Catalunya or Liceu

For a different experience, stroll the Barri Gotic at different times of the day, the evening for example is a magical time to experience the narrow alleys of this Gothic Quarter. The shops generally close during the middle of the day.

The Romans arrived in Barcelona during the first century BC, amid the reign of Emporer Caesar Augustus. The Romans called their city Barcino, but it did not have the status of other, more important Roman cities in the area, such as Tarraco. Barcino did however enjoy a strategic position that brought about its commercial development, based on cultivating the surrounding land. It even enjoyed immunity from imperial taxation!

Entrance into Barcino as shown in 1928

The status of Barcino all changed during the 3rd century, when Germainc tribes started raiding the area. Barcino’s fortifications were greatly improved - the new city wall was up to 8-metres in height, with 78 towers measuring up to 18-metres high. The new fortifications were the strongest in the Roman province and Barcino received the call to become the future capital of Catalan.

Medieval Tower in the Barri Gotic

Although the Roman Empire fell apart shortly after this, early Barcelona was declared the capital of the region, which extended through part of both Spain and France. Medieval Barcelona rose upon the foundations of Roman Barcino, with new grand Gothic palaces and churches that still dominate today. Many prosperous European cities condemned their Romanesque buildings to demolition to make way for new ones, however financial decline in the fortunes of Barcelona during the middle ages prevented the city doing likewise. The Barri Gòtic therefore, not only contains all that remains of the Roman Barcino but also some of the best preserved Gothic buildings in Europe.

Gothic Towers of the Cathedral

The Barri Gòtic today is a warren of narrow medieval streets that still form the civic and religious heart of the city. Shops, restaurants, bars and hotels replace cobblers, tailors, silversmiths and sail makers, but little else has changed.

Taking you on a quick tour – starting in the Plaça Nova – where visitors in the 3rd century would have been confronted by the cities walls and two great towers marking the entrance into Barcino. At the heart of the Barri Gòtic is the Plaça del Rei, the Kings Square, one of the cities best medieval squares, surrounded by grand buildings.  For centuries residents of the square were various Counts of Barcelona. It is in fact in a hall of the Palau Reial, the Royal Palace, that Christopher Columbus gave a report to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella after his first voyage of discovery in 1492. Most of the Palau Reial building now forms the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat, a museum that tells the story of Barcelona’s first millenium. The highlight is the Roman archaeologal dig in the basement, where you can see the remains of Roman streets and buildings.

Narrow Streets of the Barri Gotic

Neo-Gothic Carrer del Brisbe

A seasonal market in the Plaça Nova

Towers of the Palau Reial in the Plaça del Rei

Museu d'Història de la Ciutat

The Plaça de Sant Jaume, St James Square, was once the nucleus of Roman Barcino and now the home to Barcelona’s 2 most important governement buildings. The square was named after a church dedicated to St James which was demolished to make way for the Palau de la Generalitat, the Palace of Catalan Government, and the Ajuntament, which is the City Hall.

Dancing in the Plaça de Sant Jaume

Ajuntament in Plaça de Sant Jaume

The Església de Santa Mariadel Pi is a 14th-century Gothic church named after a pine tree, a descendant of which still stands in the square. The highlight of the church is the giant rose window above the grand entrance. Nearby the Placa Sant Josep Oriol, the prettiest of the three squares in the area, is filled with café tables, where you can sit and enjoy the surroundings at your leisure.

The Església de Santa Maria del Pi

Catalan’s meet on Sundays to dance in circles. Anyone who knows the steps can join in – a few steps to the right, one back and then the same to the left – when they get carried away, they even raise their arms. Accompanied by a group of musicians playing various kinds of instruments, the best place to watch is in the Plaça de Sant Jaume or the Plaça Nova.

Antique shop in the Barri Gotic

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