History of Barcelona

Occupation of Barcelona

The Catalan city of Barcelona has a long history of alternating occupation and independence which has left a strong legacy in today’s modern city. Roman walls can still be seen in the Barri Gòtic sector, alongside medieval cathedrals and cobbled lanes. Much of the city’s attractions however date from a more recent golden age of architectural brilliance.

Phoenicians and Carthaginians

The Phoenicians and Carthaginians were the first to establish a city on this stretch of the Iberian coast, establishing an important port as early as the 4th century BC. By the 1st century BC, the Romans had besieged the area and controlled this thriving settlement, known then as Tarraco. It was during their occupation that the surviving city walls were built to resist invasion from the Franks and Huns.

Visigoths

With the waning of the Western Roman Empire the city fell into the hands of the Visigoths who renamed it Barcinona. But over the ensuing centuries the area came under constant invasion from several quarters, most notably the Moors, and Barcelona was to become an important frontline defence of Christian Europe from the invading Arabs of North Africa that overran the Iberian peninsula. Hence the region became known as the Spanish Mark.

Carolingian Empire

By the 8th Century the Reconquista began driving the Moors and Berbers out of Iberia and in 898 AD Barcelona was united with the Carolingian Empire. Within 100 years it had gained full independence and it soon rose to prominence as a dominant political and military force in the region.

Catalans

Under the rule of the infamous Wilfred the Hairy, Barcelona’s count, the Catalan region was properly founded with a hereditary system of succession. This independence continues to this day with the people of Barcelona preferring to call themselves Catalans rather than Spaniards.

Renaissance

Barcelona continued to thrive as one of the Western Mediterranean’s principal ports and Catalunya would go on to rule the Balearic islands for a brief period. During the Renaissance, the city’s arts and culture thrived and much of this can be seen today in the fabulous museums and galleries.

Spanish Empire

It is the impressive architecture and city layout that suggests just how wealthy Barcelona was. Despite the rise and fall of the Spanish Empire in the 16th Century, the city retained its dignity and later produced some brilliant work, such as the visionary architecture of Antonio Gaudi and brilliance of two of its most famous sons, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.

World War 2

During WWII, in which all of Spain was embroiled in its own civil war, Barcelona survived remarkably well and has since emerged as one of Europe’s most popular and interesting cities. Its hosting of the 1992 Olympics witnessed a coming of age for Barcelona and Catalunya.

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