Barcelona History

Guide to Roman Barcelona

Barcelona traces its origins over 2,000 years ago to the Roman colony called Barcino. It was founded by Emperor Augustus during the period of 15-10 BC, and the full Latin name of the colony was Iulia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino. Many remains of Barcino still exist in various locations of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. Acroteria of […]

Masonic Barcelona

Many important figures in the history of Barcelona are known to have been Freemasons. These include Ildefons Cerdà, who designed the 19th-century extension of Barcelona called the Eixample and Lluís Companys who was President of Catalonia during the Civil War. During the years of Franco, Freemasons were persecuted and the dictator ordered that masonic symbols on buildings be destroyed. […]

Haunted and Mysterious Places in Barcelona

By Dan Blystone With more than 2,000 years of history, Barcelona has its fair share of ghosts and mystery. Explore the dark legends of the Catalan capital, if you dare… Torre Salvana *** Torre Salvana is an abandoned castle dating from the 10th century. Situated just outside Colònia Güell, it is famous for paranormal activity and […]

turo-de-la-rovira-and-bunkers-del-carmel

Turó de la Rovira and Bunkers del Carmel

An Ancient Settlement In the 4th centrury BC, Turó de la Rovira (Rovira Hill) was occupied by the Laietani, an ancient Iberian tribe. Further north, the Laietani also occupied another hill peak at Puig Castellar, where remains of the settlement can still be seen. Historians believe that the settlements were abandoned because of the Second Punic War, fought between […]

12 Barcelona Facts

Skip to content 32 million tourists came to Barcelona in 2016. Barcelona has a population of 1.6 million. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia. The word Barcelona is searched for 9.1 million times per month. Barcelona has 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, seven of them created by Antoni Gaudí and two by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. […]

Barcelona 11s

11 reasons to visit Barcelona