Other sights in Barcelona
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Plaça Reial & Around
Just south of Carrer de Ferran, near its La Rambla end, Plaça Reial is a traffic-free plaza whose 19th-century neoclassical facades are punctuated by numerous eateries, bars and nightspots. It was created on the site of a convent, one of several destroyed along La Rambla (the strip was teeming with religious institutions) in the wake of the Spain-wide disentailment laws that stripped the Church of much of its property.
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Museu d'Història de Barcelona
Leap back into Roman Barcino with a subterranean stroll and then stride around parts of the former Palau Reial Major (Grand Royal Palace) on Plaça del Rei (King’s Sq, the former palace’s courtyard), among the key locations of medieval princely power in Barcelona, in what is one of Barcelona’s most fascinating museums. The square is frequently the scene of organised or impromptu concerts and is one of the most atmospheric corners of the medieval city.
Enter through Casa Padellàs, just south of Plaça del Rei. Casa Padellàs was built for a 16th-century noble family in Carrer dels Mercaders and moved here, stone by stone, in the 1930s. It has a courtyard typical of Ba…
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Museu Barbier-Mueller d'Art Pre-Colombí
Inside the medieval Palau Nadal you plunge into a world of centuries-old South American art and crafts. The artefacts on show are part of the treasure-trove of pre-Columbian art collected by Swiss businessman Josef Mueller (who died in 1977) and his son-in-law Jean-Paul Barbier, who directs the Musée Barbier-Mueller in the heart of old Geneva in Switzerland. Together, the museums form one of the most prestigious collections of such art in the world.
In blacked-out rooms, the eerily illuminated artefacts flare up in the gloom. South American gold jewellery introduces the collection, followed by rooms containing ceramics, jewellery, statues, textiles and other objects. Eve…
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Museu de Ceràmica
the Palau Reial de Pedralbes houses two museums. The Museu de Ceràmica has a fine collection of Spanish ceramics from the 13th to 19th centuries, plus work by Picasso and Miró. The Disseny Hub is itself the fusion of two collections (Museu de les Arts Decoratives and Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària), and also has a space for temporary exhibitions in La Ribera. The Museu de les Arts Decoratives brings together an eclectic assortment of furnishings, ornaments and knick-knacks dating as far back as the Romanesque period, while the Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària contains some 4000 items that range from 4th-century Coptic textiles to 20th-century local embroidery, with …
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Air Raid Shelter
This air raid shelter was one of more than 1300 across the city during the civil war. The narrow and winding tunnels were slowly dug to a total of 200m over two years from March 1937. The half-hour tours (generally in Spanish or Catalan but you can book ahead for English or French) provide some fascinating insight into life in wartime Barcelona. Just being inside here and imagining bombs dropping outside is enough to give you the heebie-jeebies.
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Cementiri de l’Est
The Cementiri de l’Est, created in 1773, was positioned outside the then city limits for health reasons. Its central monument commemorates the victims of a yellow-fever epidemic that swept across Barcelona in 1821. The cemetery is full of bombastic family memorials, but an altogether disquieting touch is the sculpture El Petó de la Mort (The Kiss of Death), in which a winged skeleton kisses a young, kneeling but lifeless body.
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Palau de la Generalitat
Founded in the early 15th century, the Palau de la Generalitat is open on limited occasions only (the second and fourth weekends of the month, plus open-door days). The most impressive of the ceremonial halls is the Saló de Sant Jordi, named after St George, the region's patron saint. At any time, however, you can admire the original Gothic main entrance on Carrer del Bisbe. To join weekend visits, book on the website.
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Market
A 19th-century market, built on the site of a 15th-century monastery, was replaced in 2005 with this original, colourful market designed by the adventurous Catalan architect Enric Miralles. The outstanding element is the bright, ceramic-covered, wavy roof - a splash of pastel loopiness. Out the back, remnants of the monastery uncovered during excavations are on public show with explanatory panels.
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Fundació Fran Daurel
The Fundació Fran Daurel (in Poble Espanyol) is an eclectic collection of 300 works of art including sculptures, prints, ceramics and tapestries by modern artists ranging from Picasso and Miró to more contemporary figures, including Miquel Barceló. The foundation also has a sculpture garden, boasting 27 pieces, nearby the Fundació and within the grounds of Poble Espanyol (look for the Montblanc gate).
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Ajuntament
Outside, the only feature of the ajuntament that's now worthy of note is the disused Gothic entrance on Carrer de la Ciutat. Inside, you can visit the Saló de Cent, a fine arched hall created in the 14th century (but since remodelled) for the medieval city council, the Consell de Cent. Guided visits start every 30 minutes; English and French speakers are catered for.
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Parlament de Catalunya
Southeast, in the fort's former arsenal, is the regional Parlament de Catalunya. Head up the sweeping Escala d'Honor (Stairway of Honour) and through several solemn halls to the Saló de Sessions, the semicircular auditorium where parliament sits. You can join free guided tours. It also opens on the first Friday of the month and on 11 and 12 September.
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Estadi Olímpic
Next comes a pleasant park, the Jardí d'Aclimatació, followed by the Estadi Olímpic, the main stadium of the games (enter at the north end). If you saw the Olympics on TV, the 65,000-capacity stadium may seem surprisingly small. So might the Olympic flame holder into which an archer spectacularly fired a flaming arrow during the opening ceremony. The stadium was opened in 1929 and restored for 1992.
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Museu Olímpic i de l'Esport
Across the road from the stadium is the Museu Olímpic i de l'Esport, an information-packed interactive museum dedicated to the history of sport and the Olympic Games. After picking up tickets, you wander down a ramp that snakes below ground level and is lined with displays on the history of sport, starting with the ancients.
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Fundación
Francisco Godia (1921-90) put together the intriguing mix of medieval art, ceramics and modern paintings at the Fundación in a lifetime of collecting. Godia's interests ranged from the Neapolitan baroque painter Luca Giordano through to Catalan Modernisme and Valencia's Joaquim Sorolla, not to mention fast cars.
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CaixaForum
Part of the Caixa bank’s extensive collection of modern art from around the globe is housed in a remarkable former Modernista factory designed by Puig i Cadafalch. Constantly changing exhibitions are generally top quality and the elegant brick building itself warrants a wander even if the current exhibitions don’t ring your bell.
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Església de Santa Maria del Pi
The Gothic Església de Santa Maria del Pi, completed in the 16th century, dominates Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol. The beautiful rose window above its entrance on Plaça del Pi is reputedly the world’s biggest. Anarchists’ fire gutted the church’s interior in 1936 and most of the stained glass is modern.
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Pavelló Mies van der Rohe
Just to the west of La Font Màgica is the strange Pavelló Mies van der Rohe. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe erected the Pavelló Alemany (German Pavilion) for the 1929 World Exhibition. It was a startling modern experiment. What you see now is a replica erected by an association of his fans in the 1980s.
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Mirador a Colom
The bottom end of La Rambla, and the harbour beyond, lie under the supervision of this late 19th-century monument to the glory of Christopher Columbus (who some Catalan historians insist came from Barcelona rather than Genoa in Italy). You can take the lift to the top for spectacular views over the city.
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Palau del Bispat
At the northern end of Carrer del Bisbe, poke your head into the courtyard of the 13th-century Palau del Bispat. On the outside of this building, at the end of Carrer del Bisbe, the foundations of the rounded towers that flanked a Roman gate are visible.
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Biblioteca de Catalunya
The restored Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu (Former Holy Cross Hospital) today houses the Biblioteca de Catalunya.The library is the single most complete collection of documents (estimated at around three million) tracing the region’s long history.
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Disseny Hub
The 13th-century Palau dels Marquesos de Llió (which underwent repeated alterations into the 18th century) is now temporary home to part of the city’s Disseny (Design) Hub collection of applied arts. This building is used for temporary exhibitions.
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Fàbrica del Sol
One relic left from the industrial era is the Fàbrica del Sol, a red brick and yellow-painted building that now houses a city office devoted to environmental sustainability (the solar panel out the back is no coincidence).
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Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol & Around
This small plaza is the prettiest in the Barri Gòtic. Its bars and cafes attract buskers and artists and make it a lively place to hang out. It is surrounded by quaint streets, many dotted with appealing cafes, restaurants and shops.
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Sala Capitular
Although Sala Capitular is bathed in rich red carpet and cosseted by fine-timber seating, the few artworks gathered here are of minor interest. Among them is a Pietat by Bartolomeo Bermejo.
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Can Coll
The 15th-century Can Coll, a grand farmhouse, is used as an environmental education centre where you can see how richer farmers lived around the 17th to 19th centuries.
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