Barcelona, Spain — History and Culture
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona was besieged several times in history before flourishing into an independent community. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon in 1469, Barcelona became one of the most important cities of the country. Barcelona was always the stronghold of Catalan separatism and was the center of the Catalan Revolt that took place from 1640 to 1652. In the 19th century, Barcelona prospered and thrived despite the devastations of the civil war. Rapid urbanization took place as a result of large-scale immigration from other regions of Spain. It was the hosting of the 1992 Olympic Games which completely transformed 20th-century Barcelona into a versatile, global city. In addition to sports arenas, major investments were spent on both cultural and infrastructure. Today, Barcelona has developed into a major art and cultural center and also one of Europe's most popular city break destinations.
