Barcelona – Greek: Βαρκινών (Ptolemy, ii. 6. § 8); Latin: Barcino, Barcelo (Avienus Or. Mar.), and Barceno (Itin. Ant.) – is the second largest city in Spain, capital city of Catalonia and the province with the same name. It is located in the comarca of Barcelonès, along the Mediterranean coast (41°23′N 2°11′E) between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs.
As capital city of Catalonia, Barcelona houses the seat of the Generalitat de Catalunya and its Conselleries, the Parliament of Catalonia and the Supreme Court of Catalonia.
Barcelona is located on the southeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Mediterranean sea, in a plateau of about 5 km width limited by the mountain range of Collserola, the Llobregat river on the south and the Besòs river on the north. It is 160 km (100 mi) south of the Pyrenees mountain range.
Collserola, part of the coastal mountain range, forms a soft rounded backdrop to the city. Its highest point, the mountain of Tibidabo, 512 m high and topped by the 288.4 m telecommunications tower of Collserolla, is visible from most of the city. The city is peppered with small hills, most of them urbanized and that gave name to the neighborhoods build upon them: Carmel (267 m.), Monterols (121 m.), Putxet (181 m.), Rovira (261 m.) and Peira (133 m.). The mountain of Montjuïc (173 m.) is situated to the southeast, overlooking the harbour, topped by the Montjuïc castle, a fortress build in the 17-18th centuries to control the city. Nowadays, the fortress is a museum and the hill houses sport and cultural venues, and some well-known gardens.
To its north, the city borders the municipalities of Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià de Besòs; to the south it borders L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat; to the east is the Mediterranean; and to the west are Montcada i Reixach and Sant Cugat del Vallès
Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot, dry summers. January and February are the coldest months, averaging temperatures of 10 °C. July and August are the hottest months, averaging temperatures of 25 °C
Barcelona has 4.5 km of beaches, divided in seven different zones, all of them suitable for swimming. San Sebastià and Barceloneta are the historical beaches of Barcelona, situated between the harbor and the Olympic Port. The reestructuring of Barcelona's seaside for the 1992 Olympic Games gave Barcelona three new beaches, situated after the Olympic Port: Bogatell, Mar Bella and Nova Mar Bella. In the aftermath of the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures, a new sandless bathing zone, sometimes described as a "sea pool", opened in the Forum premises. The newest beach, Llevant, opened in 2006, is situated between the Nova Mar Bella and the Forum
Barcelona houses a great number of museums, which cover different areas and eras. The Museum of the City's History, situated in a medieval building that used to be a royal residence, explains the story of the city, including real Roman ruins available for visit in the museum's basement.
The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Museum of Art of Catalonia) possesses a well-known collection of Romanesque art, including wall-paintings of Romanesque churches and chapels around Catalonia that have been transferred to the museum. The Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art), usually known as MACBA, focuses on post-1945 Catalan and Spanish art, though it also includes foreign works.
The works of Joan Miró are found in the museum of the Fundació Joan Miró, together with guest exhibitions from other museums around the world, while the Picasso Museum features the lesser known works of Pablo Picasso from his earlier period. The Fundació Antoni Tàpies holds a collection of Tàpies works.
The Catalonian modernist architecture, developed between 1885 and 1950, left an important legacy in Barcelona. A great part of them are World Heritage Sites.
Specially remarkable is the work of architect Antoni Gaudí, which can be seen around the city. His best known work is the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882, and is still financed by popular donations. The Sagrada Família is billed for completion in 2026. Other examples of his work are the Palau Güell, the Park Güell, the Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and the Casa Batlló.
Another notable architect was Lluís Domènech i Montaner, who designed the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Hospital de Sant Pau and the Casa Lleó Morera. Josep Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Ametller can also be seen in the Passeig de Gràcia.
Barcelona won the 1999 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for its architecture. This is notably, the first, and as of 2006, only time the winner has been a city, and not an architect.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Barcelona:
- Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, included on the list on 1997.
- Works of Antoni Gaudí, including Park Güell, Palau Güell, Casa Milà, Casa Vicens, Sagrada Família (Nativity façade and crypt), Casa Batlló, Crypt in Colonia Güell. The first three works were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The other four were added as extensions to the site in 2000
