!!!Barcelona

by Stanislav Sedov and Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

5 April 2013

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Barcelona is one of the most famous ancient cities in the world.
According to one of the legends, the city was founded by the Hercules,
the legendary hero of Greek mythology, 400 years before Rome. The second
legend attributes the foundation of Barcelona to Carthaginian Hamilcar
Barca, father of the commander Hannibal.

Due to its ideal location on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona was a
thriving city that was repeatedly besieged and conquered by many
nations, including the Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Franks, British, and
other nations. Despite that, the city was able to preserve its heritage
up to this day. Various Barcelona landmarks, from the ancient fortresses
to ultramodern skyscrapers, encompass almost all periods of its history.

[{Image src='01_Barcelona from the height of 350 meters.jpg' caption='Barcelona from the height of 350 meters' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='739'}]

The center of the old city is the Gothic Quarter. It still has many
structures that were built during the Middle Ages, and even some
buildings that were built around the time of the first Roman
settlements. Right next to the Gothic Quarter is La Rambla, a lively
street that is a must-see for everyone planning a trip to Barcelona.
Besides fine shops and restaurants, almost every building here is an
architectural monument. Particularly interesting is the old Boqueria
market which is constructed from glass and decorated with mosaics, as
well as the 60-meter tall monument to Columbus. The monument stands
exactly where the famous explorer landed from his first voyage to
America.

[{Image src='02_Columbus Monument.jpg' caption='Columbus Monument' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='449'}]

The city itself consists of many hills that have different height. The
highest point (500 meters above sea level) is Mount Tibidabo that offers
picturesque views of Barcelona. The name of the mountain comes from the
Latin «Tibi Dabo» («I give you»), the words of devil whispered to the
God in order to tempt him while showing the beauty of the world from the
top.

The second highest point (173 meters) is Montjuic mountain, where
Barcelona hosted the World's Fair in 1929 and the Summer Olympic Games
in 1992. Local places of interest include futuristic Magic Fountain in
the form of ellipse with lighting, music, and sometimes fireworks. A
little further to the top of the mountain, we can find Montjuïc Park and
Olympic area, as well as Montjuic castle, one of the most famous
historic buildings in Barcelona. It was built in the 17-18th centuries
to defend the city. During the course of the history the castle was
seized several times: by the British led by Count Peterborough and also
by Napoleon's troops. Nowadays it houses a military museum.

[{Image src='03_City at night.jpg' caption='City at night' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='449'}]

At the foot of the mountain lies Plaza de España, one of the biggest
squares in the city that was dedicated to the occasion of the 1929
World's Fair. There are two 47-meter tall Venetian Towers in front of
the square and there is a gorgeous fountain decorated with Baroque style
sculptures in the middle. Plaza de España in Barcelona serves as a
symbol of the city's former greatness, and at the same time as a symbol
of the modern city-state. It is a majestic symbol indeed!

Other great monuments of the 20th century include the Palace of Catalan
Music, a fine example of Catalan modernist style, built by the architect
Luis Domenech i Montaner, and the Agbar Tower, a modern 38-story
skyscraper (though four of its floors are underground). The shape of the
tower was inspired by water, spectacular shape of nearby Montserrat
mountain, and by the bell towers of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
This whole structure is made of metal and colored glass panels.

[{Image src='04_Barcelona view at sunset.jpg' caption='Barcelona view at sunset' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='1062'}]

But all Barcelona landmarks combined ??pale in comparison to great
monuments designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí. Of course, every
monument in Barcelona is unique, but each one of them can be attributed
to a certain style. Baroque fountains, Venetian Towers, modern
buildings, and ancient Roman ruins can be found in many other cities
across the globe. Without some additional information it's hard to pin
point if you see photos from Spain, Italy, or, perhaps, the Czech
Republic? However, each architectural masterpiece by Gaudi isn't like
anything else in the world. All you need is to see one of his buildings,
balconies, or "swirls", and you can instantly identify his style among
many others. There are several houses designed by Gaudi in other cities,
but most of his legacy can be found in the capital of Catalonia.

There are millions of pages written about this amazing architect — the
founder of his own style that was unique only to him — no words can
convey the essence of Gaudi's unique masterpieces. Gaudí spent his
childhood by the sea, so all of his homes resemble a sand castle. He
thought that the sky and the sea make the best interior, and wood and
clouds were perfect sculptural forms. Gaudi hated closed and
regular-shaped spaces, avoided straight lines, and considered them
man-made; whereas a circle was of divine origin. It's hard to describe
the masterpieces created by the architect with such believes.

You should see for yourselves. Our panoramas will show you some of his
masterpieces: Park Güell (1900-1914), Casa Milà (1906-1910), and the
Sagrada Familia in Barcelona which is under construction for last 130
years.

[{Image src='05_Casa Mila by Antoni Gaudi architect.jpg' caption='Casa Mila by Antoni Gaudi architect' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='449'}]

In total there are dozens of structures created by Gauidi in the capital
of Catalonia, and not all of them are buildings. For example, in Park
Guell, which occupies an area of more than 17 hectares, there are
numerous houses and fountains, paths and columns that were created by
Gaudi's powerful imagination.

Let's have a more detailed look at Sagrada Familia. The Church of the
Holy Family (or Sagrada Familia) is a church in Barcelona's Eixample
district, the famous project of Antoni Gaudi, that has been under
construction with private donations since 1882. Although Gaudi was just
one of the architects, it was his contribution from 1883 to 1926 that
defined the current look of the legendary church. And even despite the
fact that in 2008 a group of more than 400 cultural workers of Spain
demanded to stop the construction of the church (according to them, the
great architectural masterpiece fell victim to careless and clumsy
restoration catered mainly to tourism industry), its unusual appearance
has made it one of the main tourist attractions in Barcelona. In
November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated Sagrada Familia, so now it
can officially hold church services. Even being under construction the
church looks amazingly beautiful.

The administration of Barcelona kindly agreed to remove all cranes from
the Sagrada Familia construction site during our photo session. If you
would like to see this place with cranes, you can open panoram 22 in our
virtual tours.

[{Image src='06_Sagrada Familia.jpg' caption='Sagrada Familia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='449'}]

Since our panoramic views of Barcelona show you the city from a bird's
eye view, it means that they reveal almost the whole city. You can
choose any Barcelona landmark or historical period you're most
interested in and zoom in. Enjoy your virtual excursion!

\\ \\
[22 Panoramas of Barcelona|Geography/Europe/Spain/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Barcelona]










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