Barcelona – ''Cool'' Catalonia

The second largest Spanish city has been declared for decades to be a more vibrant, open and trendy city than its biggest rival, Madrid. With bold design, a huge number of fashion shops and a nearby beach, it's easy to agree with the proud Catalans.

But behind the attractive exterior, there is still a Mediterranean casualness hidden, which we will best experience while sitting on the streets of Barcelona's city districts.

With dozens of hotels that make the lists of the most luxurious, imaginatively furnished or distinguished by extremely attentive and helpful staff, restaurants run by world-renowned chefs and freshly transformed industrial areas that turn into the most desirable neighborhoods, urban planners and admirers it is not for nothing that contemporary architecture calls the urban regeneration of urban areas around the world the Barcelona model. The second largest Spanish city, which received a concrete facelift before the Olympic Games in 1992, seems to refuse to stop in the race against time and presents itself to the world even more energetic and youthful at every moment. But this is only part of the Barcelona story. At the same time, there is another side of the city, the one that can only be observed in relaxed Mediterranean cities - the culture of the city, which (almost all year round) lives outside, especially in the evening hours, when the streets are flooded with young and old, of course with tens of thousands of tourists who in Barcelona they find a happy combination of the modern challenges of the 21st century and the leisure that has ruled this largest city on the Mediterranean coast for centuries.

A city of magnificent architecture Although Barcelona is known primarily for the masterpieces of Antoni Gaudí, a contemporary of Plečnik, a completely different city hides in the shadows La Seu Cathedral. It's in the building next to the cathedral History Museum of the city (Museu d´ Historia de la Ciutat), under which lies Barcino - the Roman Barcelona.

In the Middle Ages, the trading stands in the El Born area rivaled those of Renaissance Florence. The Church of Saint Mary of the Sea (Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar), rising above the nearby rooftops like Noah's Ark, is one of the most impressive medieval pearls. Gaudí's imaginations, full of unusual colors and shapes, are at the heart of Catalan architecture of the 20th century, but the city boasts a variety of masterpieces from the same period: the crazy concert hall Palau de la Música Catalana is the work of Catalan prodigy Lluís Domènech i Montaner and resembles a garden in a glass jar with wrapping ceramic roses and stone muses greeting visitors on the walls. Despite Franco's suppression of Catalan identity, the 1929 International Exposition gave impetus to Spanish architecture, presented on the hill Montjuic. In copy Pavilion, originally conceived by the architect and designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, can be seen the Barcelona chair - a cult product that Van der Rohe named after the city. Montjuic hill also reveals symbols of the 1992 Olympic revival: large stadium and other sports venues. A tower almost 110 meters high dominates the top of the hill Torre de Telefónica, one of the biggest stars of modern Spanish architecture by Santiago Calatrava. Modern and clean, it rises into space, while the sea in the distance still remains as important as in pre-Roman times.

The different faces of Barcelona
The best way to get to know how diverse Barcelona is is during a walk through the city's districts. Hilly neighborhood Pedralbes in the northwestern part of the city, it is full of city residences from the 19th and early 20th centuries, built by wealthy industrialists. It is the city's main shopping area and also one of the world centers of Art Nouveau L´Eixample. It lies on the northern slopes of the city Sarrià-St. Gervasi - a thousand-year-old agricultural area that has retained its rural charm to this day, complemented by elegant restaurants and boutiques. Former village Gràcia has long been the meeting place of progressive thinkers. It retains its youthful and independent charge even today, and the locals go to Gràcia mainly for the excellent cafes, bars and restaurants that are open late into the night. Ancient Roman walls and Gothic palaces surround streets closed to traffic, lined with antique shops and cafés. Such is the typical image Gothic quarters (Barri Gòtic), which extends around the Cathedral De la Seu. A colorful fishing quarter Barceloneta it is surrounded by fish restaurants and attractive beaches. The former town center of El Born and the coastal area of La Ribera now bear the name Born-Ribera, which is a paradise for trendy taverns, fine restaurants, Renaissance palaces and cultural icons such as Picasso Museum. Although it is thanks Museum of Contemporary Art and many galleries a former area of dubious reputation El Raval turned into the new city hit, still maintains a lively and bohemian soul. In recent years, the neighborhoods of Born, El Raval and Barceloneta have turned from dangerous districts into an inviting new face of Barcelona and the address of many excellent restaurants, bars and designer shops.

A hidden alley of many treasures
One of the most exciting areas of Barcelona, especially for lovers of unusual, designer products, is the street Carrer dels Flassaders in area of Born-Ribera. A restaurant and a shop found their premises in the palace from the 14th century Café de la Princesa, in which designer Julie Sohn presents her minimalist creations, and besides her, men can choose from models by the Danish brand Sand. La Báscula it's part art gallery reminiscent of an industrial plant, part cafe and vegetarian-friendly restaurant with excellent homemade spinach ravioli. Argentinian designer Mariela Marabi in her studio Almacén Marabí exhibits his playful dolls, which are also exhibited in the Museum of Contemporary Art. Lovers of jewelry should be wrapped up in the store Moscow, as its owner Maka Amraham travels the world collecting jewelry from near (massive earrings designed by Barcelona goldsmiths) and far (antique gold and silver jewelry from India), but also presents her own creations in pure silver or glass.

Gourmet advice from an expert
Helena Garriga started her career as a fashion designer and became famous by working with Moschino and Jean Paul Gaultier. Since food is her first love, she decided to collect the best local and international ingredients and offer them in her new store La Cuina d'en Garrig. Sweet tomato bread comes from the hands of pastry chef Carles Mampelo, who creates under the name Bubo. Butter buns with dried fruit and nuts come from the bakery Forn Baluard. Garriga also loves the restaurant's seafood and rice specialties El Suquet de l'Almirall and delicious specialties served around a communal table in the restaurant's artistic yet homely environment Tapioles 53. With one foot in Europe and the other deep in Catalan tradition, Barcelona is always torn between extremes: fervently Catalan national and sublimely cosmopolitan, snobbishly petty-bourgeois and yet constantly rebellious, madly in love with their football club and committed to traditional 'sports' such as 'construction' living towers of castellos (it is especially interesting to watch the strong guys on September 24 between the La Mercé festival, dedicated to the patron saint of Barcelona), today the irresistibly attractive Catalan center is one of the global dictaters of fashion, culture and design guidelines.

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