Barcelona: a Holiday City with a Mixture of Architecture

If you are an architecture enthusiast, you couldn't find a better place than a HOLIDAY IN BARCELONA. The architectural styles here include the Gothic to Modernist. The most important architect of the modernist period is Spain's Antoni Gaudi. You can't help being impressed by his work throughout the city. It doesn't matter where you go you will be amazed at the architecture on display especially in the Gothic area of the city. These fascinating buildings seem to pop up everywhere you look. The cities rich architectural history is further exemplified by the Romans, Gothic period, the Catalan Art Nouveau and the Modernism movement. Of these, the most important ones are the Catalan Art Nouveau or medieval style and Modernism.

Barcelona's golden age must have started in the 12th century during the Middle Ages when all aspects of city life begin to flourish. The economic and political level of this area was conjoined with the marriage of the Count of Barcelona to the King of Aragon's daughter. This was a period of expansion for the capital of the new government. Barcelona also became a maritime power during this time in history making it an overpowering force in the confederation of Catalonia and Aragon. If you would like to trace the medieval history of Barcelona, the best place to start is the Gothic area. There are a number of ancient buildings in this area for you to explore such as the Cathedral in La Sue square. The construction started in 1317 and wasn't completed until 1441; it now has a modern elevator to reach the roof. The church dedicated to sailors and fishermen is Santa Maria del Mar (1329-1367). With its excellent acoustics, you can understand why it's a favourite place for weddings. The largest complete medieval secular structure in the world is Drassanes which was built in 1378.

The medieval walls around the city could no longer contain the city's growth; as a result, a new layout was purposed by Idelfons Cerda. Rather than the narrow winding roads in the Gothic section it was purposed that the streets are laid out with two parallel streets perpendicular to the sea and divided into blocks. The name they decided on for the new area was L'Eixample.

Modernism started in Barcelona well before anyplace else in Europe. This was a period when changes in all fields were being instituted. You can mark the beginning of modernism in Barcelona through three buildings as early as the 1880's. The buildings mentioned are the publishing house of Montaner y Simon, Josep Vilaseca's Factory for F. Vidal and Gaudi's Casa Vicens. Not all Modernistic architects were the same as some wanted to see the revival of Romanesque while others chose their inspirations from the French Neo Gothicism.

On your HOLIDAY IN BARCELONA, you will notice that some of the architects were inspired by natural forms. These forms included flowers, plants and animals using a mixture of materials to create them. There are a lot of buildings that exemplify this style of architecture in Barcelona. The best thing to do is to stop by the tourist information centre and pick up a pamphlet outlining all these structures. This way you will not miss anything which is of importance to you.