Barcelona is a city with impressive constructions. You'll find buildings with styles going from Gothic to Modernism. Many archaeological sites in Barcelona are worth a visit. When you first encounter Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia or his rooftop sculptures at La Pedrera you'll be floored by the originality and hallucinogenic quality of his works. The Barcelona architecture is an attraction itself. Stroll around the city, through the Gothic Quarter and Eixample, and you'll find an endless amount of fascinating buildings. From Roman times to the Gothic period to the Catalan Art Nouveau, "Modernism", Barcelona´s architecture naturally transmits the city's rich history. The two most important styles of Barcelona architecture are Catalan Gothic, a medieval style, and Modernism, a turn of the 20th century movement protagonist by Antoni Gaudí. Besides architectural styles dating from the Middle Ages and later you can find sections of forth century Roman walls at the History Museum.

The Medieval period

Starting in the 12th century, during the Middle Ages, Barcelona experienced an era in which it flourished in all aspects of city life. The Kingdom of Aragón and Barcelona merged after the marriage of the count of Barcelona and the daughter of the King of Aragón on political level. Barcelona maintained its status as capital of the new government and began a period of expansion. The city of Barcelona had a dominating role in the confederation of Catalonia-Aragon and became a maritime power in the Mediterranean. In the area Barri Gotic, you'll find many remains of the Middle ages. Let me mention some worth visits deriving from the Medieval period. The Cathedral at Plaza de la Seu (close to subway Jaume I) was build from 1317 till 1441. The neo-Gothic facade was added in the 19th century. Inside the Cathedral there's an elevator to get to the roof of the building The church of Santa Maria del Mar (1329-1367), also known as the Cathedral of the sailors and fishermen. It's the city's favorite for weddings and has an excellent acoustic. Drassanes (1378) is the largest and most complete medieval secular structure in the world.

Renaissance in Barcelona

The city of Barcelona was growing very fast and the medieval walls cannot hold the city anymore. Because of the fast growing The Eixample district was created in 1860. This district is recognized on the map by it's perpendicular streets. For affordable accommodation in Barcelona have a look at the Website of Ok Barcelona Apartments for more information.

Modernism, A turn of the 20th century movement

Barcelona's society wanted to see great changes and make great advances in every field. The Modernism in Barcelona started with the construction of 3 buildings: Montaner y Simon, Josep Vilaseca's factory for F. Vidal and Casa Vicens. In Barcelona Modernism begun earlier and ended later than in most countries in Europe. Most of the Modernist architects expressed themselves in different ways. Some of them wanted to revive Romanesque architecture, others were ispired by the French neo-Gothicism and others were searching for a modern style in Germany or Austria. Typical for the Modernism in Barcelona was the use of elements from nature, like plants and animals. Some Modernistic buildings you may no miss when you visit Barcelona: Casa Batlló (1904-1906) is a colourful apartment building located at the Passeo de Grácia. It was totally remodelled by Gaudí on a commission from the textile industrialist Josep Battló y Casanovas. Pedrera (Casa Mila), another work of Antoni Gaudí build from 1906 to 1911. Parc Güell, an urban park on the mountain of Pelada build from 1900 till 1905. The famous Sagrada Familia. The build of the church started in 1884 and is still not finished. It's definately Gaudí's most famous work.