The Gothic Quarter ( or ; ) is the historic centre of the old city of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, 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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

seafront to the Ronda de Sant Pere. It is a part of Ciutat Vella district. The quarter encompasses the oldest parts of the city of Barcelona, and includes the remains of the city's Roman wall and several notable

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

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 geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

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

Authenticity

Despite its name, a number of landmark Gothic 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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. 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 is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

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 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: 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'' () on Carrer Paradís: work by Lluís Domènech i Montaner carried out in 1922 on a building of uncertain origins, to which he added Gothic windows, battlements, and merlons. *The Flamboyant-style bridge that crosses Carrer Bisbe between the Palau de la Generalitat and the Cases dels Canonges: newly constructed 1928 by Joan Rubió. * Casa Padellàs: currently the Barcelona City History Museum headquarters, the building was built circa 1500 on Carrer Mercaders, but it was moved to the Plaça del Rei in 1931 with its interior rebuilt. *Aguilar Palace: present-day Museu Picasso (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:Barcelona Cathedral Saint Eulalia.jpg, Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia File:050529 Barcelona 099.jpg, Church of Santa Maria del Pi File:Spain.Barcelona.Pessebre.2006.00.jpeg, Plaça Sant Jaume and the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya File:Plaça del Rei Barcelona2.JPG, Plaça del Rei File:Salo Tinell 20120309 14.JPG, Palau Reial Major File:Plaza de San Felipe Neri. Barcelona.jpg, Plaça de Sant Felip Neri File:Portal de l'Àngel - Barcelona (Catalunya).jpg, Portal de l'Àngel File:Basílica de la Mercè - Barcelona (Catalonia).jpg, Basilica of La Mercè File:Barcelona-placa-reial.JPG, Plaça Reial 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 * L3 stations Liceu 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 Gothic Revival architecture in Spain Neighbourhoods of Barcelona Tourist attractions in Barcelona

Authenticity

Landmarks

Barcelona Metro

See also

References

External links