça acquired young Colombian centre-back Yerry Mina, who became the tallest player in the history of the club, along with Ibrahimovic (both 195 cm), and the famous Brazilian Coutinho, who came from Liverpool for 140 million euros and became the second most expensive transfer in the history of world football, and the first in the history of the club. Barça actively wanted to sign Coutinho in the summer, but failed to reach an agreement with Liverpool, and the player spent half a season in England before his move finally took place. Due to the fact that he was played for Liverpool in the Champions League, he could no longer help the new team in the same tournament. His debut took place on January 25 in the second leg of the 1/4 Copa del Rey at the Camp Nou against Espanyol (2-0). He received the number 14, as many media reported - the number 7, vacated after the departure of Turan, was reserved for another star player that Barça want to buy in the summer.

The evolution of the form of "Barcelona"

When preparing the article, materials from Wikipedia were used

Moreover, this is a significant sea ​​port Mediterranean, large shopping and industrial centre EU.

Barcelona is the capital of the Mediterranean Union, which includes more than four dozen states. This city hosted the Summer Olympics-92, various sports competitions of the European and world level were held here.

Geography

Barcelona is located in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula on the coast mediterranean sea. The Pyrenees are located more than 100 km north of the capital of Catalonia. Nearby are the mountains of Colseropa, which are the boundaries of the city.

Barcelona lies on hilly terrain, each hill gave its names to its quarters: Carmel, Monterols, Puchet, Rovira, Peyra, etc. All of them have their own cultural, historical and architectural attractions.

Climate

reigns in Barcelona mediterranean climate. There is a dry winter, similar to our Indian summer, and a mild warm summer with warm rains. The coldest time here is in January and February - about +10C. The warmest time of the year is the second half of summer - around +25C.

Most of the rain falls in the city in October, and the least - in July. This climate is ideal for a tourist holiday, there is never sweltering heat or frost.

Story

Regarding the origin of Barcelona, ​​there are two main legends. The first says that the city was founded by the famous hero of ancient Greek myths Hercules in the 11th century BC, and then it was rebuilt in the 3rd century BC. Carthaginian Barca, father of Hannibal.

The second legend excludes Hercules from the founders of Barcelona and says that it was the Carthaginian Barca who was the first founder of this city and named it Barcino in honor of his own family.

By the beginning of our era, Barcelona became a Roman colony, gradually grew rich due to its harbor, minted its own coin and settled down. Beautiful Roman buildings have been preserved here to this day.

In the 5th century, the city was conquered by the Visigoths and became the capital of their kingdom. After a short time, Barcelona was conquered by other barbarians - the Ostrogoths. And two centuries later, in the 7th century, the Moors came here.

And in the 9th century, Barcelona was recaptured by the son of the King of the Franks, Charlemagne, and appointed his own count here, who proclaimed the independence of Catalonia. Then the confederation of Catalonia and Aragon was formed, and in the XVII century - the Catalan Republic.

In the XVIII century, the battle of Spain for Catalonia began. Philip V captured Barcelona, ​​destroyed most of the city and banned the Catalan language. Then Catalonia was annexed to France, and after the fall of Napoleon returned to Spain.

In the 20th century, during the Spanish Civil War, the Catalan language was again banned in Catalonia. Protests in the seventies of the XX century led to the revival of the language and the permission to use it in everyday life. Today there are 7 universities in Barcelona.

Transport

A few kilometers from Barcelona there is an international airport, it is the second largest in Spain and the largest in the Mediterranean. The airport is connected to Barcelona by metro, rail and highway.

The seaport of Barcelona has a history of 2,000 years. It is engaged in maritime transport of passengers and cargo, is growing rapidly, and in the near future its area should double.

Barcelona is the most important railway center in Spain. There are several major railway stations here. There are high-speed railways in the country, incl. passing through Barcelona.

Public transport in Barcelona is represented by the underground with 11 lines (city and private). Subway lines connect the city with its suburbs, they are located underground and on its surface.

Networks of city buses, trams belong to private companies. All urban transport is adapted for the disabled. Taxi drivers in Barcelona are mostly privately licensed. There is a practice of renting a car.

Beaches

Sant Sebastia beach

This is the most popular beach in Barcelona, ​​where tourists and locals love to relax, although it is quite far from the city center. The beach is located in a cozy and clean bay and has all the necessary beach equipment, incl. for invalids.

Sant Miguel beach

Once there was a church with the same name, and today there is a small, but very comfortable beach. It is located almost in the center of Barcelona, ​​so it continues to gain popularity.

Bogatell Beach

Levant beach

This is the farthest beach from the city center. It opened only a few years ago, but already has all the necessary infrastructure for comfortable rest. It has excellent service and relatively few visitors.

Mar Bella beach

This beach was opened for the Olympics-92 and tourists and residents of Barcelona almost immediately liked it. Sports fans will find entertainment here. Nearby is the well-known yacht club in the city. There are nudists nearby.

Barceloneta beach

This is the oldest beach in the city. However, age has not affected its quality in any way, so the beach is extremely popular. It has recently been completely renovated, so it is now considered the cleanest and safest in the city.

Attractions

Gothic Quarter

In this part of Barcelona, ​​most of the historical and architectural monuments built here during the time of Ancient Rome, as well as Gothic buildings erected in the Middle Ages and Modern times, have been preserved. Great place for excursions.

Olimpic village

A modern landmark of the city, built for the Olympics-92. Here you can visit the Olympic Port, sail around the harbor on a yacht, visit two skyscrapers where the athletes lived, etc.

Plaza Catalunya

This is the beginning of the New City in Barcelona, ​​built during the time of Queen Isabella II. The square is located on the border with the Gothic quarter, and further from it are quarters built along straight and perpendicular lines, with outgoing highways.

The aquarium is the world's longest glass tunnel, passing through which you can observe the life of fish, animals and other sea creatures. It is also the largest European aquarium.

Sagrada Familia

This Catholic Cathedral was designed by the great Antoni Gaudí. The temple is supported only by donations from private individuals. One of the most popular architectural monuments in the world.

The Rambla

The famous boulevard of Barcelona, ​​where tourists and residents of Barcelona walk in the evenings. There are many street cafes, souvenir shops, you can watch performances of street artists, etc.

House Mila

Another great landmark of the city created by Gaudí. This house is considered a symbol of Barcelona, ​​its hallmark. Ordinary people live on the lower floors of the house, and there is a museum upstairs.

Casa Batlló

Another work of Antonio Gaudi, a real masterpiece of a brilliant architect. In fact, this is the beginning of his independent path, the first unique creation, the ideas of which Gaudi later applied in other projects.

spanish village

This is a big museum open sky, which contains reconstructions of dwellings from Catalonia, Andalusia, Galicia, Aragon and other Spanish regions, in which the Spaniards lived during the Middle Ages.

This famous monument with an observation deck at the top is set on the Las Ramblas. It was in the old port of Barcelona that Columbus arrived after his famous campaign, which ended with the discovery of America.

Entertainment

Barcelona has a very vibrant nightlife, which you should definitely get to know, first with a guide, and then on your own. It is best to avoid the beaten paths of tourists and wander in the back streets of the Old Town and the Gothic Quarter.

Here you can find old pubs with their unique history, bohemian bars where Picasso and Dali have been, drinking establishments serving great craft beer, and other "evil" places.

Excursions

In Barcelona, ​​there are hundreds of famous excursions from professional guides that will help you:

• get a general idea of ​​the city;
• learn more about its history and architecture;
• enjoy Catalan museums and art;
• taste the dishes local cuisine etc.

Who is this resort for?

Of course, Barcelona, ​​as a resort, is intended for people of the European middle class and more affluent segments of the population. The prices here are quite high, because. this is one of the best resorts Europe.

Video about Barcelona

The capital of Catalonia is the main tourist center of Spain. The ancient city, full of amazing architectural sights, is ideal for independent and family holidays. Life in the area where Barcelona is located is in full swing, and every guest dreams of staying here forever. Cosmopolitan Barcelona combines different cultures and religions while maintaining a Catalan authenticity.

The city that tourists love

The most beautiful city in the Mediterranean occupies the second place in terms of population, second only to Madrid. Guests who have already rested in the metropolis know exactly where Barcelona is located. The capital of Catalonia, filling with positive energy and giving a charge of good mood, is located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Close proximity to the most popular resorts in Spain (Ibiza, Mallorca, Costa Bravo) makes it incredibly attractive in the eyes of tourists.

Where is the metropolis located?

However, many people are puzzled by the question of where Barcelona is located and in which country. It arises at the stage of considering travel options. But it is enough to remember the geography course to refresh the school curriculum. Then it will be very easy to answer the question: "Where is Barcelona?" On the map of the globe, you need to find Spain (southwest Europe), and then find the city itself on the Mediterranean coast, at the mouth of the Llobregat River.

Some information about the city

The huge plateau where Barcelona is located is surrounded by the Collserola Mountains in the south, and the Besos River is the border in the north. Because the old City located on a hilly area, its landscape makes an unforgettable impression on travelers. The highest point is Mount Tibidado, visible from different parts of the metropolis. Twenty-five years ago, a television tower, created for the Olympics, was erected on it. There are legends that it was from this hill that the Devil showed amazing panoramas, tempting Jesus.

The climate here is Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Since the territory where Barcelona is located in Spain is located on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula, the influence of the Atlantic winds affects the fact that there is very little rainfall.

When is the best time to visit?

High tourist season falls on time summer holidays and holidays. Most travelers, tired of the cold, come here to swim in the warm sea and sunbathe on the beaches. From the end of June to the beginning of September, the city, in which the air temperature rises above 30 ° C, is overflowing with guests, and workers in shops and restaurants behave quite intrusively. If you are not afraid of the hustle and bustle, and also heatwave, then feel free to plan a trip to Barcelona in the summer.

However, many prefer to take advantage of the unique opportunity to save on vacation and make an amusing trip in May or autumn, when there are few tourists, and prices are pleasantly pleasing. And even in the cold winter, when average temperature is 10 o C, you can have a great rest. As travelers say, the metropolis is popular all 365 days a year.

Treasury of world culture

The area where the city of Barcelona is located deserves to get to know it in more detail, having studied every corner. The capital of Catalonia, which has a unique flavor and a special atmosphere, will allow everyone to enjoy every day of rest. A true treasury of world culture, attracting millions of guests with its masterpieces, has become the main tourist center of our planet. The architectural genius Gaudi worked here, leaving behind many sights, and his name has long become a symbol of the Catalan capital.

Where to visit?

It is no coincidence that all the quarters of the charming village (Puchet, Carmel, Monterolls, Peira, Rovira) are named after the hills on which they are located. Barcelona is divided into 10 administrative regions, however the greatest interest for tourists is the Old Town - the historical center of the Spanish pearl. Here is located Gothic Quarter where you can feel the spirit of real Europe. El Gòtic is more like a medieval miniature town where time has stood still. You can even get lost in the colorful labyrinth of narrow streets.

It is impossible not to visit the Gracia district - a curious place where creative people and students gather. An interesting corner It is distinguished by pretty streets with a non-standard layout. Here, the fun continues until the morning, and there are real legends about Bohemian parties. Gracia is adored by shopaholics who enjoy visiting fashion boutiques.

Home tourist street Barcelona is La Rambla - the liveliest corner of the metropolis. However, you can go for a walk in any area to feel the spirit of proud Barcelona.

But do not discount the modern sights. The new city (Eixample) was built only a hundred years ago, but is incredibly popular because it introduces the main works of the famous architect Gaudí.

In addition, vacationers adore Montjuic, where you can see many historical and modern monuments. From the top of Montjuïc, amazing panoramas of the city open up. Tourists will be able to visit the National Museum of Art, ancient castle, see colorful singing fountains.

The beautiful city, which is best explored on foot, is just perfect for walking. Most of the sights are close to each other, and in a few days you can get acquainted with the main monuments not only of the metropolis, but also of the country.

Where is Barcelona located, when is the best time to visit it, what to pay attention to - you have learned all this information from this article. Even a week of rest is not enough to see important architectural and historical objects, noteworthy. This is a city that is suitable for families, in addition, it is adored by couples in love who dream of joining their destinies. The capital of Catalonia, which is the main tourist point in European routes, will give a lot of pleasant and unforgettable minutes.

Barcelona from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Barcelona.

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Proud, narcissistic, explosive, full of geniuses and mediocrity, falling in love and in love, tiring and tired ... all this is about Barcelona - one of the most beautiful cities not only in Europe, but in the whole world. When Muscovites are asked what the capital lacks, 9 out of 10 answer - the sea! So, Barcelona is Moscow with the sea, Dali's crazy energy, Gaudí's freaky architecture, stunning outfits of the LGBT community, active cycling traffic, awesome parties and endless sangria. It would be crazy to start listing at least some of its sights in the introduction to the Catalan capital: they are found here literally at every step, the ancient Roman port breathes history, every stone is ready to tell its legend, and all modern monuments are worthy of at least a hymn or an ode. In short, Barcelona is a city of art. Arriving here gray, boring, tired and devastated, you leave the city of love with such a charge of creative energy, sun, strength and good mood that the border guards at the airport squint apprehensively. The sparkle of Barcelona will remain with you for a long time, illuminating the cozy Russian evenings with a Mediterranean flair.

How to get to Barcelona

Flying to Barcelona is convenient and quite budget friendly. Every week, Barcelona's main airport receives at least 10 direct regular flights from Russia. Connecting flights can be cheaper, the most convenient of them are Iberia flights via Madrid, Alitalia flights via Milan or Rome, Lufthansa flights via Frankfurt or Munich, LOT flights from St. Petersburg via Warsaw. And if we consider the airports of cities neighboring Barcelona, ​​then the trip becomes even more economical.

The two terminals of Barcelona Airport, T1 and T2, connect free bus, the trip lasts 5-7 minutes.

Find flights to Barcelona

Districts of Barcelona

Barcelona is divided into 10 administrative regions. All the main attractions are concentrated in three: the Old Town (aka the Gothic Quarter), which is the historical center of the capital of Catalonia; Eixample, or New Town, built in the 19th century and showing the main works of Gaudí, and the Montjuic area, located on the slopes of the hill of the same name. It is impossible to see the most interesting places to visit and visit museums in one day. It is best to come here for a week.

The heart of the city is Plaza Catalunya, from which the main pedestrian street goes towards the sea and, in combination, a local attraction - La Rambla. This boulevard is the border between two quarters: Gothic and Raval. A great many attractions are concentrated around the central square: the monument to Columbus and the medieval shipyards of Drassanes (now the Maritime Museum), the Barcelona Exhibition Center, the National Palace, the Marcet Palace.

The heart of Barcelona is Plaza Catalunya.

For those with enough time, check out the atmospheric Gràcia district, home to Barcelona's artists and students. This area is very different from the rest of Barcelona narrow streets with a chaotic layout and many small cozy places where you can take a break. The famous Parc Güell is located in the northern part of Gracia; in addition, the area is known for the annual city festival "Fiesta Major", which takes place here during the last two weeks of August.

Transport

to the general system public transport Barcelona ATM includes metro, buses, trams, city trains Rodalies (RENFE) and FGC trains. For most tourist routes There is enough metro in Barcelona. But by purchasing a general ATM pass, you can use all the modes of transport listed above within the tariff zone indicated on it. This travel card actually saves not only money, but also nerves, since it is not surprising to get confused in Barcelona trains alone.

Metro

The metro is very convenient to get around Barcelona. It opens at 5:00 and closes at 24:00, on Friday at 2:00, and from Saturday morning it is open continuously until Sunday at 00:00. The only inconvenience for visitors to the city is that most of the lines are operated by TMB, but lines 6,7 and 8 are operated by the FGC, and to transfer between branches of different companies, you need to additionally go through turnstiles and pay an entrance fee, unless you use travel.

The cost of a one-way trip is 2.15 EUR, so it is more profitable for a tourist to purchase a ticket for 10 trips (T-10) for 11.55 EUR for tariff zone 1, in which most attractions are located. The same tickets can be used on buses, trams, the Catalan FGC railway and the main RENFE trains. Also convenient are single travel cards for 2-5 days, which entitle you to an unlimited number of trips by metro and bus and cost from 12 EUR. Prices on the page are for September 2018.

Travel cards such as T-10 and T-50/30 imply a limited time for a transfer within the same trip. For example, in the tariff zone, one transfer is considered to be a change of transport within 1 hour 15 minutes after ticket activation: then it will be a new trip.

city ​​trains

In addition to the metro, there are other types of rail transport in Barcelona. This is sometimes confusing, as they often also use underground stations, although they are not part of the subway system. Such stations are marked at the entrance not with the letter M, but with the logos of the management companies - FGC or Rodalies. It makes sense to use these trains not so much to explore the city, but to travel around the surrounding area. For example, the coastal railway line that runs through many resort suburbs to Blanes (tariff zone 6) is owned by Rodalies.

Other types of urban transport

There are only 6 fairly long tram lines in Barcelona. Trams operate almost according to the metro schedule, they are fast and pass one stop every couple of minutes on average. With buses, the situation is not so simple: their schedule depends on the day of the week, there are a lot of routes and they are quite confusing. In addition, buses have to be caught by hand at a stop and stopped by pressing a button if you need to get off. Despite the fact that many have a board indicating the numbers of the stops, it is highly recommended for a tourist to use the buses of Barcelona to stock up on the appropriate mobile application. In general, the bus network starts at 5:30 am and stops at 10:30 pm, although there are a few night buses. The cost for metro, buses and trams is the same.

Taxi

Taxis in Barcelona are not difficult to find: they are black and yellow cars that are found everywhere. There are 4 tariffs for moving around the city, depending on the hours of the day and the day of the week. The starting price is about 2.10 EUR (it increases for taxis booked in advance). Further, the cost of the trip is calculated by the meter in increments of 1.30 EUR. The vast majority of Barcelona taxi drivers are honest, but to be absolutely sure, you can warn in advance when getting into the car that you will need a receipt. A taxi from Barcelona airport to the city center will cost 35-40 EUR.

Bicycles

You can rent a bike in Barcelona from one of the private companies (the Barcelona Bicing bicycle system operates in the city, but it is not available to tourists). Prices vary greatly depending on the location of the rental company, the type of bike and the terms of the rental; on average, you can find a bike for 9 EUR per day. You can also find an electric bike for about 16 EUR. Some rental companies organize bike tours around the center lasting 3-4 hours and costing from 40-50 EUR.

Barcelona tourist bus

Perhaps the best chance to see and imagine the city, its architecture and districts is provided by a tourist bus. By purchasing a ticket for 1 or 2 days (27 and 38 EUR respectively), the tourist gets the opportunity to travel non-stop from 9:00 to 20:00 on three routes laid almost throughout Barcelona - from Montjuic to the Olympic Port and from Tibidabo to the Old cities. The bus makes stops at the most famous sights (National Palace, Sagrada Familia, Miro Foundation, etc.), where you can get on and off the bus as many times as you like throughout the day (or two). The frequency of following is 5-10 minutes. In addition, during the journey, you can listen to an audio guide in Russian using free headphones, which are also issued when buying a ticket (and this does not count the map and discounts for museums and restaurants).

Rent a Car

What to try

Absolutely incredible seafood will be found in Barcelona restaurants in abundance. More often than other species, cod, anchovies, whiting, flounder and monkfish will come across. In addition to seafood delicacies, the Catalans have great respect for meat, especially grilled meat and especially pork. As in Valencia, in Catalonia rice is highly respected: rice with herbs, rice with meat, rice with fish or shellfish. The most famous local rice dish does not come from Catalonia at all - we are, of course, talking about paella. But “black rice” with cuttlefish ink is a Catalan dish.

Tapas can be found everywhere in Barcelona, ​​although this is not a local, but an Andalusian invention (the Catalan analogue of tapas is called pintxos). But it’s easier to buy such popular delicacies among tourists as dried jamon ham, spicy sausages with red pepper chorizo ​​or homemade pork sausage Fuet with noble white mold in the store. Authentic Catalan cuisine consists of simple, even coarse dishes that are heavy on the stomach. If this does not scare you, try the traditional village sausage "butifarra" with beans.

Along with ice cream in the street stalls of Barcelona, ​​​​the traditional soft drink “horchata” from the “chufa” plant is sold - a plant analogue of milk that is rather specific in taste.

Cafes and restaurants in Barcelona

Guides in Barcelona

Entertainment and attractions

Barcelona is an architectural marvel of Spain, whose sights attract a huge number of tourists throughout the year. This is an open-air museum, where Gothic masterpieces of the Middle Ages, experimental Art Nouveau buildings and modern trends in art, such as high-tech, are wonderfully harmoniously combined.

The main attractions of Barcelona are concentrated in three areas: the Old Town, Eixample and Montjuic.

Views of charming Barcelona

Old Town and Gothic Quarter

To any list of top attractions Barcelona will enter most old quarter Old city with the speaking name Gothic. Most of The local buildings date back to the 14th-15th centuries. In addition, here you can find buildings from the time of the ancient Romans. The main attraction is the Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia, which is considered one of the most beautiful not only in Barcelona, ​​but throughout Spain. It was built from the end of the 13th century to the middle of the 15th century, and today it is he, and not the Sagrada Familia, that serves as the residence of the archbishop.

White geese live in the chapel of the cathedral. Their color symbolizes the purity of the Holy Martyr Eulalia, in whose honor the temple was built.

Within the area are the Real Mayor Palace, the Ayuntamentum, the Santa Agata Chapel and Historical Museum on Rey Square, right next to the walls of which archaeological excavations are being carried out. On Sant Just Square, the gothic fountain, the Moisho Palace and the Santos Just y Pastor Church attract the constant attention of tourists. It is worth paying attention to the Centelles Palace, the Jewish quarter of Cal, museums and theaters in Barcelona.

The most visited museum in Barcelona and one of the best in Spain is the Picasso Museum on Montcada Street in the Old Town. The exposition occupies 5 Gothic buildings and includes many works of the great artist. In particular, those that belong to the "blue period" in his work.

10 things to do in Barcelona

1. On the first day, climb up to the observation deck at the Sagrada Familia and take an inquisitive look around the surroundings.
2. Take a sip of water from the fountain in Plaza Catalunya, so you will definitely come to magical Barcelona again.
3. Watch the mimes on the streets, not forgetting the rewards.
4. Try young Spanish wine (2-3 EUR per bottle) and be pleasantly surprised.
5. Visit the best aquarium in Europe (yes, it is located in Barcelona!)
6. A day to lie on the fine sand of the beach near the El Maresme-Forum metro station - there are fewer people than on Barceloneta, and the sea is magical.
7. To make a cultural run around museums: to leave Barcelona without visiting the Picasso Museum is a crime.
8. A look at the Camp Nou stadium will impress even those who are far from football.
9. Slowly walk along Montjuic mountain.
10. And finally - to admire the performance of magical fountains in the Plaza de España.

Eixample

The Eixample district was designed in the 19th century when it became clear that the city needed to be expanded. Straight-line planning had never been used in Barcelona up to this point, and thanks to it, the architects were able to achieve not only convenience, but also external effects. Now in Eixample is a large number of unique buildings, among which Gaudí's buildings became famous. Its famous Sagrada Familia, 170 meters high, is one of the symbols of the city.

Sagrada Familia and Gaudí

The multi-tower Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Cathedral Antonio Gaudi began to build in 1883, but the construction of the temple has not yet been completed, which does not prevent him from remaining the most famous architectural structure in the city. Gaudi himself is rightly considered the most famous and truly outstanding architect of Spain, being also a prominent representative of the Catalan Art Nouveau. Unique buildings, created by him, is one of the most colorful faces of Barcelona. Such creations of the great Gaudí as the Palau Güell on Carrer Nou de la Rambla and the park of the same name, the Sagrada Familia, Casa Vicenç, Casa Batllo on Passeig de Gracia and Casa Mila, nicknamed the Quarry, are under the protection of UNESCO and a must visit for everyone who comes to Barcelona. Among other things, the Calvet mansion and the graceful lanterns on the Plaza Real stand out. Read more on the Gaudí and Barcelona page

The city tourism office invites everyone to join unusual excursions Barcelona cinema in Spanish and English, which starts every Saturday at 17:00 from the Columbus Monument in Portal de la Pau. In the assortment: a walk "together" with Pedro Almodovar, Woody Allen or Manuel Huerga through the most cinematic places in the city, entertaining stories about the filming of such films as "Perfumer" by Tom Tykwer, "Salvador" by Manuel Huerga, "Spanish Inn" ("Spanish Woman ”) by Cedric Klapisch, Vicky Cristina Barcelona by Woody Allen and All About My Mother by Pedro Almodovar.

Tour duration: 2.5 hours. Cost - 14.50 EUR, children under 8 years old - free of charge. You can book a ticket on the website of the tourist office or purchase at the meeting point of the group no later than 15 minutes before the start of the tour.

Port Aventura, one of the best in Europe. You can get there by first taking the train to Salou in less than 2 hours, and then reaching the park itself by bus in 10-15 minutes.

The greatest concentration of interesting places in Barcelona for children is observed near the port. Firstly, this is an aquarium where there is a tunnel for watching sharks. Secondly, there is a zoo where dolphin shows are held. Third - the Chocolate Museum and the Maritime Museum. Another equally intense place is northern Barcelona: an amusement park on Mount Tibidabo and an entertaining science museum CosmoCaixa. In principle, Park Güell also falls into the category suitable places for children, if you do not delve into it too far.

Weather

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