Editing Barcelona (section)

== Main sights ==
[[File:Sagrada Familia 01.jpg|thumb|[[Sagrada Família]] church, designed by [[Antoni Gaudí|Gaudí]]]]
[[File:Palau_de_la_Música_Catalana-Palace_of_Catalan_Music_(Image_2).jpg|thumb|[[Palau de la Música Catalana]]]]
The ''[[El Gòtic|Barri Gòtic]]'' (Catalan for "Gothic Quarter") is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. Many of the buildings date from medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Catalan ''[[Modernisme|modernista]]'' architecture (related to the movement known as [[Art Nouveau]] in the rest of Europe) developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. Several of these buildings are [[World Heritage Site]]s. Especially remarkable is the work of architect [[Antoni Gaudí]], which can be seen throughout 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 private donations. {{As of|2015}}, completion is planned for 2026.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/sagrada-familia-reaches-its-final-stage-of-construction/413476/ |title=Gaudí's Barcelona Basilica, La Sagrada Família, Reaches Its Final Stage of Construction – The Atlantic |magazine=The Atlantic |access-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312083828/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/sagrada-familia-reaches-its-final-stage-of-construction/413476/ |archive-date=12 March 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Barcelona was also home to [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe|Mies van der Rohe]]'s [[Barcelona Pavilion]]. Designed in 1929 for the [[1929 Barcelona International Exposition|International Exposition]] for Germany, it was an iconic building that came to symbolize modern architecture as the embodiment of van der Rohe's aphorisms "less is more" and "God is in the details".<ref name="Rybczynski2001">{{cite book |author=Witold Rybczynski |title=The Look of Architecture |url=https://archive.org/details/lookofarchitectu00rybc |url-access=registration |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-515633-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lookofarchitectu00rybc/page/n111 94]–}}</ref> The Barcelona pavilion was intended as a temporary structure and was torn down in 1930 less than a year after it was constructed. A modern re-creation by Spanish architects now stands in Barcelona, however, constructed in 1986.

Barcelona won the 1999 [[Royal Institute of British Architects|RIBA]] [[Royal Gold Medal]] for its architecture,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBATrust/Awards/RoyalGoldMedal/Royal%20Gold%20Medallists%201848%20-%202008.pdf |title=RIBA Royal Gold Medallists |publisher=RIBA |access-date=28 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202101307/http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBATrust/Awards/RoyalGoldMedal/Royal%20Gold%20Medallists%201848%20-%202008.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2014}}</ref> the first (and {{As of|2015|lc=y}}, only) time that the winner has been a city rather than an individual architect. Barcelona is the home of many points of interest declared [[World Heritage Site]]s by [[UNESCO]]:<ref>The seventh element of Place [[World Heritage]] "Works of [[Antoni Gaudí]]" is the Crypt in [[Colònia Güell]], which is located at [[Santa Coloma de Cervelló]].</ref>

=== Historic buildings and monuments ===
{{Further|List of Modernista buildings in Barcelona}}
{{Category see also|Buildings and structures in Barcelona}}
[[File:Barcelona Cathedral (original).jpg|thumb|[[Barcelona Cathedral]]]]
[[File:Casa Milà - Barcelona, Spain - Jan 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Casa Milà]]]]
*[[Minor basilica]] of [[Sagrada Família]], the symbol of Barcelona.
*[[Palau de la Música Catalana]] and [[Hospital de Sant Pau]], designed by [[Lluís Domènech i Montaner]], included in the UNESCO Heritage List in 1997.
*Works by [[Antoni Gaudí]], including [[Park Güell]], [[Palau Güell]], [[Casa Milà]] (La Pedrera), [[Casa Vicens]], Sagrada Família (Nativity façade and crypt), [[Casa Batlló]], crypt in [[Church of Colònia 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 2005.
*[[Barcelona Cathedral|The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia]] (Gothic)
*Gothic basilica of [[Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona|Santa Maria del Mar]]
*Gothic basilica of [[Santa Maria del Pi]]
*Romanesque church of [[Sant Pau del Camp]]
*[[Palau Reial Major]], medieval residence of the sovereign [[Counts of Barcelona]], later [[Kingdom of Aragon|Kings of Aragon]]
*The [[Barcelona Royal Shipyard|Royal Shipyard]] (gothic)
*[[Monastery of Pedralbes]] (gothic)
*The [[Columbus Monument, Barcelona|Columbus Monument]]
*The [[Arc de Triomf]], a [[triumphal arch]] built for entrance to [[1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition]].
*[[Sagrat Cor|Expiatory church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus]] on the summit of [[Tibidabo]].
*The Historic Building of the [[University of Barcelona]]

=== Museums ===
{{Main|List of museums in Barcelona}}
[[File:Palau Nacional Barcelona Pano 2013.jpg|thumb|The [[Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya|National Museum of Art of Catalonia]] stands out for its collection of [[Romanesque painting]].]]
[[File:Barcelona_-_Museu_d'Art_Contemporani_de_Barcelona_(MACBA).jpg|thumb|[[Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art]]]]

Barcelona has a great number of museums, which cover different areas and eras. The [[Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya|National Museum of Art of Catalonia]] possesses a well-known collection of [[Romanesque art]], while the [[Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art]] focuses on [[Post-war|post-1945]] Catalan and [[Spanish art]]. The [[Fundació Joan Miró]], [[Museu Picasso|Picasso Museum]], and [[Fundació Antoni Tàpies]] hold important collections of these world-renowned artists, as well as the [[Can Framis Museum]], focused on post-1960 Catalan Art owned by [[Fundació Vila Casas]]. Several museums cover the fields of history and archaeology, like the [[Barcelona City History Museum]] (MUHBA), the [[Museum of the History of Catalonia]], the [[Archaeology Museum of Catalonia|Archeology Museum of Catalonia]], the [[Maritime Museum of Barcelona]], the [[Museu de la Música de Barcelona|Music Museum of Barcelona]] and the privately owned [[Egyptian Museum of Barcelona]]. The Erotic museum of Barcelona is among the most peculiar ones, while [[CosmoCaixa Barcelona|CosmoCaixa]] is a [[science museum]] that received the [[European Museum of the Year Award]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The European Museum of the Year |url=https://www.europeanforum.museum/en/winners/the-emya/ |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=European Forum |language=en |archive-date=13 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413051044/https://www.europeanforum.museum/en/winners/the-emya/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona]] was founded in 1882 under the name of "Museo Martorell de Arqueología y Ciencias Naturales"<ref name="134-anys-dhistoria">''[https://museuciencies.cat/134-anys-dhistoria/ Què passa al Museu?, Actualitat del Museu, Notícies del Museu, 134 anys d'història] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916043042/https://museuciencies.cat/134-anys-dhistoria/ |date=16 September 2020 }}'', Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona, press release 25 September 2016 {{in lang|ca}}</ref><ref name="Miradas">''Miradas: Páginas de la historia, una obra inédita'', exhibition at "Museo Cerralbo", Madrid, from 24 April to 24 May 2012 ({{in lang|es}}</ref> (Spanish for "Martorell Museum of Archaeology and Natural Sciences"). In 2011 the Museum of Natural Sciences ended up with a merge of five institutions: the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona (the main site, at the [[Forum Building]]), the [[Martorell Museum]] (the historical seat of the Museum, opened to the public from 1924 to 2010 as a geology museum), the ''[[Laboratori de Natura]]'', at the [[Castle of the Three Dragons]] (from 1920 to 2010: the Zoology Museum), the [[Historical Botanical Garden of Barcelona]], founded 1930, and the [[Jardí Botànic de Barcelona|Botanical garden of Barcelona]], founded 1999. Those two gardens are a part of the [[Botanical Institute of Barcelona]] too.

The [[FC Barcelona Museum]] is the third most popular tourist attraction in Catalonia, with 1,51 million visitors in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catalan museums received 21.5 million visitors in 2013 |url=http://www.catalannews.com/culture/item/catalan-museums-received-21-5-million-visitors-in-2013,%20https://www.catalannews.com/culture/item/catalan-museums-received-21-5-million-visitors-in-2013 |access-date=9 November 2021 |website=www.catalannews.com |language=en-gb}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

=== Parks ===
{{Main|Parks and gardens of Barcelona}}
[[File:Parc_guell_-_panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Park Güell]]]]
[[File:Parc de la Ciutadella Barcelona Mai 2013.jpg|thumb| [[Parc de la Ciutadella]] north of [[La Barceloneta]]]]
Barcelona contains sixty municipal parks, twelve of which are historic, five of which are thematic (botanical), forty-five of which are [[urban park|urban]], and six of which are forest.<ref>{{cite web |author=Parcs i Jardins, Institut Municipal |url=http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_mapa.htm |title=Parcs i Jardins> Els Parcs> Els Parcs de Barcelona |publisher=Bcn.es |access-date=26 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105064630/http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_mapa.htm |archive-date=5 January 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> They range from vest-pocket parks to large recreation areas. The urban parks alone cover 10% of the city ({{cvt|549.7|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}).<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> The total park surface grows about {{cvt|10|ha|acre|0}} per year,<ref>{{cite web |author=Parcs i Jardins, Institut Municipal |url=http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_ciu.htm |title=Parcs i Jardins> Els Parcs> Història> La ciutat i el verd |publisher=Bcn.es |access-date=26 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003183148/http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_ciu.htm |archive-date=3 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> with a proportion of {{cvt|18.1|m2|sqft|0}} of park area per inhabitant.<ref>{{cite web |author=Parcs i Jardins, Institut Municipal |url=http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_demo.htm |title=Parcs i Jardins> Els Parcs> Història> La democràcia |publisher=Bcn.es |access-date=26 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331111427/http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_demo.htm |archive-date=31 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Of Barcelona's parks, [[Montjuïc]] is the largest, with 203&nbsp;[[Hectare|ha]] located on the mountain of the same name, and includes the [[Jardí Botànic de Barcelona|Botanical Garden of Barcelona]], the [[Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens]], and more.<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> It is followed by [[Parc de la Ciutadella]] (which occupies the site of the old [[Citadel of Barcelona|citadel]] and which houses the [[Parliament of Catalonia|Parliament]] building, the [[Barcelona Zoo]], and several museums); {{cvt|31|ha|acre|1|disp=or}} including the zoo), the [[Guinardó Park]] ({{cvt|19|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}), [[Park Güell]] (designed by [[Antoni Gaudí]]; {{cvt|17.2|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}), [[Oreneta Castle Park]] (also {{cvt|17.2|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}), [[Diagonal Mar Park]] ({{cvt|13.3|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}, inaugurated in 2002), [[Nou Barris Central Park]] ({{cvt|13.2|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}), [[Can Dragó Sports Park]] and [[Poblenou Park]] (both {{cvt|11.9|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}), the [[Parc del Laberint d'Horta|Labyrinth Park]] ({{cvt|9.10|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}), named after the garden maze it contains.<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> There are also several smaller parks, for example, the [[Parc de Les Aigües]] ({{cvt|2|ha|acre|1|disp=or}}). A part of the Collserola Park is also within the city limits. [[PortAventura World]], one of the largest resort in Europe, with 5,837,509 visitors per year, is located one hour's drive from Barcelona.<ref>[http://www.investindustrial.com/dam/Investindustrial/Social-responsibility/Portoflio-Companies-CSR-Reports/PortAventura-2017-Corporate-Social-Responsibility-Report/PortAventura%202017%20Corporate%20Social%20Responsibility%20Report.pdf Corporate responsibility report 2017] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064435/http://www.investindustrial.com/dam/Investindustrial/Social-responsibility/Portoflio-Companies-CSR-Reports/PortAventura-2017-Corporate-Social-Responsibility-Report/PortAventura%202017%20Corporate%20Social%20Responsibility%20Report.pdf |date=26 October 2018 }} – [http://www.investindustrial.com/ investindustrial.com] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103131536/http://www.investindustrial.com/ |date=3 November 2018 }}, 2018</ref><ref>[http://www.teaconnect.org/sites/default/files/misc/files/2009report.pdf The Global Attractions Attendance Report] – [[Themed Entertainment Association]], 2009 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319052819/http://www.teaconnect.org/sites/default/files/misc/files/2009report.pdf |date=19 March 2012}}</ref> Also, within the city lies [[Tibidabo Amusement Park]], a smaller amusement park in Plaza del Tibidabo, with the [[Muntanya Russa (Tibidabo Amusement Park)|Muntanya Russa]] amusement ride.

=== Beaches ===
[[File:W_hotel_(7448603868).jpg|thumb|[[La Barceloneta]]]]
Barcelona beach was listed as number one in a list of the top ten city beaches in the world according to ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]''<ref name="NationalGeographic">{{cite web |url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/beach-cities-photos/#/beach-barcelona-spain_21757_600x450.jpg |title=Top 10 Beach Cities |date=8 July 2010 |access-date=30 July 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100721215624/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/beach-cities-photos/ |archive-date= 21 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''[[Discovery Channel]]''.<ref name="DiscoveryChannel">Movie "Worlds Best Beaches", Discovery Channel 2005 {{YouTube|8bdvj5gubnA}}</ref> Barcelona contains seven beaches, totalling {{cvt|4.5|km|mi|frac=4|abbr=off}} of coastline. [[Sant Sebastià]], [[La Barceloneta, Barcelona|Barceloneta]] and [[Somorrostro]] beaches, both {{cvt|1100|m|ft|-1}} in length,<ref name="guies_estadistiques"/> are the largest, oldest and the most-frequented beaches in Barcelona.

The [[Olympic Harbour]] separates them from the other city beaches: Nova Icària, Bogatell, Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant. These beaches (ranging from {{cvt|400|to|640|m|ft}} were opened as a result of the city restructuring to host the [[1992 Summer Olympics]], when a great number of industrial buildings were demolished. At present, the beach sand is artificially replenished given that storms regularly remove large quantities of material. The [[2004 Universal Forum of Cultures]] left the city a large concrete bathing zone on the eastmost part of the city's coastline. Most recently, Llevant is the first beach to allow dogs access during summer season.