The Gothic Quarter ( ca, Barri Gòtic or ''El Gòtic'', es, Barrio Gótico) is the historic centre of the old city of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. It stretches from La Rambla to

Via Laietana Via Laietana () Vía Layetana in Spanish, is a major thoroughfare in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in the Ciutat Vella district. The avenue runs from Plaça Urquinaona to Plaça d'Antonio López, by the seafront, and separates the neighbourhoods ...

, and from the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

seafront to the Ronda de Sant Pere. It is a part of

Ciutat Vella Ciutat Vella (, meaning in English "Old City") is a district of Barcelona, numbered District 1. The name means "old city" in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ''Ciutat Vella'' is nestle ...

district. The quarter encompasses the oldest parts of the city of Barcelona, and includes the remains of the city's

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

wall and several notable

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

landmarks. Much of the present-day fabric of the quarter, however, dates to the 19th and early 20th centuries. ''El Call'', the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area, along with the former ''Sinagoga Major''. The ''Barri Gòtic'' retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into

squares In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.

Authenticity of the Gothic Quarter

Despite its name, a number of landmark

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

buildings in the neighborhood do not date to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. Rather, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the quarter was completely transformed from a sombre neighborhood to a tourist attraction through a massive restoration project, timed to be completed for the 1929 International Exhibition. This allowed the city and the surrounding region of

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

to portray itself in a positive light to the world's media. Further restoration of existing buildings and the creation of brand new

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

structures continued as late as the 1960s. Among the principal buildings with rebuilt or modified with neo-Gothic additions are: *The façade of the

Barcelona Cathedral The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia ( ca, Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia), also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The cathedral was constr ...

: constructed between 1882 and 1913 by Josep Oriol Mestres and August Font i Carreras with a profusion of Gothic-style elements. *Building of the ''Centre Excursionista de Catalunya'' ( en, Hiking Center of Catalonia) on Carrer Paradís: work by

Lluís Domènech i Montaner Lluís Domènech i Montaner (; 21 December 1850 – 27 December 1923) was a Spanish architect who was highly influential on '' Modernisme català'', the Catalan Art Nouveau/Jugendstil movement. He was also a Catalan politician. Born in Barcelona ...

carried out in 1922 on a building of uncertain origins, to which he added Gothic windows, battlements, and

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

s. *The

Flamboyant Flamboyant (from ) is a form of late Gothic architecture that developed in Europe in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance, from around 1375 to the mid-16th century. It is characterized by double curves forming flame-like shapes in the bar-tr ...

-style bridge that crosses Carrer Bisbe between the

Palau de la Generalitat The Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya is a historic palace in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It houses the offices of the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya. It is one of the few buildings of medieval origin in Europe that still function ...

and the Cases dels Canonges: newly constructed 1928 by

Joan Rubió Joan Rubió y Bellver (; 24 April 1870 – 30 November 1952) was a Spanish architect famous for his contributions to the Catalan '' Modernista'' movement. Biography Early life, family Rubió was born in Reus, Province of Tarragona. He was al ...

. *

Casa Padellàs The Casa Padellàs ( en, Padellàs's House) is a Gothic palace, originally located at number 25, Carrer Mercaders, in Barcelona. Due to the construction of the Via Laietana in the early 20th century—which otherwise would have destroyed it—th ...

: currently the

Barcelona City History Museum The Museum of the History of Barcelona ( ca, Museu d'Història de Barcelona, MUHBA) is a history museum that conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the historical heritage of the city of Barcelona, from its origins in Roman times until ...

headquarters, the building was built circa 1500 on Carrer Mercaders, but it was moved to the

Plaça del Rei Plaça del Rei (meaning "King's Square" in Catalan, in es, Plaza del Rey) is a 14th-century medieval public square in the Barri Gòtic of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/spain/barcelona/review-115955.html FODOR T ...

in 1931 with its interior rebuilt. *Aguilar Palace: present-day

Museu Picasso The Museu Picasso (, "Picasso Museum") is an art museum in Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It houses an extensive collection of artworks by the twentieth-century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, with a total of 4251 of his works. It is housed in f ...

(Carrer Montcada), restored by Adolf Florensa in 1959, who added galleries with arches and Gothic windows. *Pignatelli Palace: present-day Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona, restored in 1970 including the addition of various Gothic windows retrieved from municipal warehouses.

Landmarks

File:Casa de l'Ardiaca 02.jpg, The Roman and Medieval walls File:Temple of Augustus, built during the Imperial period in the colony of Barcino (modern day Barcelona) as a place of worship for Emperor Augustus, Barcelona (21200840180).jpg, Remains of the Roman Temple File:Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia edited.jpg,

Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia ( ca, Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia), also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The cathedral was const ...

File:050529 Barcelona 099.jpg, Church of Santa Maria del Pi File:Spain.Barcelona.Pessebre.2006.00.jpeg,

Plaça Sant Jaume The Plaça de Sant Jaume (, in English "Saint James's Square") is a square at the center of the Old City of Barcelona and the administrative heart of both the city and surrounding Catalonia. This is because the Palace of the Generalitat of Cata ...

and the

Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya The Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya is a historic palace in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It houses the offices of the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya. It is one of the few buildings of medieval origin in Europe that still function ...

File:Plaça del Rei Barcelona2.JPG,

File:Salo Tinell 20120309 14.JPG,

Palau Reial Major The Palau Reial Major (; "Grand Royal Palace") is a complex of historic buildings located in Plaça del Rei, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was a residence of the counts of Barcelona and kings of Aragon. It is composed of three distinct edifices: ...

File:Plaza de San Felipe Neri. Barcelona.jpg,

Plaça de Sant Felip Neri Plaça de Sant Felip Neri is a small square in the Gothic Quarter in the district of Ciutat Vella in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The square takes its name from the Church of Saint Philip Neri, which presides over the square. To the right of t ...

File:Portal de l'Àngel - Barcelona (Catalunya).jpg,

Portal de l'Àngel Portal de l'Àngel () is a pedestrian street in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona adjacent to Plaça Catalunya and part of the large shopping area that spans from Avinguda Diagonal to Barri Gòtic. It's one of the city's most visited street ...

File:Basílica de la Mercè - Barcelona (Catalonia).jpg, Basilica of La Mercè File:Barcelona-placa-reial.JPG,

Plaça Reial Plaça Reial (In Spanish ''Plaza Real'', meaning "Royal Plaza") is a square in the Barri Gòtic of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is close to La Rambla, and is a popular tourist attraction, especially at night. The plaza hosts many restauran ...

File:Barcelona (Plaça de Sant Jaume) City Hall. Neoclassical facade. 1831-1847. Josep Mas, architect (27664512650) edited.jpg, ''Casa de la Ciutat'', City Hall File:15-10-27-Els Quatre Gats-RalfR-WMA 2719-2724.jpg, Els Quatre Gats

Barcelona Metro

* L4 station

Jaume I James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 127 ...

* L3 stations

Liceu The Gran Teatre del Liceu (, English: Great Theatre of the Lyceum), known as ''El Liceu'', is an opera house in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Located in La Rambla, it is the oldest running theatre in Barcelona. Founded in 1837 at another loca ...

and Drassanes

References

External links

El Gòtic on the City's websiteBarri Gòtic at Tmb.cat
{{Coord, 41, 22, 58, N, 2, 10, 37, E, type:city(50000)_region:ES-CT_source:dewiki, display=title Ciutat Vella Neighbourhoods of Barcelona Tourist attractions in Barcelona

Authenticity of the Gothic Quarter

Landmarks

Barcelona Metro

See also

References

External links