Barcelona is a well known destination for holidays with its beautiful beaches and its unique architecture. However, in this article I will tell you some fun facts about the city.
The beaches are not natural
Barcelona is known for being one of the best cities in the world with its fine beaches .
18 years ago, there were no sandy beaches. The 2.8 miles beachfront was created for the Olympics in 1992, importing the sand from Egypt.
Barcelona has an unique way to celebrate Sant Jordi
Every year, on 23rd April, Barcelona celebrates the patron saint of Catalonia with roses and books. El Día de los Amantes (Valentines Day in Europe) and La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George’s Day) which coincide with the death of both Cervantes and Shakespeare, inspired UNESCO to create the World Book and Copyright Day in 1995.
The city is one of the most LGBT-friendly cities in Europe
Madrid have the largest gay community in Spain and the gayest neighborhood on the planet (Chueca), but Barcelona, with its anti-homophobia law adopted in 2014 and vibrant LGBT club scene and festivals, is no doubt Europe’s gay summer party hotspot. Plus, it’s only 35 km northeast of Sitges, one of the top LGBTQ destinations worldwide.
The city has won a Gold Medal
Barcelona is the only city in the world awarded with a Royal Gold Medal for architecture by The Royal Institute of British Architects. The medal is usually given to one or a group of architects, but Barcelona is the first (and only city on the planet) to receive this honor.
The most visited city in Spain
Barcelona comes 6th on 2019’s ranking of Europe’s most visited cities, after London, Paris, Rome, Prague and Amsterdam, yet before Milan, Vienna and Venice. With over 9.9 million international visitors per year in 2019, the Catalan capital is also the 17th most visited city in the world, surpassing Bali and Hong Kong.
12 abandoned metro stations
Barcelona has 12 abandoned and haunted metro stations, as the Urban Legends say.
What about the Gaudí Station? Or the Correos Station? They probably don’t ring a bell because they are just a few of some of Barcelona’s ghost stations that have been abandoned over the years and now are some of Barcelona’s secrets.
Barcelona is home of the largest football stadium in Europe
The FC Barcelona stadium also known as Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe and the 12th biggest in the world.
It was built in 1957 and has the seat capacity of 99,786. Home of the world-famous football team, it’s one of the main attractions in Barcelona with its own museum, being one of the city’s most visited tourist attractions.
La Sagrada Familia is taking longer to be built than the Great Pyramids of Egypt
The construction of the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona’s most known attraction, began in 1882 and will be completed in 2026 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudi.
More details about Sagrada Familia here.
Barcelona was meant to be the home of the Eiffel Tower
Gustave Eiffel’s original idea was to build the Eiffel Tower in Barcelona, but the people didn’t support the idea, therefore it was denied. From an architectural point of view, they thought that the tower will not fit in the city landscape.
Park Güell is actually a failed housing project
Park Guell is a must-see attraction in Barcelona. Located on Carmel Hill, it is composed of beautiful gardens and unique architectural elements.
Initially, Park Guell was a housing project. Antoni Gaudi and Eusebi Güell intended it to be a ‘modern housing complex’, but they received no interest from the buyers and had to abandon the idea.
More details about Park Guell here.
There’s a reason why Eixample’s street corners are missing
The district was built as an extension (hence the name “Eixample”) when Barcelona started to grow during the 19th century. The district is characterized by long streets and octagonal blocks with the corners cut, unique in Barcelona. This design was created by the Spanish urban planner Ildefons Cerdà and his unique idea encouraged traffic decongestion, allowing drivers to have a wider peripherical view angle.
La Rambla consists in five streets put together
La Rambla is a wide, tree-shaded street which divides Barrio Gothic (the old town) in two parts. La Rambla is actually a group of five streets (Rambla dels Estudis, Rambla de Canaletes, Rambla dels Caputxins, Rambla de Sant Josep and Rambla de Santa Mònica).
The ¨street¨ has beautiful sidewalks, restaurants, shops, cafes and a colourful market (Mercat La Boqueria).
Barcelona hosts 9 UNESCO-protected monuments
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau – have been designed by Modernista architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner.
Seven masterpieces belong to Antoni Gaudi and are included on the “Works of Antoni Gaudí” list: Park Güell, Palau Güell, Casa Milà, Casa Vicens, La Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, and the Crypt of the Church at Colonia Guell.
Take a walk on the ancient roman streets
Barcelona has its origins in Neolithic times, but the city was founded by the Romans at the end of the 1st century BC. Barrio Gotic is the centre of old Barcelona and the medieval architecture is common here. Easy to explore by foot, these buildings bring in over a million tourists every month.
The busiest street in Spain
The Portal de l'Àngel is the most walked street in Spain. You will be one among approximately 3500 others who throng the street every hour!
Catalans hate flamenco and bullfighting
Although famous flamenco artists can be seen regularly performing in Barcelona, this traditional Spanish art form is not so much appreciated by Catalans, who have their own dance called „La Sardana”.
Also, the bullfighting was banned in Catalonia in 2010.
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