It seems that everything has been said, explained, written, and rewritten about Barcelona. Yet it continues to fascinate, to mesmerize, and to attract those interested in the language of Cervantes for a cultural language trip to Spain that is both cultural and sun-drenched. Today, LEC shares 12 facts you should know about the city.
In French, it is called Barcelona; but in Spanish, it is referred to as Barcelona.
Barcelona is the administrative and economic capital of Catalonia, the country's sixth-largest autonomous community by area and second-largest by population.
The city is also the capital of the El Barceloinès region, an administrative unit on this side of the Pyrenees comparable to a community of municipalities.
Barcelona is Spain’s second-largest city in terms of population, after Madrid, which you may also have the opportunity to explore during a language study trip to Spain.
In 2014, Barcelona had a population of 1.602 million: that’s roughly the same as the city of Montreal, Canada, or Philadelphia, in the United States.
Barcelona is the 11th most populous city in the entire European Union, behind Warsaw, Poland, but ahead of Munich, Germany.
The city is crossed by the Llobregat and Besòs rivers.
Barcelona is home to the largest urban park in the world, Collserola Park: in terms of area, it is larger than the Bois de Boulogne and Central Park.
In 1992, Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics, taking over from Seoul, South Korea.
Several of its landmarks are currently listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: these include Park Güell and the Hospital de Sant Pau, for example.
Since June 13, 2015, Barcelona has been led by Mayor Ada Colau Ballano, a social activist.
Many films are set in Barcelona, including Vicky Cristina Barcelonaby Woody Allen, The Spanish Apartmentby Cédric Klapisch, and All About My Motherby Pedro Almodóvar, or Biutiful, by Alejandro González Iñárritu.