Barcelona is a city that enjoys global recognition thanks to its cultural, tourist, financial and commercial wealth. Its attractiveness annually attracts a huge amount of tourists and therefore has become one of the most visited cities in Europe. Its emblematic streets breathe history in every corner, and for this reason today in Supercurioso we reveal you the curiosities of Barcelona so you can fully enjoy your trip. Join us!
Despite the terrible attack of the month of August 2017, Barcelona has not surrendered and is still open to the almost 12 million tourists who visit it each year, to the 3.2 million inhabitants that make up the metropolitan area that has it as Neuralgic center and especially to the sea, which you can easily walk along its Ramblas.
50 Curiosities of Barcelona
1. The statue of Columbus is one of the oldest and most emblematic monuments of Barcelona. Located at the end of Las Ramblas, it was built on the occasion of the Universal Exposition that took place in the same city in 1888. Knowing the exploits of this man, the most logical thing is to think that it points to the continent that he himself discovered. However, America is in the opposite direction. In the direction that aims is not found other than ... Mallorca!
2. The decision was made by its creators, since they thought that if it pointed towards La Rambla (where America really is), people would not understand why. For that reason several explanations have been given that try to justify this decision: the statue points out the path that the discoverer undertook towards the New World from the port of Palos de la Frontera, in Huelva; or it points towards Genoa, his hometown.
3. The monument to Columbus was inaugurated in 1888 and was paid by the city council, since the popular cost for its construction raised very little money.
4. Inside the column, an elevator goes up and down to the sphere under the discoverer's feet. There is no emergency staircase because there is no space to place it. In the year 2012, 6 tourists were trapped for 6 hours in the upper part and had to be evacuated by the firemen with a crane with elevator.
5. Hidden among the streets of the Gothic Quarter you can find one of the most emotional corners where you can appreciate the effects of the Spanish Civil War. And it is that in the facade of the church of the same square of Felip Neri can be appreciated the erosions caused by the bombing that took place on January 30, 1938. Because of this, 42 people died there, mostly children who were to the school next door.
6. The next of our curiosities of Barcelona You can find it in a historic building the "Casa de l'Ardiaca" or Casa del Arcediano, very close to the cathedral. There you can see in its façade a mailbox for the mail in which you can see some swallows and a turtle. Popular tradition says that they symbolize how fast mails should work in front of the turtle that is reality. However, that is not true, the modernist architect Domenech i Montaner designed the mailbox when the house was the headquarters of the Bar Association of Barcelona and the animals that are seen symbolize how high justice should fly and the slowness of the judicial processes.
7. It is said that touching the turtle of the "Casa de l'Ardiaca" brings good luck.
8. One of the curiosities of Barcelona More surprising awaits you in the Eixample: the presence of a Roman temple that recreates the Augustus temple of the forum of Barcino. Specifically, it is located at number 70 Calle Bailén. Also, do not think that it has been preserved intact for two thousand years! It was built much later, at the end of the 19th century, by jewelers and brothers Masriera.
9. They decided to carry out this reproduction to use it as a workshop at a time when the preservation of historical heritage was prioritized. The architect, Josep Vilaseca, was also the author of the Arc de Triomphe and the peculiar House of the Umbrellas that is located on the Rambla, among other works. Since then it has fulfilled several functions: after being the workshop of Masriera jewelers, in 1932 they gave way to the representation of plays and, currently, it is the seat of a religious formation after years in disuse.
10. One of the most emblematic churches in the city, Santa María del Mar, has become one of the most curiosities of Barcelona when giving title to a novel of world-wide success work of the lawyer and writer Ildefonso Falcones. It's about the exciting historical best-seller " The Cathedral of the Sea "
11. In one of the stained-glass windows of Santa María del Mar you can see a Barça shield. More than one insightful visitor will have noticed this fact, and then he will have asked himself: "Is the enthusiasm of the fans of the club so strong?" Quiet, it is not due to a question of fanaticism, but as a consequence of a historical fact. If we go back to the Civil War, we remember that on July 17, 1936 the temple suffered a fire that lasted 11 days and after which all the windows were destroyed. It was not until the end of the 60s that it was decided to restore the stained glass windows. And for this a sponsorship campaign was promoted. Among the entities of this campaign, was precisely the Football Club Barcelona. If you are curious, the shield is on the second floor, at the foot of one of the windows that are on the left side facing the altar.
12. Continuing with the theme of the previous one of these curiosities of Barcelona , maybe you have asked yourself why the fans of Barça are called "culés". Few know the origin of this name, but here in Supercurioso we will tell you. Between 1909 and 1922 the Barça played in a stadium of rather small dimensions and lacking in stands. For this reason, its spectators had to sit on the walls around the playing field, showing the passers-by the pedestrians. This is the reason why they began to be called "culers", which over time would end up taking the form of their own pronunciation: "culés".
12. The Barcelona Football Club Museum is the most visited in the city. In 2017, it received nearly 2 million visitors.
13. Another of the curiosities of Barcelona It is very close to the Basilica of Santa María del Mar. We find the face of a mysterious woman peeking out of the corner of Calle Mirallers in El Born. With wide eyes and a really intense facial expression, "La Carassa" is a representation of orgasm. This is because, at a time when many were illiterate, this was the way to indicate the existence of a brothel.
14. Through the streets of Raval you can breathe the legend of a vampire. It is the story of Enriqueta Martí, who lived in number 29 of the current street Joaquín Costa, formerly called De Ponent Street. Up to here everything normal. But it turns out that she was also the most fearsome murderer of children at the national level. Caused real panic at the beginning of the last century due to their practices, among which was the sale, prostitution or murder (in order to make creams and ointments).
15. Barcelona has several cemeteries, some of them are very small and are within the neighborhoods that were formerly independent towns and that little by little were added to the city. Especially interesting are Sant Gervasi, Sant Andreu or Sarriá.
16. The largest cemetery is that of Montjuich and has been in operation since the end of the 19th century. If you go through it, you can see works by important sculptors and offer free guided tours the second and fourth Sunday of each month.
17. The second cemetery in importance of the city is the "Cementiri Vell" (Cemenerio Viejo) or "Cementiri de Poblenou". In it, in addition to the sculpture "The kiss of death" made in the workshop of Jaume Barba, you can see one of the curiosities of Barcelona : a niche full of pieces of paper.
18. That niche is the "Tomb of the Santet" a young man from Barcelona named Francesc Canals Ambrós who died in the late nineteenth century and whose fame of kindness followed him beyond death. Many Barcelonians entrust themselves to him and place small pieces of paper behind the glass of his grave. They say that it is very miraculous and grants everything that is asked of you.
19. Barcelona is the fourth city in the world in which most "selfies" are made and the first in Spain.
20. Park Güell is the most photographed place in Barcelona and one of the most photographed in the world.
21. At the Arús Public Library, on the Paseo de Sant Joan, you can see presiding over the staircase, an authentic "Statue of Liberty". Made at the end of the 19th century, it is a replica of the one that France gave to the USA. However, in his hands he carries a book in which he can read: "Animas Libertas" which means "freedom of the soul", surely in reference to the Masonic ideals of those who commissioned it and created the library.
22. If you continue walking along the Paseo de Sant Joan towards the Parc de la Ciutadella you can see another Statue of Liberty at the foot of the monument to the mayor of the city "Rius i Taulet". This is different from the classic; It has wings and instead of a book it has an olive branch in its hand.
23. In Barcelona you can also find a statue of Anne Frank. It is not easy to discover it, it is perched on the marquee of the Center Artesà Tradicionarius in the neighborhood of Gracia. The square where it is named.
24. If you are in the Plaza de Catalunya, the neuralgic center of the city, in the sector of the square in front of "El Corte Inglés", you will see a statue of the Virgin of Montserrat in the arms of a giant. During the Civil War, the statue was not removed and many devout Barcelonians sneaked up to pray before this image while walking.
25. Another of the curiosities of Barcelona that for some years you can visit are the anti-aircraft shelters used by the population of Barcelona during the Civil War. The best known are the Plaça del Diamant in Gràcia and the one in Poble Sec. Both were excavated by the neighbors themselves.
26. It is also fashionable to visit another relic of the Civil War from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city, the Bunkers of Carmel. During the postwar period they served as home to many emigrants who arrived to settle in the city.
27. The Sagrada Familia is one of the jewels of Barcelona and hides many curiosities. One of them is the magic square that can be seen in the facade of passion. You add as you add, the result is 33; the age of Christ when he was crucified.
28. The Holy Family, the work of Antonio Gaudí, is still in the construction phase. The architect, knowing that he would not see the works finished, left models, plans and sketches so that others could continue it. Unfortunately, almost all of that documentation was burned during the Civil War.
29. Line 9 of the subway is under construction, when it is finished it will be fully automated, but today in some of its sections the convoys already work without a driver.
30. One of the curiosities of Barcelona What you can not miss is the Fuente de Canaletas, where the Barça victories are celebrated, it is at the top of Las Ramblas. Visitors often marvel at its small size.
31. The tradition says that if you drink water from the Canaletas Fountain you will go back to Barcelona.
32. Until a few years ago you could buy live animals in Las Ramblas. Due to a municipal ordinance that prohibits the exhibition of animals for sale, the booths were exchanged for stores of objects and typical foods or souvenirs.
33. The Boquería Market is the most popular in the city and is also located on Las Ramblas. At present, many of the stops for the sale of fresh merchandise have been replaced by premises dedicated to catering and prepared foods.
34. One of the hidden secrets of Barcelona are the remains of the Temple of Augustus found in the Gothic Quarter. To see them you have to enter a residential building and in the inner courtyard you can visit the columns of the temple. They were discovered in the 19th century when the headquarters of the Excursionist Center of Catalonia were built.
35. At number 2 of Paseo Colón Cervantes stayed in 1610 when he wrote the final part of Don Quixote. The house still conserves original elements although it was restored and modified in 1945.
36. Another of the curiosities of Barcelona is that at any time architects can make amazing findings. In 1988, on Durán and Bas street, very close to Portal del Ángel, the remains of the Roman aqueduct that brought the Besòs water to the city were found. They were left uncovered and today they can be seen passing through the street.
37. The two most important civil buildings in the city are face to face in the Plaza de Sant Jaume. They are the City Council and the Generalitat.
38. The Generalitat hides in its interior a patio known as "El pati dels tarongers" because these trees are planted in its alcorques.
39. In Barcelona you can take a guided tour of the city's sewer network. You can see the section that is between the Paseo de Sant Joan and the Diagonal.
40. Next to Santa María del Mar you will see a square with a cauldron and a perpetual flame. It is the Fossar de les Moreres and there was the old cemetery of Santa María del Mar where many Barcelonese were buried in the fighting of 1714. The flame is to remember them.
41. The old Mercado del Born, which was the central market of Barcelona, has become a cultural center and you can see numerous archaeological remains of what was the Ribera district until 1714. It is one of the curiosities of Barcelona most visited.
42. The oldest fountain in Barcelona is in the Plaza de Sant Just, very close to the Gothic basilica of Sant Just i Pastor, it was reformed in 1881, but you can still see sculpted three human heads that were the old fountains.
43. The building known as "La Pedrera", by Gaudí, was considered by his contemporaries a "horror". They compared it to a hangar or a "mona de Pascua" (typical cake that is given on Sunday or Easter Monday). In 1984 it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
44. Another of the curiosities of Barcelona It is located in Park Güell, also by Gaudí. Under the Hypostyle Hall there is a huge tank or cistern that collects the water that falls in the square of wavy banks, makes it go down the columns and nourishes the source of the dragon and other fountains of the park.
45. Gaudí was not only an architect, but he did many other works, among them he designed the 6-arm lampposts of the Plaza Real. It was one of his first orders.
46. In the Gothic Quarter, near the Cathedral in the Plaza del Rey, you can admire and even visit "El mirador del Rei Martí". In medieval times it was considered the tallest building in the world - although surely nobody checked it - and it caused admiration for its height.
47. One of the most popular customs in Barcelona is to take "a Swiss" (chocolate with cream) to one of the chocolate shops on Petritxol Street.
48. The lives of the people of Barcelona developed with their backs to the sea until, after the renovations for the 1992 Olympic Games, they opened to the sea. Since then the walks, beaches and restaurants near the water have become an incentive more for both its inhabitants and tourists.
49. At night, on the peak of Tibidabo, you will see the basilica of the Sacred Heart shine brightly. The lighting is not paid by the town hall or the Church, it is paid for by the donations it receives as an expiatory temple.
50. The last of these curiosities of Barcelona we will dedicate it to your oldest inhabited house without interruption. It is located on the corner of the streets of La Fruita with Sant Domènec del Call. It is known that in the twelfth century it was already inhabited and that it is slightly inclined due to the earthquake of 1428.
As you see, the Catalan capital is a myriad of mysteries to discover and interesting places to visit . What do you think about our selection of curiosities of Barcelona ? Do you know any that we have not taken into account? Illustrate us, we will read you with all our attention!
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Images: Jesus Harpon , Baikonur ,