If you have never been to Barcelona photos of Barcelona City will get you thinking you are missing something. You may have heard about Barcelona Cathedral, but which one? Sagrada Familia is yet to be finished even though it was begun in the 1880s. It is more famous than another fabulous piece of Barcelona architecture, the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
When it comes to things to do in Barcelona, both should be on your itinerary. You may be a soccer fan in which case a trip to the Camp Nou and even watching Barcelona play is realistic because the ground has a capacity approaching 100,000. Add Bercelona’s seafront, the tapas bars and great cuisine in general and Barcelona is a city that every traveller should have on their bucket list. Cities like Barcelona inspire travel
Sagrada Familia
The most common picture of Barcelona Spain is Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. It is an impressive place inside and out. It was the creation of Antoni Gaudi whose unique architectural designs have made a huge impact on Barcelona.
External photographs of Sagrada Familia give you a clue to work still going on. When you see the high cranes, you might think that renovation is taking place. You would be wrong. It is the completion that will hopefully be achieved within a decade, almost a century and a half since the project began.
Tourists are welcome to enter and indeed the funds from tickets to enter are vital in the completion of the work.
Antoni Gaudi
Antoni Gaudi has made a huge impact on Barcelona. Barcelona images always include examples of his work. Even to the untrained eye, his designs stand out. A number of buildings were clearly the ideas of Gaudi whose death in 1926 left a gap in Barcelona’s modern development.
It would be wonderful if his masterpiece, Sagrada Familia could be completed on the centenary of his death. Time will tell.
Casa Vicens
This was the first house that Gaudi designed. It is a mix of neoclassical and oriental, a pioneer in the art nouveau concept. Gaudi had only graduated five years earlier when he was given the commission in 1883 to design a holiday home for Manuel Vicens.
He sold it before the turn of the century and subsequently it has been renovated and extended, remaining a private residence until 2014, and opening as a museum in 2017.
Casa Mila
The last house that Gaudi designed was the more famous Casa Mila, commonly called La Pedrera (The Stone Quarry). It took 6 years to build for Pere Mila and his wife Roser Segimon and was completed in 1912. Roser lived there until her death in 1964 by which time it had been converted into 5 apartments.
It has changed hands subsequently and today is owned by Catalonia, hosting exhibitions, and playing a cultural and educational role in Barcelona. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
Barcelona College of Architecture
Gaudi is not the only architect whose work in Barcelona is to be admired. The College where today’s budding architects learn their trade is an impressive place itself. You will find it in Park Guell which deserves particular attention in itself.
Park Guell
This public park with lovely gardens and stunning architecture is also something that can be attributed to Gaudi. It was completed in 1914 and opened to the public in the year of Gaudi’s death. It is located in Gracia which you will find on a Barcelona map just north of the heart of the City.
UNESCO recognized the Park as another World Heritage Site under the title ‘’the Works of Antoni Gaudi’’ at the same time as Casa Mila in 1984.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia
Barcelona’s Gothic style Cathedral is another impressive piece of architecture. It was begun right at the end of the 13th Century and finished 150 years later. Its 2 towers are over 50 metres high while its other dimensions are 90 metres by 40 metres.
It is dedicated to the c-patron saint of Barcelona, a 13 year old girl, Eulalia, who was martyred in Roman times,
Telefonica Tower
This Tower is evidence that there is fine modern architecture in Barcelona as well. It is located in the district of Montjuic which was the heart of the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona. It was completed in time to transmit television coverage to the world.
Located in Olympic Park, it stands at 136 metres and represents a competitor and the Olympic flame. In recognition of Guadi’s contribution to Barcelona, the base is of broken mosaic, tiles and shards which is a technique that the great architect used. The Tower also acts as a sundial incidentally.
You are welcome to go into the Olympic Stadium itself and the whole area of green open spaces, fine buildings and amusement facilities is a great place to spend some time.
Barcelona Seafront
There are many popular districts in Barcelona and the seafront is certainly one of them. La Rambla is a wide pedestrian avenue heading up from the seafront which attracts huge numbers day or night. It has cafes, restaurants and bars, hotels, street performers and a wonderful covered market, La Boqueira.
Barcelona F. C.
Anyone who follows world soccer will know the name Lionel Messi and Barcelona, regular winners of the Spanish La Liga and the Champions League. You can book a tour of its ground, Camp Nou to see its trophy room and everything else. If you visit in the season and the team is at home, you should be able to get a ticket because of the huge capacity of the ground. That is unless the opposition is Real Madrid, its fierce rivals.
Conclusion
These Barcelona pictures will give you a flavour of this stunning Spanish City. There is much more to Barcelona travel, but you don’t want to see a photograph of food and wine. That is definitely another reason to make a Barcelona visit.