Barcelona, ​​capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, is located in the Spanish Levant, on the Mediterranean coast. It is located on a plain about 6 meters long and 6 meters wide, limited on its sides by the sea and the Collserola mountain range - with the summit of Tibidabo (516.2 m) as the highest point - as well as by the deltas of the Besós and Llobregat rivers. Above the coastline and separating the city from the Llobregat delta is the Montjuic mountain (184.8 m).[6] Likewise, from the Collserola mountain range several hills advance on the plain that follow a line parallel to the coastal mountain range: they are the Peira hills (133 m), the Rovira (261 m), the Carmelo "Mount Carmelo (Barcelona)") (267 m), the Creueta del Coll (249 m), the Putget (181 m) and Monterols (121 m).[7]​.

The Barcelona plain is located on a fault that runs from Montgat to Garraf, originating in the Paleozoic. The terrain is made up of slate substrates "Slate (rock)") and granitic formations, as well as clays and calcareous stones.[8] The coast was formerly occupied by marshes and lagoons, which disappeared as the coastline advanced thanks to the sedimentation provided by the rivers and torrents that flowed into the beach; It is estimated that from the century BC. C. the coastline has been able to advance about 5 km.[9]​ The plain area was formerly crisscrossed by numerous torrents and streams, which were grouped into three river sectors: the Horta stream in the area near the Besós river (or eastern area); the Riera Blanca and the Gornal torrent in the Llobregat area (or western area); and, in the central area of ​​the plain, a set of streams from the southern slope of Tibidabo, such as the Sant Gervasi, Vallcarca, Magòria and Collserola streams.[10]​.

The climate is Mediterranean, with mild winters thanks to the protection that the terrain's orography offers to the plain, which is sheltered from the north winds. The temperature usually ranges between 9.5 °C and 24.3 °C, on average. It has little rainfall, about 600 mm annually, and most precipitation occurs in spring and autumn. This shortage meant that in the past numerous works had to be carried out to supply the city with water, including wells, canals and irrigation ditches. The vegetation of the area is mainly composed of pines and oaks, and undergrowth of heather, durillo, strawberry tree and climbing plants. In the past, both dryland and irrigated agriculture was practiced - mainly vineyards and cereals - although today practically the entire surface is built.[11]​.

Barcelona, ​​with a population of 1,604,555 inhabitants in 2015,[12]​ is the most important urban center in Catalonia at a demographic, political, economic and cultural level. It is the seat of the autonomous government and the Parliament of Catalonia, as well as the Provincial Council, the archbishopric and the IV Military Region, and has a port, an airport and an important network of railways and roads.[13]​.

Prehistory

There are few vestiges of prehistoric times in the city. Although the human presence in the Paleolithic is confirmed, the first remains in terms of architecture come from the Neolithic, a time when human beings became sedentary and went from a subsistence based on hunting and gathering to an agrarian and livestock economy. These first vestiges come from the end of the Neolithic (3500 BC-1800 BC), and are mainly manifested by funerary practices with pit tombs, which used to be quite deep and covered with slabs. An example of this is the tomb discovered in 1917 on the southwest slope of the Monterols hill, between Muntaner and Copérnico streets; of imprecise dating, it is 60 cm high and 80 cm wide, and was made up of flat slabs of irregular shape. As far as habitations are concerned, from this period only a cabin back has been found in what is the current San Andrés Condal station.[14]​.

From the Bronze Age (1800 BC-800 BC) there are also few remains preserved regarding the plain of Barcelona. The main ones come from a site discovered in 1990 on San Pablo Street, where remains of fireplaces and individual burial graves have been found. The remains found in 1931 in Can Casanoves, behind the San Pablo Hospital, are also surely from this period, where remains of stone walls and the bottoms of three circular cabins of about 180 cm in diameter have been found. On the other hand, there are written testimonies of two megalithic monuments, located in Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)") and Campo del Arpa, of which, however, no material trace has remained. Finally, from the late Chalcolithic there are few remains of the so-called "urn field culture", found in the Can Don Joan farmhouse, in Horta, and on the southeastern slope of the Montjuic mountain, between the Molí Antic and Font de la Mamella roads.[15]​.

Iberian period

Between the century BC. C. and the century BC. C. the plain of Barcelona was occupied by the Layetans, an Iberian people who occupied the current regions of Barcelonés, Vallés "Vallés (Catalonia)"), Maresme and Bajo Llobregat.[16] Iberian architecture was based on rammed earth walls, with a lintel system, with false arches and vaults made by approximation of courses. The cities were usually located on an acropolis, with towers and solid walls for defense, within which the houses were located, with an irregular distribution, generally with a rectangular plan.[17]​.

In Barcelona there are hardly any Iberian architectural remains: the main vestiges of this culture were found in the hills of Rovira, Peira and Putget, as well as in Santa Cruz de Olorde - in Tibidabo -, but they have not allowed us to establish special characteristics with regard to habitations or funerary tombs.[18]​ The main remains come from Rovira, where in 1931 vestiges of a Iberian town that, unfortunately, were destroyed when anti-aircraft batteries were installed during the Civil War. Apparently, it had a wall with two entrances, while located outside the walls a set of silos with 44 tanks excavated in the rock was found.[19]​.

Apparently, the main Iberian settlement in the area was in Montjuic—possibly the Barkeno named after two coins minted at the end of the century BC. C.—, although the recent urbanization of the mountain and its intensive use as a stone quarry throughout the city's history has caused the loss of most of the remains. In 1928, nine large-capacity silos were discovered in the Magòria area, which were probably part of a warehouse for agricultural surpluses. On the other hand, in 1984 remains of a settlement were found on the southwest slope of the mountain, on a piece of land measuring about 2 or 3 hectares.[20]​.

Roman period

In the century BC. C. the Romans arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, during the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, which began a colonizing process that culminated with the incorporation of all of Hispania into the Roman Empire. In the century BC. C. Barcino was founded,[note 1]​ a small walled city projected from the beginning with a monumental air, and which took the urban form of castrum initially, and oppidum later, settled on the Mons Taber (16,9). The maximum splendor of the Roman era occurred during the century, with a population that must have ranged between 3,500 and 5,000 inhabitants.[21]​.

The Romans were great experts in civil architecture and engineering, and provided the territory with roads, bridges, aqueducts and cities with a rational layout and basic services, such as sewage, as well as buildings such as temples, baths, circuses and theaters. Roman architecture was based on the use of ashlar, brick and masonry rigs, and compared to the Greek architrave system they introduced the use of the arch "Arch (architecture)"), the vault and the dome. They adopted from the Greeks the use of the Ionic and Corinthian orders, to which they added the Tuscan and the Composite.[22]​.

The Barcino enclosure was walled, with a perimeter of , which protected an area of ​​10.4 hectares.[23] The first wall of the city, of simple masonry, began to be built in the century BC. C. It had few towers, only in the corners and at the doors of the walled perimeter. However, the first incursions by the Franks and Alemanni starting in the 250s gave rise to the need to reinforce the walls, which were expanded in the 19th century. The new wall was built on the foundations of the first, and was formed by a 2-meter double wall, with space in the middle filled with stone and mortar "Mortar (construction)"). The wall consisted of 74 towers about 18 meters high, most of them with a rectangular base.[24]​.

The center of the city was the forum, the central square dedicated to public life and business. It was located at the confluence between the cardus maximus "Cardo (street)") (Llibreteria and Call streets) and the decumanus maximus (Bisbe, Ciutat and Regomir streets), approximately in the center of the walled enclosure.[25]​ In the forum, constructions dedicated to business, justice, the baths and other public buildings were concentrated, and it was the place where the authorities met in the Curia and the Basilica. The forum area has not been clearly delimited, but it appears to approximately coincide with the current Plaza de San Jaime.[26] In the forum was the Temple of Augustus "Temple of Augustus (Barcelona)"), the first emperor and founder of the Roman Barcino. It was built a few years after the founding of the city, probably at the beginning of the century AD. C. It was a rectangular building, on a , hexastyle and peripteral, about 35 meters long by 17.5 meters wide. Between the Corinthian colonnade was located the , a room that contained the image or sculpture of the Emperor Augustus, accessible from the forum. Only three columns "Column (architecture)") remain from this temple, still located in their original location, although they are currently inside the building of the Excursionist Center of Catalonia, on Paradís Street.[27]​.

Contenido

Las primeras construcciones intactas que se conservan en la ciudad proceden de la Edad Media, época en que Barcelona se constituyó como condado y posteriormente pasó a formar parte de la Corona de Aragón, convirtiéndose en un importante eje marítimo y comercial del mar Mediterráneo. En el siglo surgió el Consejo de Ciento, una de las primeras instituciones públicas de Barcelona. El recinto de la ciudad fue creciendo desde el primitivo núcleo urbano —lo que hoy día es el Barrio Gótico—, y en el siglo surgió el barrio de El Raval. Barcelona tenía entonces unos 25 000 habitantes.[36]​.

Pre-Romanesque

The first style produced in the field of medieval art is the so-called pre-Romanesque, located between the fall of the Roman Empire and the creation of the Hispanic Brand. During this period Barcelona was integrated into the Visigoth kingdom and, after a brief Islamic occupation, into the Carolingian Empire.

Visigothic architecture was characterized by the use of the ashlar wall, the horseshoe arch and the barrel or groin vault. The churches used to have a basilica plan with one or three naves "Nave (architecture)"), or a Greek cross, generally with free-standing chapels and an entrance porch.[37] In Barcelona there are few remains of the Visigothic period, in which the city remained within the walls. There are known remains of a palace built in the century on the old Roman forum, later an episcopal palace. Another palace, perhaps where Ataúlfo was murdered, was discovered under the current Salón del Tinell, in the Plaza del Rey "Plaza del Rey (Barcelona)"), where a necropolis of the time (- centuries) was also discovered.[38]​ The cathedral continued to be the early Christian basilica, and there is evidence that churches such as San Pablo del Campo, Santos Justo y Pastor "Basilica de los Santos Justo y Pastor (Barcelona)") and Santa María de las Arenas—later del Mar—.[39]​ It is likely that for a time the cathedral was attached to the Arian cult practiced by the first Visigoths, until the Catholic conversion of Recaredo in the year 587.[40]​.

The brief Islamic occupation of the city, lasting just 83 years, did not leave a special mark. The population of the Muslim Barshilūna (برشلونة) remained predominantly Christian, as the invaders did not attempt to convert them to Islam. The Arab wali set up a military garrison in the city, and possibly converted the cathedral into a mosque, as happened in other cities, although there is no evidence of this.[41]

Later the city fell under dependence on the Carolingian Empire, which spanned from the conquest of Ludovico Pío in 801 to the offensive led by Almanzor in 985. During this time the cathedral was restored, thanks to the initiative of Bishop Frodoí around the year 877, on the occasion of the transfer of the remains of Saint Eulalia to the crypt of the cathedral.[42] During the approximately two centuries that Carolingian influence lasted in Barcelona, the city also had the cathedral with the urban churches of San Jaime "Iglesia de San Jaime (Barcelona)"), San Miguel "Iglesia de San Miguel (Barcelona)") and Santos Justo y Pastor "Basilica de los Santos Justo y Pastor (Barcelona)"), in addition to those located outside the walls of Santa María del Pino, Santa María del Mar and the monasteries of San Pablo del Campo and San Pedro de las Puellas; All of these churches were later renovated in other styles.[43]​ Around the century, various parishes and population centers were also formed in the vicinity of the city, such as San Ginés dels Agudells, San Andrés de Palomar, San Juan de Horta, San Gervasio de Cassoles and San Martín de Provensals.[44]​.

During the medieval period, Barcelona had a Jewish neighborhood, Call, located between the current streets of Fernando, Baños Nuevos, Palla and Obispo. Founded in 692, it survived until its destruction in 1391 in a xenophobic assault. It was separated from the rest of the city by a wall, and had two synagogues (Major, currently a museum, and Minor, today the parish of San Jaime), baths, schools and hospitals.[45]​.

The development of agriculture in the plain of Barcelona was consolidated with the construction, in the middle of the century - and probably by Count Miró - of two canals that directed the waters of the Llobregat river "Llobregat (river)") and the Besós to the outskirts of the city: the Besós was known as Acequia Condal or Regomir, and was parallel to the Strata Francisca, a road that was a variant of the old Via Augusta Roman, and which was built by the Franks to better bring the city closer to the center of the Carolingian Empire.[46]​.

Romanesque

Romanesque art, developed from around the year 1000 to the 19th century, is linked to the creation of the Catalan counties—of which the County of Barcelona acquired preeminence over the rest—which progressively gained autonomy from the Carolingian Empire, while at the same time recovering ground from the Islamic kingdoms. Feudalism was established as the prevailing regime, and Romanesque languages emerged, including Catalan.[47]​ In the County, the main influences came from Lombardy and the Provencal and Toulouse schools, although new typologies were created in the use of stone and in the covering of large surfaces with vaults that allow us to speak of an authentically Catalan Romanesque.[48]​ Romanesque architecture stands out for the use of barrel vaults and semicircular arches, with stone walls carved in ashlars on a masonry core. The churches have one or three naves, with a wide transept and ambulatory in some cases, in addition to the presence of one or more apses in the back.[49]​.

Little is known about the Romanesque cathedral, except that it was consecrated in 1058, which suggests that it must have been a different building from the early Christian or pre-Romanesque one. It probably occupied the central space of the current Gothic cathedral, and if it followed the model of other churches of the time it must have had three naves with three stepped apses and an entrance portico. It had a bell tower that bordered the Count's Palace.[50] The church of Nuestra Señora del Coll "Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Coll (Barcelona)") is also from the century, located at the foot of Mount Carmel "Monte Carmelo (Barcelona)"), of which the central body and the bell tower are preserved, while the other current elements of the church are from the century.[51]​.

The main exponent of Romanesque art in Barcelona is the monastery of San Pablo del Campo, completely renovated between the 19th and 2nd centuries. The façade has a tympanum "Tympanum (architecture)") with an image of Jesus between Saints Peter and Paul, with the Tetramorphs and the hand of God.[53]​.

In the century the monastery of San Pedro de las Puellas was also renovated, founded in 945 by Count Sunyer, but rebuilt in Romanesque style before 1147, the date on which the church was consecrated. It had a cross-shaped plan, with an atrium, cloister and several monastic rooms.[54] In the middle of the century the monastery of Santa Ana "Monasterio de Santa Ana (Barcelona)") was created, with a Latin cross plan with a nave and a rectangular head; The cloister is from the 19th century, with two floors, with a lower gallery of pointed arches with quadrilobed columns.[55] Also from the 19th century are: the chapel of San Lázaro, in Plaza del Pedró, which was part of an old leper colony; and the Marcús chapel, belonging to an old hospital for the poor, with a rectangular plan and an apse that was demolished in 1787.[56] The church of San Juan de Horta was probably also from this period, around which the municipality of Horta "Horta (Barcelona)") was created, destroyed in the events of the Tragic Week "Semana Trágica (Spain)") of 1909.[57]​.

Gothic

Developed between the and centuries, it was a time of economic development and geographical expansion: Barcelona became one of the main political, economic, social, cultural and commercial centers of the Crown of Aragon, and would become one of the main Mediterranean powers in the centuries, and, in competition with Genoa and Venice.[63] Architecture underwent a profound transformation, with lighter, more dynamic forms, with a better structural analysis that allowed for more stylized buildings, with more openings. and, therefore, better lighting. New typologies appeared, such as the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, and the use of buttresses and buttresses to support the structure of the building, which allowed larger interiors decorated with stained glass and rose windows.[64]​.

From the middle of the century, fully Gothic churches were introduced in Barcelona, ​​characterized by the plan of a nave with a polygonal head flanked by side chapels between buttresses. These churches were initially promoted mainly by Franciscans and Dominicans, and their first exponents were the churches-monastery of Santa Catalina and San Francisco. and heptagonal head.[66]​ The church of San Francisco "Convento de San Francisco (Barcelona)") (1247-1297) had a nave with seven sections, with side chapels and a polygonal apse; It was located in the current Plaza del Duque de Medinaceli, until it was demolished in 1837.[67] Between the 13th and 14th centuries, the convent of Carmen "Convento del Carmen (Barcelona)") was also built - demolished in 1875 -, with a single nave with a polygonal head and side chapels, covered with diaphragm arches that were later replaced by a ribbed vault.[68]​.

In 1298 the Gothic reform of the Barcelona Cathedral began, with a three-nave structure with an ambulatory and double chapels, and a crypt with the tomb of Saint Eulalia. The head is inspired by the Narbonne Cathedral, with an ambulatory and a crown of radial chapels. The initial project is by an unknown author, while between 1317 and 1339 Jaume Fabre completed the chevet and the crypt; Between 1365 and 1388, Bernat Roca was in charge of the transept and the bell towers, as well as the vaults of the naves up to the rear choir; between 1398 and 1405 Arnau Bargués built the chapter house; In the following years the cloister was built, with master builders Jaume Solà), Bartomeu Gual and Andreu Escuder. The façade was built in the 19th century, in the neo-Gothic style.[69]​.

Next to the cathedral a large group of churches emerged, the first being that of Santa María del Pino, begun in 1319 and practically completed at the end of the century. It has a single nave with seven sections with cross vaults, with chapels between the buttresses, following the type of churches of mendicant orders. The façade stands out for its large rose window with radial traceries, comparable to those of Sant Cugat del Vallès and the Cathedral of Tarragona. Next to the church is the octagonal bell tower. Master builders such as Guillem Abiell, Francesc Basset and Bartomeu Mas took part in its layout.[70]

En este período Barcelona pasó a formar parte del nuevo reino de España surgido de la unión de las coronas de Castilla y Aragón. Fue una época de alternancia entre períodos de prosperidad y de crisis económicas, especialmente por las epidemias de peste en el siglo y por conflictos sociales y bélicos como la Guerra dels Segadors y la Guerra de Sucesión entre los siglos y , aunque en este último siglo repuntó la economía gracias a la apertura del comercio con América y al inicio de la industria textil. La ciudad seguía encorsetada en sus murallas —la única ampliación fue en la playa, el barrio de la Barceloneta—, pese a que al final del período tenía casi 100 000 habitantes. Artísticamente fue la época del Renacimiento y el Barroco, estilos en los que se construyeron numerosos palacios e iglesias.[92]​.

Renaissance

Artistically, although some authors speak of a certain decadence, it was a fairly productive time, although there was no truly indigenous creation, since both the artistic forms and styles, and often the artists themselves, came from outside. In any case, the innovations of the Italian Renaissance arrived late, towards the end of the century, and meanwhile the Gothic forms survived.[93] Renaissance architecture stood out for the return to classical forms, with the use of semicircular arches, "Column (architecture)" columns of classical orders, barrel vaults with coffered ceilings and half-orange domes. The floor plan used to be central, with open spaces and harmonious shapes based on strict mathematical proportions.[94]​.

The survival of the Gothic is denoted in examples such as the façade of the church of San Miguel "Iglesia de San Miguel (Barcelona)") (1519)—currently attached to a side wall of the Basilica of La Merced "Basilica de la Merced (Barcelona)")—, by the master builders Gabriel Pellicer") and Pau Mateu") and by the French sculptor René Ducloux"), with a Gothic portal with Corinthian pilasters sides and niches of Gothic tracery.[95] At this time, numerous reforms and additions were also made to the church of the Dominican convent of Santa Catalina "Convento de Santa Catalina (Barcelona)"): the Nativity chapel was added to the Gothic building in 1529; in 1534 the chapel of the hatters' brotherhood; in 1545 the high choir and a tabernacle were added; del Rosario; and in 1602 the chapel of San Raimundo de Peñafort, the work of Pere Blai, already in a fully Renaissance classicism.[96] Between 1540 and 1587 the church of Santa María de Vallvidrera was rebuilt on an old Romanesque building of the century; quadrangular.[97]​.

Renaissance innovations slowly penetrated, resulting in hybrid buildings between Gothic and Renaissance, such as the Convent of the Angels and the Foot of the Cross "Convent of the Angels (Barcelona)") (1562-1566), by Bartomeu Roig"): the church had a nave with three vaulted rooms and a polygonal apse; it currently houses the institution Fomento de las Artes Decorativas.[98]​ In 1566 The chapel of San Cristóbal was built on the ground floor of Mateu Roig's house, on Sant Pere més Alt street, which combines Gothic windows with a classicist rectangular portal, framed by Ionic columns and a triangular pediment "Fronton (architecture)") crowned by acroteras with stone spheres.[99]​.

At a civil level, during the century numerous works were carried out in the Hospital of the Holy Cross: between 1509 and 1512 the Hall of Santa Magdalena was built in the east wing, and between 1511 and 1518 work was done in the west wing, where the new access portal was located, the work of Antoni Cuberta") and Antoni Papiol"), a Gothic-Renaissance hybrid; between 1568 and 1575, the monumental stairs that connected the upper floors with the patio were built, by Joan Safont. 1843.[101]​ In 1546, the Pia Almoina "Casa de la Pia Almoina (Barcelona)") - currently the Diocesan Museum of Barcelona - was built, a charitable institution for assistance to the poor, located next to the cathedral. The building rested on remains of the Roman wall, and the body with a gabled roof is preserved from the original building, where the continuous gallery on the upper floor stands out, and the semicircular portal.[102]​ Among them. Between 1549 and 1557 the Lloctinent Palace (current Archive of the Crown of Aragon, work of Antoni Carbonell) was built. It has a Gothic façade with a pointed tower and mixtilinear windows, aligned horizontally and vertically. The building is quadrangular, with an equally square patio, with carpanel arches, and an upper gallery of semicircular arches on Tuscan columns.[103]​ In this century, the renovation work on the Royal Palace culminated with the construction of the Mirador de Martín el Humano (1555), a five-story rectangular tower with galleries of semicircular arches that protrude from the body of the building, above the Salón del Tinell.[104]​.

One of the first buildings with a fully Renaissance spirit was the Trentenary Hall of the City House (1559), which featured a gallery with a classicist portico, to which a door of Serlian influence was added in 1580, composed of a semicircular arch framed by attached pilasters and a frieze with triglyphs and metopes, with decoration of shields and trophies. The Trentenario was destroyed in 1830 during the construction of the new neoclassical façade, and partially rebuilt in 1929.[105] During this period the building of the Barcelona town hall was also expanded with the chapel, the writing offices and the interior patio with an upper gallery (1577).[106]​.

The main exponent of the new style was the new façade of the Generalitat Palace (1596-1619), by Pere Blai, inspired by Roman models taken from Antonio da Sangallo and Michelangelo.[107] The palace was expanded between 1526 and 1600 with several adjacent buildings, until it occupied the entire block. The Golden Chamber (1526), the Patio de los Naranjos (1532, Antoni Carbonell") and Pau Mateu"), the Poniente market (1536-1544), the Levante market (1547) and the New Town Hall (1570-1577, Pere Ferrer") were then built. Between 1596 and 1619 Blai built the new façade of the Plaza de San Jaime and renovated the chapel of San Jorge - current Hall of San Jorge -, with three naves of equal height - in the hallenkirche or "hall plan" style -, with quadrangular pillars of the Doric-Tuscan order, groin vaults and an elliptical dome over the transept "Cross (architecture)"). Corinthian pilasters, and with four levels: one with a padded base, another with an entablature and windows with alternating curved and triangular pediments, another with a cornice and small windows - some blind -, and another with an entablature and balustrade. The portal is Doric with a semicircular arch, with an entablature and a niche with the coat of arms of the Generality; in the century a sculpture of Saint George, by Andreu Aleu, was added. with a dome with a lantern "Lantern (architecture)"), covered with green and yellow tiles.[108]​.

As for private palaces, they present a typology based on an interior patio with a staircase, entrance hall and upper gallery, with decoration of grotesques and Gothic traceries. Exemplary of this are the Bassols house, currently linked to the Pignatelli palace and headquarters of the Royal Artistic Circle; the Centelles palace (1514); and the Gralla house (1506, by Mateu Capdevila), demolished in 1856. Casa Clariana-Padellàs (1497-1515), current Museum of History of Barcelona, which was moved from Carrer de Mercaderes to Plaza del Rey "Plaza del Rey (Barcelona)") during the opening works of the Via Layetana; and the Casa de l'Ardiaca (1490-1514), which once housed the archdeacon of the cathedral and is currently the headquarters of the Municipal Institute of History and the Historical Archive. of the City, after joining this building with the adjacent Casa del Degà in the 19th century, a time when the interior cloister through which the building is currently accessed was created.[111]​.

In the century the farmhouses continued to be built preferably in the Gothic style, although little by little the new style was introduced, mainly in parts of the façade such as doors, windows, galleries and arcades, which incorporated sculptural decoration, generally grotesques.[112] Between the centuries and many of them were fortified, due to piracy and banditry. On the other hand, the enrichment of the owners thanks to the Guadalupe ruling that put an end to the War of the Remensas led to the beautification of numerous farmhouses.[113]​ Some exponents are: Can Mestres, in Vallvidrera —renovated in the century—; Ca l'Armera, in San Andrés "District of San Andrés (Barcelona)"); Can Valent, also in San Andrés; and Can Planas, in San Martín "San Martín District (Barcelona)").

In terms of urban planning, in the first half of the century the Sea Wall was built, where the bastions of Levante, Torre Nueva, San Ramón and Mediodía were located.[114]​ For the rest, the main urban reform was in the area around the cathedral, where the Plaza de la Seo was opened, in front of the main portal of the cathedral (1546), as well as the Plaza de San Ivo, with a space cut off from the Royal Mayor Palace. A part of the same palace was dismembered (the patio and the north and east wings), which was given by the Crown to serve as headquarters for the Inquisition - currently the Frederic Marès Museum -, while the rest was converted into the Royal Court in 1542.[115]​.

On the other hand, over the centuries an artificial port was built to finally cover the needs of the important commercial center that was Barcelona: paradoxically, during the period of splendor of Catalan trade in the Mediterranean, Barcelona did not have a port prepared for the port volume that was common in the city. The old port at the foot of Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)") had been abandoned, and the city only had the beach to receive passengers and goods. Deep draft ships had to unload using boats and porters. Finally, in 1438 royal permission was obtained to build a port: first, a ship loaded with stones was sunk to serve as a base for the wall that joined the beach to the island of Maians; The wall was reinforced in 1477, it was lengthened into a breakwater in 1484. In the middle of the century the port was expanded in response to the campaign initiated by Charles I against Tunisia. At the end of the century, the pier was 180 m long and 12 m wide. New improvement works in the century finally provided a port in good condition for the city.[116]​.

• - Church of San Miguel "Iglesia de San Miguel (Barcelona)") (1519).

• - Church of Santa María de Vallvidrera (1540-1587).

• - Convent of the Angels and the Foot of the Cross "Convent of the Angels (Barcelona)") (1562-1566), by Bartomeu Roig").

• - Lloctinent Palace (1549-1557), by Antoni Carbonell").

• - Clariana-Padellàs House (1497-1515).

• - House of l'Ardiaca (1490-1514).

• - Can Mestres farmhouse.

Baroque

As in the Renaissance, the art of the time followed the currents coming from outside. As happened with the Renaissance innovations, the Baroque in Catalonia gradually penetrated, with the survival of the previous typologies and a new stylistic mix in the execution of the works.[118]​ Even so, the Catalan Baroque has simpler lines, simple structures, not as ornate as in the Italian Baroque, and it is more evident in the decoration than in the layouts, which follow the classical line. Renaissance classicism survived practically until 1660, which was replaced by a "decorativist Solomonic" Baroque until 1705, when architecture became more academic until leading to neoclassicism.[119]​.

Baroque architecture assumed more dynamic forms, with exuberant decoration and a scenographic sense of shapes and volumes. The modulation of space became relevant, with a preference for concave and convex curves, paying special attention to optical games (trompe-l'œil) and the viewer's point of view. In coexistence with the counter-reformist ideology, art became propagandistic and was put at the service of the ostentation of power, both political and religious.[120]​.

The first works of the century were still in Renaissance classicism, as would be the case of the convent of San Francisco de Paula (1597-1644), with a church with a single nave with side chapels, a rectangular bell tower and a two-story cloister with Doric columns on the lower one and Ionic on the upper one. It was followed by the convent of La Merced "Convento de la Merced (Barcelona)") (1637-1651), where the cloister stands out - currently incorporated into the building of the Captaincy General of Catalonia -, the work of Jeroni Santacana), with four semicircular arches with Tuscan columns, an upper gallery with twice as many arches as the lower one, with Ionic columns, and a level of balconies.[121]​.

Other exponents are: the convent of the Holy Trinity "Iglesia de San Jaime (Barcelona)") (1619), of the shod trinitarians, a reform of the Gothic church - currently the parish of San Jaime -, in which the Jesuit plan was added, with a transept, presbytery and interconnected side chapels; the Augustinian convent of Santa Mónica (1626-1636), whose church—renovated in 1887 by Joan Martorell and destroyed in 1936—followed the same scheme as the previous one, while the cloister—the only part that is preserved, currently an art center—has two floors with arcades on pillars;[122]​ the Servite convent of Buen Suceso (1626-1635), current headquarters of the district of Ciutat Vella "District of Ciutat Vella (Barcelona)");[123]​ and the church of San Ginés de Agudells (1671), which replaced one from the 19th century, with a nave with a transept and a square bell tower with a pyramidal roof, with a rectory and a cemetery.[124]​.

The incorporation of baroque forms was more successful in ornamentation than in the architectural language itself, as can be seen in the generalization of the use of Solomonic columns. Good examples are the Convalescent House of the Hospital de la Santa Cruz (1629-1680) and the church of Bethlehem "Iglesia de Belén (Barcelona)") (1681-1732). the second level.[126]​ The Jesuit church of Our Lady of Bethlehem, the work of Josep Juli"), has a congregational plan - in the style of the Gesù -, a longitudinal nave with a barrel vault, an entrance narthex under the choir and intercommunicating chapels, each with an elliptical dome with a lantern "Lantern (architecture)"). The façade has a rhomboidal padded facing, a square door, a rose window and a doorway-altarpiece with Solomonic columns and a classical entablature, but treated baroquely, with recesses and projections, flanked by two statues of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Francis of Borja, by Andreu Sala. Arnaudies") so it corresponds to the original layout and to Jeroni Escarabatxeres in the conclusion of the façade and the interior decoration. It is of small proportions (23 x 12 m), divided into three vertical bodies by large pilasters, with a taller central body that houses a niche with the image of the saint.[128]​.

En este período hubo una gran revitalización económica, ligada a la Revolución Industrial —especialmente la industria textil—, lo que comportó a su vez un renacimiento cultural. Entre 1854 y 1859 se produjo el derribo de las murallas, por lo que la ciudad pudo expandirse, motivo por el que se impulsó el proyecto de Ensanche elaborado por Ildefonso Cerdá en 1859. Asimismo, gracias a la revolución de 1868 se consiguió el derribo de la Ciudadela, cuyos terrenos fueron transformados en un parque público. La población fue creciendo, especialmente gracias a la inmigración del resto del estado, llegando a finales de siglo a los 400 000 habitantes.[162]​ Artísticamente, el siglo vio la sucesión de diversos estilos de diferente signo, como el neoclasicismo, el historicismo y el modernismo.[163]​.

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism, developed between the end of the century and the beginning of the 19th century, marked a return to classical Greco-Roman art, driven by the discovery of the remains of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the theoretical work of the art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann. In Catalonia, the impetus of the Barcelona School of Fine Arts (the Llotja) was decisive for the consolidation of Catalan art, as well as its distancing from its guild and artisan aspect. If until then the construction was entrusted to master builders with union training, from now on the new architects will already have an academic qualification.[164][note 5]​.

Neoclassical architecture was not very productive, highlighting the name of Antoni Cellers, academic architect and great theorist of classicism. He was the author of the currently missing church of the Calzados Carmelitas (1832), as well as the Alòs i Dou palace (1818), in which he made a neoclassical interpretation of the traditional Catalan patio, with Serlian arches on Ionic columns, and a façade behind the garden with an Ionic tetrastyle.[170]​.

His disciple was José Mas Vila, author of the new façade of the City House (1830), fully classicist and monumental in nature, with a central body standing out from the rest, where four Ionic columns stand out that support an attic with the city's coat of arms.[171] Mas Vila, master of houses and fountains at the City Hall, was also in charge of the remodeling of the Plaza de San Jaime and the urbanization of Fernando Street, as well as the construction of the market. La Boquería (1836-1846), initially a porticoed square with an Ionic colonnade, although halfway through construction iron was chosen to cover it, instead of the stone planned by Mas.[172] Together with Josep Buxareu") he was also in charge of the conversion of the convent of Santa Catalina "Convento de Santa Catalina (Barcelona)") into the market of the same name (1844-1848).[173]​.

It is also worth mentioning the presence of the Italian architect Antonio Ginesi, author of the chapel of the Eastern Cemetery (1818), of a somewhat eclectic style "Eclecticism (art)"), which mixes the new classical language with elements that endure from the Baroque, as well as influences from Egyptian art.[174]​.

In 1828, the parish church of Santa María de Sants was built, the work of Francisco Renart of a programmatic classicism, with a semicircular arch doorway flanked by two Ionic columns, on which there is a rose window and a triangular pediment, and on the side a 70 m high bell tower. The church was destroyed in 1936, and rebuilt between 1940 and 1965 by Raimundo Durán Reynals.[175]​.

An emblematic building of the time was the Casa Xifré (1835-1840), the work of Josep Buxareu") and Francesc Vila"), a residential building located in front of the Lonja palace, which stands out for its ground floor porticos with semicircular arches. The façade has a decoration close to the so-called Elizabethan style, with reliefs by the sculptor Damià Campeny.[176]​ It was the first building in Barcelona with running water.[177]​.

Between 1844 and 1848, the Portal de Mar was built, a monumental access portico to Barceloneta from the Pla de Palau, the work of Josep Massanès, which was demolished in 1859. Eclectic in style, it mixed classical, Gothic and oriental elements, and was formed by a door with four Ionic columns, a stepped pediment and a dome, while on the sides there were monumental arches of ultra-past horseshoe supported on double columns.[178]​ Massanès was also the author of a widening plan in 1838, which included the triangle located between Canaletas, the University Square "Plaza de la Universidad (Barcelona)") and Urquinaona Square, and which already outlined what would be the Plaza de Cataluña, located in the center of the triangle.[175]​.

One of the last exponents of neoclassicism was the Teatro Principal "Teatro Principal (Barcelona)") (1847), by Francisco Daniel Molina, built to replace the old Teatro de la Santa Cruz - originally from 1568 -. It has a classicist façade with a romantic Elizabethan air, with three large balconies with triangular pediments embedded in semicircular arches.[179]​.

As far as urban planning is concerned, the most notable event of these years was the confiscation "Spanish Confiscation") of 1836, which left numerous plots of land that were built or converted into public spaces: thus, at the location of the Carmelite convent of San José, on the Rambla, the Boquería market was built; The Liceo theater was built on the convent of Nuestra Señora de la Buenanueva of the barefoot Trinitarians; The Plaza Real was located on the site of the Capuchin convent of Santa Madrona; the Franciscan convent-school of San Buenaventura gave way to the Hotel Oriente; A barracks of the Barcelona Urban Guard was located above the convent-school of the Carmelites of San Ángel Mártir; and the convent of Santa Catalina "Convento de Santa Catalina (Barcelona)") was replaced by the market of the same name.[180] Likewise, the new health provisions enacted at this time meant the disappearance of numerous parish cemeteries, whose plots were developed as new public squares; Thus, squares such as Santa María, del Pino, San José Oriol, San Felipe Neri, San Justo, San Pedro and San Jaime emerged.[181]​.

Historicism

The architecture of the middle of the century was impregnated with the new romantic spirit and, following the guidelines of theorists such as John Ruskin and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, it was framed within the so-called historicism, a current that advocated the revitalization of previous architectural styles, especially medieval, which is why various currents called with the prefix "neo" were created: neo-Gothic, neo-Romanesque, neo-Mudejar, neo-baroque, etc.[182]​.

One of its first prominent figures was Elías Rogent, first director of the recently created Higher Technical School of Architecture of Barcelona. He was the author of the headquarters of the University of Barcelona (1862-1873), in the University Square "Plaza de la Universidad (Barcelona)"), a sober building with a religious appearance despite its civil character, especially in the interior cloisters, which have an almost monastic appearance. It has an axial plan, highlighting in its central part the staircase of honor and the auditorium, an eclectic hall that mixes Romanesque, Gothic and Islamic elements, on whose sides are the patios in the shape of a cloister, also of medieval inspiration. the center, from which the dome protrudes.[183]​.

Another exponent was Josep Oriol Mestres, author of the remodeling of the Gran Teatro del Liceo (1862), a building by Miquel Garriga i Roca from 1847 that had to be rebuilt after a fire; Of Mestres's intervention, the façade and the large interior room stand out, an original composition of rows of shops unfortunately lost in the fire of 1994.[184] Mestres was also the author of the new façade of the Barcelona Cathedral (1887-1890), in a neo-Gothic style inspired by French Gothic; The façade was completed with a dome designed by Augusto Font Carreras.[185] Other works by Mestres were: the church of Santa María del Remedio (1846-1849), which was the parish church of Les Corts after separating from Sarrià; the Theater of the Champs Elysées "Teatro de los Champs Elysées (Barcelona)") (1853), on Paseo de Gracia - now disappeared -, which stood out for its metal structure; the Casa Jover (1856), built on the Renaissance Casa Gralla; and the building of the Philippine Tobacco Company (1880), on the site of the old Jesuit school of Cordellas, on the Rambla.

Joan Martorell was the author of various churches inspired by the Gothic, such as that of the Salesas "Church and convent of the Salesas (Barcelona)"), on Paseo de San Juan (1882-1885), and that of the Sacred Heart of the Jesuits, on Caspe street (1883-1889). The first is eclectic in style, with evident medieval influences, but expressed in a personal way; It has a single nave plan in the shape of a Latin cross, with side chapels and a pentagonal apse with an ambulatory, as well as a transept that protrudes volumetrically on the outside, while on the façade it stands out for a tall tower finished in a point and with two lateral pinnacles. The second denotes a certain Romanesque-Byzantine influence, and presents a centralized plan with a dome on a drum "Drum (architecture)") surrounded by smaller domes to distribute the weight; The façade is sober, and stands out for the chromatic effects of the materials used.[186] Martorell was responsible for the transfer of the Gothic church of Santa María de Montsió "Iglesia de San Raimundo de Peñafort (Barcelona)") —belonging to an Augustinian convent and originally from 1388— from the Portal del Ángel to the Rambla de Cataluña, and he designed its new neo-Gothic façade. (1882-1890); It is the current parish of San Raimundo de Peñafort.[187] He was also the author of the Güell Palace in Pedralbes, later the Royal Palace (1862); of the church and convent of the Adoratrices (1875); and the Jesuit school of San Ignacio (1893-1896).

World's Fair of 1888

At the end of the century, an event was held that had a great economic and social as well as urban, artistic and cultural impact for the city, the Universal Exhibition of 1888. It took place between April 8 and December 9, 1888, and was held in the Ciudadela park, land previously belonging to the army and won for the city in 1868. The incentive of the fair events led to the improvement of the infrastructure of the entire city, which gave an enormous leap towards modernization and development.[210]​.

The remodeling project of the Ciudadela park was entrusted to José Fontseré in 1872, who designed large gardens for the recreation of citizens, and together with the green area he planned a central square and a ring road, as well as a monumental fountain and various ornamental elements, two lakes and a forest area, in addition to various auxiliary buildings and infrastructure, such as the Borne Market (1874-1876), a water tank - currently the UPF Library -, a slaughterhouse, an iron bridge over the railway lines and several service booths.[211]​.

The entrance to the Exhibition was through the Arc de Triomphe, a monument created for the occasion that still remains in its original place, designed by Josep Vilaseca. Of neo-Mudejar inspiration, it has a height of 30 meters, and is decorated with rich sculptural ornamentation, the work of Josep Reynés, Josep Llimona, Antoni Vilanova, Torquat Tasso, Manuel Fuxà and Pere Carbonell.[212]​.

Next came the Salón de San Juan – current Lluís Companys promenade –, a long avenue 50 meters wide where the wrought iron balustrades, the pavement mosaics and large street lamps stood out, all designed by Pere Falqués. The first building after access through the Arc de Triomphe was the Palace of Fine Arts, the work of Augusto Font Carreras, in a neoclassical style. On the opposite side was the Science Palace, the work of Pere Falqués, in a neo-Greek style, where there was also a large room for holding conferences.[213]​.

Once past these two buildings, one entered the enclosure itself, at the entrance of which the Monumental Waterfall stood out, designed by Fontserè in collaboration with Antoni Gaudí, who intervened in the hydraulic project and designed an artificial grotto under the Waterfall. The architectural complex presents a central structure in the shape of a triumphal arch with two pavilions on its sides and two side wings with stairs, which house a pond divided into two levels. The monument stands out for its sculptural profusion, in which several of the best sculptors of the moment participated, such as Rossend Nobas, Venancio Vallmitjana, Josep Gamot, Manuel Fuxá, Joan Flotats and Rafael Atché.[214]​.

To the right of the waterfall was the restaurant, known as the Castle of the Three Dragons - currently the Museum of Zoology -, the work of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, in a neo-Gothic style, but with innovative structural solutions that already pointed to modernism, especially due to the use of iron and exposed brick. Next to it were the Círculo del Liceo and the Greenhouse, the work of Josep Amargós, made of iron and glass following the example of the Crystal Palace at the London Exhibition of 1851. Next came the Martorell Museum of Geology, by Antonio Rovira y Trías; the Umbraculo, by José Fontserè; the Press pavilion, work of Jaume Comerma"); and the pavilion of the Spanish Colonies, by Jaume Gustà i Bondia.[215]​.

Modernism

Modernism "Modernism (art)") was an international movement that developed throughout the Western world,[note 6]​ and that advocated the creation of a new architectural language detached from previous styles—especially in opposition to historicism—, placing special emphasis on the relationship of architecture with the applied arts, in parallel to the Arts and Crafts phenomenon.[220]​ Developed between the century and the century,[note 7]​ in Catalonia it had enough of its own personality. to talk about Catalan modernism, due to the large quantity and quality of works produced and the large number of first-class artists who cultivated this style. Stylistically it was a heterogeneous movement, with many differences between artists, each one with their personal stamp, but with the same spirit, a desire to modernize and Europeanize Catalonia.[221]​.

Some essential features of modernism were: an anti-classical language inherited from romanticism, with a tendency towards a certain lyricism and subjectivism; decisive linkage of architecture with the applied arts and artistic crafts (glassmaking, forging, ceramics, cabinetmaking, marquetry, enamel, sgraffito), creating a remarkably ornamental style; use of new materials, creating a mixed construction language rich in contrasts, in search of the plastic effect of the whole; strong feeling of optimism and faith in progress, which produces an exalted and emphatic art, a reflection of the climate of prosperity of the moment, especially in the bourgeois class.[222]​.

The first modernism, developed in the 1890s, was still a style not especially defined, whose main component was an embodied Gothicism already detached from historicism, with the survival of certain classicist and medievalist features, practiced mainly by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Antoni Maria Gallissà.[223]​ In these first years there was a certain feeling of indefinition, as seen shown in the work Modern Architecture of Barcelona (1897), by Francesc Rogent, where he defends the use of the "neo-Greek style" for public buildings, "neo-Gothic" for private buildings and "neo-Romanesque" for churches.[224] At the same time, an academic architecture outside of modernist innovations continued to be practiced, as seen in the work of architects such as Salvador Viñals, Cayetano Buigas, Joan Baptista Pons i Trabal, Francisco de Paula del Villar y Carmona, etc.[225]​.

At the turn of the century, modernism evolved towards a certain stylistic formalism of secessionist influence, practiced by a second generation of architects such as Josep Maria Jujol, Manuel Raspall, Josep Maria Pericas, Eduard Maria Balcells, Salvador Valeri, Alexandre Soler, Antoni de Falguera, Bernardí Martorell, etc.[226] These architects propose architecture as a support for exultant ornamentation, entering a phase mannerism of modernism.[227]​ On the other hand, neo-Gothic and classicist eclecticism tendencies continued, practiced mainly by Enric Sagnier, José Doménech y Estapá, Manuel Comas i Thos, Augusto Font Carreras, Joan Josep Hervàs, etc.[228]​.

El panorama artístico en el siglo estuvo condicionado por la convulsa situación política, con el fin de la monarquía en 1931 y la llegada de la Segunda República, finalizada con la Guerra Civil y sustituida por la dictadura franquista, hasta el restablecimiento de la monarquía y la llegada de la democracia. Socialmente, este siglo vio la llegada masiva de inmigración a la ciudad, con el consecuente aumento de la población: si en 1900 había 530 000 habitantes, en 1930 casi se habían doblado (1 009 000 hab), para llegar entre 1970 y 1980 al pico máximo (1 754 900) y a finales de siglo a 1 500 000 habitantes.[278]​.

El inicio del siglo estuvo marcado por la expansión geográfica de la ciudad: en 1897 Barcelona se anexionó seis poblaciones limítrofes, hasta entonces independientes: Sants, Les Corts, San Gervasio de Cassolas, Gracia, San Andrés de Palomar y San Martín de Provensals. Igualmente, en 1904 fue anexionado Horta "Horta (Barcelona)"); en 1921, Sarrià; en 1924, Collblanc y la Zona Franca "Zona Franca (Barcelona)"); y en 1943 El Buen Pastor "El Buen Pastor (Barcelona)") y el Baró de Viver, segregados de Santa Coloma de Gramanet.[279]​ La anexión de los nuevos municipios planteó la necesidad de un plan de enlaces de la ciudad, que salió a concurso público en 1903, resultando ganador el urbanista francés Léon Jaussely: el Plan Jaussely preveía grandes infraestructuras viarias (paseos de ronda, diagonales, paseos marítimos), parques, enlaces ferroviarios y áreas de servicios. Aunque solo se realizó parcialmente, inspiró el urbanismo barcelonés durante gran parte del siglo.[280]​.

Noucentism

Noucentisme represented an attempt to renew Catalan culture, bringing it closer to the innovations produced in the recently released century, in parallel to a political ideology of vindication of Catalanism advocated by Enric Prat de la Riba. The main theorist of the movement was Eugeni d'Ors, who from the newspaper La Veu de Catalunya wrote a series of articles praising the work of young Catalan creators at the beginning of the century. The first of them, published in 1906, marked the beginning of Noucentisme, coexisting for a few years with the latest modernist works, and which would last practically until the 1940s, in parallel with the emergence of new currents such as rationalism in the 1930s.[281]​.

Contrary to the Nordic and medieval values ​​defended by modernism, Noucentisme returned to the Mediterranean world, to classical Greco-Latin culture. They were also based on Renaissance classicism, with special influence from Filippo Brunelleschi, while their sober and refined sense of forms brought them closer to the rationalist architecture that was beginning to emerge in Europe.[282]​ They were also inspired by other styles of the past, but detached from the medievalism to which the modernists had turned, such as the Baroque.[283]​ On the other hand, the more academic current of this movement practiced an eclectic monumentalism influenced by the Beaux Arts style "Beaux Arts (architecture)"), with a special reference in French and English architecture, as well as the American Chicago School "Chicago School (architecture)").[284]

Within Noucentisme, various currents are perceived: a "Gaudinian" Noucentisme, practiced by Gaudí's disciples such as Juan Rubió or Cèsar Martinell; a "neobrunelleschian" noucentisme, inspired by Florentine Renaissance architecture and, especially, by Brunelleschi, developed by Josep Goday or Nicolás María Rubió y Tudurí; a "pro-rationalist" noucentisme, more influenced by international currents, which combines functionalism "Functionalism (architecture)") with Art Deco ornamentation, and has exponents such as the brothers Ramon and Antoni Puig i Gairalt, Ramon Reventós, Francesc Folguera, Raimundo Durán Reynals and Jaume Mestres i Fossas; an "eclectic" noucentisme, with versatile language and monumentalist tendency, exemplified by Enric Sagnier, Josep Maria Pericas and Eduard Ferrés; and an "academic" Noucentisme, which follows a traditional classicist line that will survive in post-war architecture, with representatives such as Francesc Nebot, Eusebi Bona, Adolf Florensa and Eugenio Cendoya.[285]​.

The first current was represented by Juan Rubió and Cèsar Martinell, both disciples of Gaudí. Rubió evolved from modernism, the style in which he produced his best works - as seen in the previous section -, until leading to a classicism with a baroque air; His best production in this period was the reform of the Barcelona Industrial School (1927-1931). Martinell kept modernist forms alive, especially through the use of brick and tile, as denoted in his main specialty, agrarian architecture, with a set of wineries spread throughout Catalonia that have been called the "cathedrals of wine"; In Barcelona its production was scarce, although the Durán Clinic (1924), the building at 11 Benavent Street (1928) and the Masllorens factory (1929-1930) can be mentioned.[286]​.

In the Brunelleschian current, Josep Goday and Nicolás María Rubió y Tudurí stood out. The first recovered classic forms such as "Fronton (architecture)" pediments and pilasters, combined with a baroque resource such as the sgraffito technique,[287]​ as is evident in works such as the Post Office and Telegraph building (1914-1927), in a classical baroque style of great monumentality;[288]​ and in numerous public schools promoted by the Barcelona City Council: Ramon Llull (1919-1923), Lluís Vives (1919), Baixeras (1917-1920), Pere Vila (1921-1930), Milà i Fontanals (1930), Collaso i Gil (1932).[289] Rubió y Tudurí was especially dedicated to landscape architecture: director of Parks and Gardens of Barcelona between 1917 and 1937, he was the main promoter of the "Mediterranean garden",[note 9]​ which is denoted in his works such as the Tamarita gardens (1918), those of Francesc Macià square (1925), the Font del Racó park (1926), the gardens of the Royal Palace of Pedralbes (1927), those of Salvador Espriu (1929) and those of Turó Park (1933). Its main building was the church of Santa María Reina "Iglesia de Santa María Reina (Barcelona)") (1922-1936), a subsidiary of the monastery of Montserrat - it was initially called the church of Santa María de Montserrat de Pedralbes -, which denotes the influence of Brunelleschi's Pazzi chapel, as well as the baptistery of San Juan "Baptistery of San Juan (Florence)") Florence.[290]​ Other of his works, the Radio Barcelona pavilion (1922-1929) and the Metro Goldwyn Mayer offices (1934), are already pre-rationalist.[291]​.

The eclectic and academic trend followed a monumentalist line whose main exponent was the Via Layetana, which was the main testing ground for this trend after its opening in 1908. Influenced by the Beaux Arts "Beaux Arts (architecture)") and the Chicago School "Chicago School (architecture)"), it would be the architecture that would reemerge in the postwar period. Its main exponents were Enric Sagnier, Josep Maria Pericas, Eduard Ferrés, Francesc Nebot, Eusebi Bona, Adolf Florensa and Eugenio Cendoya. From Sagnier, analyzed in the previous section, it would be appropriate to remember at this stage the building of the Barcelona Pension Fund on Vía Layetana (1914-1917), the Basilica of San José Oriol (1915-1931) and the Ribas Board of Trustees (1920-1930). Pericas evolved from modernism to a sober classicism (Diagonal house, 1920). Eduard Ferrés maintained a post-secessionist style and was a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, as seen in the Damians house, later Almacenes El Siglo (1913-1915), built with Lluís Homs and Ignasi Mas, where its spherical skylight dome of expressionist influence stands out.[292] Francesc Nebot and Eusebi Bona were the authors of the Royal Palace of Pedralbes. (1919-1929), formed by a central body and two side wings that open in a curve to the main façade, with porches with Tuscan columns and semicircular arches.[293]​ Alone, Nebot built the Cine Coliseum "Coliseum (Barcelona)") (1923), a Beauxarti style building "Beaux Arts (architecture)") inspired by the Paris Opera;[294]​ and the headquarters of the Bank of Spain in the Plaza de Cataluña (1927-1928).[295]​ For his part, Bona designed the building of La Unión y el Fénix Español (1927-1931), of French and American influence, which stands out for its high drum dome "Drum (architecture)") with a sculpture of the abduction of Ganymede "Ganymede (mythology)").[296]​ Adolf Florensa He was the author of the Casa Cambó (1921-1930), the General Captaincy building (1926), the New City House building (1927-1933, with Joaquim Vilaseca and Antoni de Falguera), the Casal del Metge (1930), the Nautical School (1930-1933, with Joaquim Vilaseca) and the National Labor Promotion building (with Josep Goday, 1931-1936). Finally, Eugenio Cendoya was the author of the church of San Miguel de los Santos and several headquarters for banks, such as those in Bilbao and Vizcaya, although his main work was the National Palace of Montjuic "Palacio Nacional (Barcelona)") for the Barcelona International Exhibition of 1929, with Enric Catà and Pere Domènech i Roura.[297]​.

The most innovative line of Noucentisme was the one that leaned towards the rationalism that was beginning to develop in Europe with architects such as Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It was mainly represented by Ramon and Antoni Puig i Gairalt, Ramon Reventós, Francesc Folguera, Raimundo Durán Reynals and Jaume Mestres i Fossas. Antoni Puig i Gairalt was the author of the Myrurgia factory (1928-1930), which synthesizes elements of classicist Noucentisme, Art Deco and rationalism.[298]​ His brother Ramon built the Pidelaserra house (1932), with exuberant eclecticism.[299]​ Ramon Reventós designed the first multi-residential complex in Barcelona, the Masana house. (1928), of Bauhausian influence.[300] Francesc Folguera built the Ritz Hotel (1917-1919), although his most interesting work was the Casal de Sant Jordi (1928-1932), which reflects the teachings of the German magazine Moderne Bauformen, defender of a modern, but moderate, bourgeois architecture.[301] Raimundo Durán Reynals approached him. rationalism in works such as the residential building at 243 Aribau Street (1933-1935) or the Casa Cardenal (1935), although in the post-war period he practiced academic classicism.[302] Finally, Jaume Mestres i Fossas built the Blanquerna school (1930-1933), halfway between Noucentisme and rationalism.[303]​.

From this period it is also worth mentioning architects such as: Ignasi Mas i Morell (David building, 1929-1931), Miquel Madorell (Tívoli Theatre, 1917-1919), Arnau Calvet (Jorba house "Casa Jorba (Barcelona)"), 1926), Francesc Guàrdia i Vial (Tobacco Tenant Company building, current Treasury Delegation, 1929), Josep Domènech i Mansana (church of Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús, 1932-1940) and Juan Guardiola (Casa Ferran Guardiola or “Casa China”, 1929). Also worth noting is the construction of two railway stations: the North Station "Estación del Norte (Barcelona)") (1910-1914), the work of Demetrio Ribes consisting of a renovation of a previous building from 1861 by Pere Andrés i Puigdoller), consisted of two buildings that were joined by Ribes with a U-shaped structure and covered by a large metal platform, with a certain modernist influence and secessionist;[304]​ and the Francia Station (1925-1930), by Pedro Muguruza, Raimundo Durán Reynals, Salvador Soteras and Pelayo Martínez, with platforms covered by two large iron naves and a hall with a classicist appearance, where three coffered vaults stand out.[305]​.

As far as urban planning is concerned, the most important action in these years was the opening of the Vía Layetana, which connected the Ensanche with the sea - another avenue parallel to this was planned, as well as another perpendicular one, which was ultimately not executed. Emerging from an urban reform project by Àngel Baixeras (Barcelona Interior Reform Plan, 1884), the works were carried out in 1908, with the desire to create an avenue with a uniform appearance, so the majority of buildings have a Noucentista appearance, with a certain influence of the Chicago School. with the mountain, which was occupied by single-family houses in the style of English garden cities.[note 10]​ For transportation, a tram was installed on the avenue and a funicular to ascend to the top of the mountain, where the Tibidabo Amusement Park was located.[307]​.

• - Damians House (1913-1915), by Eduard Ferrés, Lluís Homs and Ignasi Mas.

• - Cine Coliseum "Coliseum (Barcelona)") (1923), by Francesc Nebot.

• - National Labor Promotion Building (1931-1936), by Adolf Florensa and Josep Goday.

• - Myrurgia Factory (1928-1930), by Antoni Puig i Gairalt.

• - Casa Jorba "Casa Jorba (Barcelona)") (1926), by Arnau Calvet.

• - Can Guardiola or “Casa China” (1929), by Juan Guardiola.

International Exposition of 1929

In 1929 the International Exhibition "International Exhibition of Barcelona (1929)") was held in Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)"). For this event, the entire area of ​​the Plaza de España "Plaza de España (Barcelona)") and Montjuic Mountain were urbanized, and the pavilions that currently host the Barcelona Fair were built. The Exhibition took place from May 20, 1929 to January 15, 1930, on an area of ​​, and had a cost of 130 million pesetas.[308]​.

The Exhibition site was built according to a project by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The complex began in the Plaza de España, designed by Puig i Cadafalch and Guillem Busquets, who created a monumental complex around a hemicycle formed by a baroque-style colonnade, inspired by San Pedro Square in the Vatican. The Exhibition hotels were built here, the work of Nicolás María Rubió y Tudurí, and in the center was a monumental fountain "Fountain of the Plaza de España (Barcelona)") designed by Josep Maria Jujol. At the entrance to the square that leads to the Avenida de la Reina María Cristina, two tall towers in the shape of campaniles were located, the work of Ramon Reventós, inspired by the campanile of San Marcos in Venice.[309]​.

The official section was located on Avenida de la Reina María Cristina, where various pavilions were located: the Palace of Communications and Transportation, the work of Félix de Azúa and Adolf Florensa; the Palace of Dress (or Work), by Josep Maria Jujol and Andrés Calzada; the palace of Metallurgy, Electricity and Motive Power, by Amadeu Llopart and Alexandre Soler i March; the palace of Textile Art, by Joan Roig&action=edit&redlink=1 "Joan Roig (architect) (not yet written)") and Emili Canosa"); and the palace of Projections, by Eusebi Bona and Francisco Aznar. Closing the avenue were the palaces of Alfonso At the foot of the mountain, the famous Magic Fountain of Montjuic was built, the work of Carles Buïgas, as well as the Four Columns of Puig i Cadafalch. The main building of the Exhibition was the National Palace "Palacio Nacional (Barcelona)") - current headquarters of the MNAC -, the work of Eugenio Cendoya, Enric Catà and Pere Domènech i Roura.[297]​.

Scattered across the mountain were the rest of the pavilions, such as the one in Barcelona, ​​by Josep Goday; the Press Palace – current headquarters of the Urban Police –, by Pere Domènech i Roura; the Palace of Decorative and Applied Arts, by Manuel Casas&action=edit&redlink=1 "Manuel Casas (architect) (not yet written)") and Manuel Puig&action=edit&redlink=1 "Manuel Puig (architect) (not yet written)"); the Palace of Graphic Arts - current Museum of Archeology "Museo de Arqueología de Catalunya (Barcelona)" - by Raimundo Durán Reynals and Pelayo Martínez; the Palace of Agriculture – current Fabià Puigserver Theater –, by Josep Maria Ribas i Casas and Manuel Maria Mayol; the Spanish pavilion, by Antoni Darder; the Palace of the Provincial Councils, by Enric Sagnier; the Palace of Chemistry, by Antoni Sardà; the Royal pavilion - currently known as Palacete Albéniz -, by Juan Moya; the Palace of Modern Art and the Palace of the Missions, both by Antoni Darder.

Rationalism

In the 1930s, a strong desire to approach the European architectural avant-garde arose, where rationalism was emerging, a style practiced in central Europe since the early 1920s by architects such as Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius and J.J.P. Oud. It was a style that combined functionality and aesthetics, giving predominance to volume over mass, with forms based on the rectangle and horizontal lines, without hiding the structure of the building, with smooth walls and metal windows, without ornamental overload.[317]​ In Catalonia, the influence of international architecture was expressed in two lines: a more purist rationalism inspired by Le Corbusier, and an eclecticism that accepted other references, such as art deco or German expressionism, with a special reference in the Bauhaus.[318]​.

In 1930, the GATCPAC group (Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture) emerged in Barcelona,[note 12]​ with a desire to renew and liberate Noucentista classicism, as well as to introduce in Spain the new international currents derived from rationalism. The GATCPAC defended the carrying out of scientific calculations in construction, as well as the use of new materials, such as fiber cement boards or uralite, as well as lighter materials such as glass.[319] It was founded by Josep Lluís Sert, Josep Torres Clavé, Germán Rodríguez Arias, Sixte Illescas, Cristòfor Alzamora, Ricardo de Churruca, Manuel Subiño, Pere Armengou and Francesc pear trees; Later, other architects such as Raimon Duran i Reynals, Antoni Bonet i Castellana, Jaume Mestres i Fossas, Antoni Puig i Gairalt, Ramon Puig i Gairalt, Alexandre Soler i March, Francesc Fàbregas and Joan Baptista Subirana joined. Unfortunately, his work was cut short with the outbreak of the Civil War.[320]​.

Catalan rationalism had special qualities, such as the departure from formalism, a certain expressionist tendency and a clear political connection with the Second Republic,[321]​ as denoted in the creation in 1936 of the SAC (Union of Architects of Catalonia), directed by Torres Clavé y Fàbregas, which defended intervention in the control of construction, the collectivization of housing and the orientation of the teaching.[322]​ Torres Clavé was director of the magazine A. C. Documents of Contemporary Activity (1931-1937), based on avant-garde magazines such as Das Neue Frankfurt, directed by Ernst May, or L'Esprit Nouveau, by Le Corbusier and Amédée Ozenfant.[323]​.

Among its members, Josep Lluís Sert, an internationally famous architect who settled in the United States after the Civil War, stood out. He was a disciple of Le Corbusier, with whom he worked in Paris and whom he invited to visit Barcelona in 1928, 1931 and 1932.[324] His two main works in Barcelona in these years were the Bloc house (1932-1936) and the Central Anti-tuberculous Dispensary (1934-1938), both in collaboration with Torres Clavé and Subirana. The first is based on the housing project by Le Corbusier (1922), and is a set of S-shaped houses, made of long, narrow blocks with a two-bay metal structure, with access to the houses through covered corridors; Spanish for the 1937 Paris International Exhibition, where Picasso's was exhibited for the first time, which was reconstructed in Barcelona in 1992 by Miquel Espinet"), Antoni Ubach") and Juan Miguel Hernández León.[327]​.

Postwar period

The beginning of the Franco dictatorship caused a break in the avant-garde integration of Catalan architecture, since the new regime opted for a more academic style. The absence of a conceptual program led to the work being subordinated to the expertise of its author, although the prevailing ideological discourse promoted monumentalism and the classroom character of the achievements of the moment. In the first postwar years, the Noucentista style reemerged, with a marked academic component, in a neoclassical style influenced by American eclecticism "Architecture in the United States") and Mediterranean neo-Renaissanceism.[330]​.

Given the failed attempts to formulate a new architecture of the regime, only initially visible due to the passing influence of Italian and German architecture with a historicist and regionalist tendency "Regionalism (architecture)"), and due to the lack in Catalonia of official commissions from the new authorities, the constructions in Barcelona were linked to the monumentalist Noucentisme of the 1920s, with the survival even of a certain attenuated rationalism.[331]​.

Among the architects and works of these years we can mention: Raimundo Durán Reynals (church of Santa María de Sants, 1940-1965; headquarters of Fabra & Coats, 1941-1944; Clip homes, 1949-1952; Julio Muñoz palace, 1949-1952); Eusebi Bona (Spanish Credit Bank in Plaza Cataluña, 1940-1950; Pirelli commercial building, 1948); Francesc Nebot (residential building at 368 Balmes Street on the corner of Ronda General Miter, 1946); Adolf Florensa (building in Plaza Villa de Madrid, 1946); Lluís Bonet i Garí (Life Bank of Spain, 1942-1950; National Pension Institute, 1947); Francesc Mitjans (residential buildings at 182 Balmes Street, 1941-1948; 76 Amigó Street, 1941-1944; and 140 General Miter Roundabout, 1947-1949); Manuel de Solà-Morales i de Rosselló (Officers' Residence, 1939-1940); Francisco Juan Barba Corsini (homes on Paseo de la Bonanova 105-107, 1946); Joaquim Lloret i Homs (El Rancho Grande housing, 1944); Pere Benavent de Barberà (homes at Calle de la Reina Victoria 26 and Ronda del General Miter 55, 1946-1950); and Josep Soteras (Olivetti Factory, 1940-1953; Industrial Building, 1947; monumental fountain on Paseo de Gracia, 1952).

At this time, numerous churches destroyed or damaged during the war were restored, while new ones were created, most in a Florentine Renaissance style continuing the line started by Rubió and Tudurí: church of Nuestra Señora de la Bonanova (1942-1962), by Josep Danés i Torras; church of the Capuchin convent of Sarrià (1940-1944), by Pere Benavent de Barberà; Church of Our Lady of the Angels (1942-1957), by Josep Danés i Torras; Church of Perpetual Help (1950), by Joaquim Porqueras Bañeres"); Church of San Miguel de los Santos (1950-1963), by Antoni Fisas.[332]​.

The years of the dictatorship were characterized by urban developmentalism, which consisted of the unbridled construction of cheap housing, largely officially protected, to absorb the population coming above all from Spanish regions such as Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura or Galicia. The massive influx of immigration led to a rise in shanty towns, mainly in Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)"), Somorrostro, Pueblo Nuevo "Pueblo Nuevo (Barcelona)") and El Carmelo, places where at the end of the 1960s there were about 10,000 shacks. Although protected housing was encouraged, this did not stop speculation.[333]​ The construction of housing was carried out, in many cases, without prior urban planning, and using cheap materials that, over the years, would cause various problems such as aluminosis. The construction fever caused a notable demographic increase and the creation of new neighborhoods, such as El Carmelo, Nou Barris, El Guinardó, El Valle de Hebron, La Sagrera, El Clot or Pueblo Nuevo "Pueblo Nuevo (Barcelona)").[334]​.

Group R

In the 1950s there was a renewal of the architectural panorama thanks to the R Group (1951-1961),[338]​ a group of architects who connected the experience of rationalism and GATCPAC with new international currents, such as Neoliberty, neoempiricism and organicism, with the influence of architects such as Alvar Aalto, Oscar Niemeyer, Bruno Zevi and Gio Ponti.[339]​ They considered themselves post-functionalists, starting from rationalist functionalism "Functionalism (architecture)"), but surpassed on the basis of humanist criteria.[340]​ The architecture of Group R increasingly distanced itself from the regime's own style, acquiring a vindictive nuance, in which the commitment to modernity was considered an opposition to the regime.[341]​.

Among its initial members were José Antonio Coderch, Antoni de Moragas, Josep Maria Sostres, Manuel Valls"), Joaquim Gili, Oriol Bohigas, Josep Martorell and Josep Pratmarsó"); In 1953, Coderch and Valls left, while Manuel Ribas i Piera, Josep Anton Balcells, Francesc Bassó and Guillermo Giráldez joined; in 1958 Pablo Monguió and Francesc Vayreda entered").[342]​ These architects gained a new awareness due to Alberto Sartoris's conference at the Barcelona Athenaeum in 1949, where he called for the search for a new national architecture, which was supported by Oriol Bohigas in his article Possibilities of a Barcelona architecture.[343]​ However, over time the diversity The tendencies of these authors, who moved between neo-popularism, Miesian neo-rationalism, informalism and neo-functionalism, led to the dissolution of the group.[344]​.

In this generation, José Antonio Coderch stood out, one of the Spanish architects of the time with the most international prestige. Influenced by Aalto, his works show a high degree of simplicity and volumetric purity, while the curvilinear and articulated forms denote a certain expressionist component.[345]​ He was a defender of traditional Catalan architecture, and showed great concern for interior design and adaptation to the environment.[346]​ He worked associated with Manuel Valls since 1942; In 1960 he joined the international group Team 10.[347] Among his works are: the La Maquinista Workers' Cooperative (1951-1953), the Navy House (1952-1954), the residential building at 7 Johann Sebastian Bach Street (1957-1961) and the Tàpies House (1960-1963).

Josep Maria Sostres was a disciple of Sixte Illescas, and later received the influence of Giuseppe Terragni, while declaring himself an admirer of Gaudí, to whom he alluded to highlight the overcoming of rationalist functionalism.[348] He was the author of the Moratiel house (1956-1957), the Iranzo house (1957), and the offices of El Noticiero Universal (1963-1965).

Antoni de Moragas was in favor of industrial design over artisanal work; "He worked associated with Francesc de Riba i Salas"): Park Hotel (1950-1954), Fémina cinema (1950-1952), residential building at 125 Vallcarca Avenue (1953), Bullfighting House (1960-1962).

Barcelona School

Between the years 1960 and 1970, the so-called Barcelona School "Barcelona School (architecture)") emerged, according to the name proposed by Oriol Bohigas in his article A possible Barcelona School, published in the magazine Arquitectura in 1968. Heir to the R Group, the new school was inspired by the Italian neorealism "Neorealism (architecture)") that was triumphing at the time internationally, combining a rationalist constructive language with functionality and design.[367]​ The Barcelona School once again revalued modernism, and placed emphasis on the educative and communicative role of architecture, to which they granted a social commitment as a dynamic element of social and urban structures. Likewise, they valued craftsmanship and the use of traditional materials of Catalan architecture, such as brick and ceramics.[368]​ They also placed special emphasis on attention to design and interest in detail.[369]​.

Various members of Group R were also included in the Barcelona School. David Mackay joined the Bohigas-Martorell tandem in 1962, forming the MBM firm. Furthermore, a new generation of architects emerged, among which stood out: Federico Correa, Alfons Milà, Ricardo Bofill, Lluís Cantallops"), Lluís Nadal"), Albert Viaplana, Helio Piñón, Esteve Bonell or the Studio PER group, formed by Lluís Clotet, Òscar Tusquets, Cristian Cirici and Josep Bonet. Over time the School suffered some important splits, such as that of Ricardo Bofill and his Taller de Arquitectura; the members of Studio PER, immersed in postmodern currents; the Viaplana-Piñón tandem and its orientation towards an abstracting formalism; and the personal and eclectic career of Esteve Bonell.[370]​ It is worth noting that at the beginning of the 1960s, the first women architects in Barcelona were qualified, such as Margarita Brender, Roser Amadó and Anna Bofill.[371]​.

In this period, some architects of the previous generation continued to work: José Antonio Coderch approached minimalism,[372]​ with works such as the Trade towers (1965-1969), drawn on circle segments in such a way that the façade, a black glass curtain wall, runs along the profile of the building in a continuous line;[373]​ other works of his were the Raset residential complex (1968-1973), the French Institute (1972-1974, without the collaboration of Manuel Valls")), the La Caixa offices on Diagonal Avenue (1974-1979) and the expansion of the Barcelona School of Architecture (1978-1984).

Antoni Bonet i Castellana, trained in the GATCPAC and exiled after the war, a period in which he carried out his work preferably in Argentina and Uruguay, upon his return he built the Meridiana Canódromo (1962-1963, with Josep Puig i Torné"), a light building formed by two paraboloid floors on steel pillars, with cantilevered stands covered with a concrete brise-soleil closed at the ends by an aluminum structure glazed.[374]​ He was also the author of the Urquinaona tower (1966-1973).

Transition and democracy

The end of the dictatorship and the arrival of democracy marked a new development in the architectural panorama of the city, increasingly immersed in international avant-garde currents. The new socialist councils of Narcís Serra and Pasqual Maragall opted for art and architecture as hallmarks of the city, and began an extensive program of urban reforms, which culminated with the celebration of the Olympic Games. The new public commissions were reflected in the increase in facilities such as schools, parks and gardens, roads and urban spaces, civic, cultural and sports centers.[391]​.

At a stylistic level, the last decades of the century saw a rapid succession of styles, sometimes complementary and sometimes contrasting, which on various occasions coexisted simultaneously. From the 1970s until the end of the century, the following trends are mainly perceived:

• - Eclectic rationalism: direct heir of rationalist architecture, they understand their task as a discipline, defending the relationship between construction and architecture, with special emphasis on composition; They highlight the commitment between tradition and modernity, as well as the urban character of the architecture. Its main representatives were: Rafael Moneo, Josep Llinàs, Josep Lluís Mateo and the tandems Jaume Bach / Gabriel Mora and Esteve Bonell / Francesc Rius.[392]​.

• - Neotraditionalism: it is a trend that is nourished mainly by historical models, considering traditional construction as a pure architectural language, with influence from popular and regional architecture, as well as Noucentisme and modern classicism - such as that represented by Otto Wagner -, while having Robert Venturi and Aldo Rossi as contemporary models, as well as the Italian group Tendenza. Due to its attempt to reconvert classicism into a contemporary project, this trend represents a precursor to postmodern architecture. It was mainly represented by the members of Studio PER: Òscar Tusquets, Lluís Clotet, Cristian Cirici and Josep Bonet.[393]​.

• - Postmodern architecture: they defend the free use of historical styles, with a tendency towards eclecticism "Eclecticism (art)"), separating the architectural language from its resulting image, the principles of appearance, the construction of form. The main exponent of this current was Ricardo Bofill.[394]​.

• - Neoorganicism: it emerged in opposition to eclectic rationalism, with a strong figurative component and a taste for plastic values, which is denoted in a certain baroque style of forms. Santiago Calatrava and some works by Josep Llinàs are part of this trend.[395]​.

• - Neomodern architecture (or contemporary avant-garde): in opposition to neotraditionalism and postmodernism, they present a greater interest in the conceptual and abstracting figuration, and assume the inheritance of modern language as experimentation. They denote the influence of Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright and Russian constructivism "Constructivism (art)") and, at a more current level, of Frank Gehry and Álvaro Siza. Enric Miralles, Carlos Ferrater and the tandems Elías Torres / José Antonio Martínez Lapeña and Helio Piñón / Albert Viaplana could be included in this trend.[396]​.

1992 Olympic Games

Another of the profound transformations of Barcelona came on the occasion of the 1992 Olympic Games. The event involved the remodeling of part of the Montjuic mountain, where the so-called Olympic Ring was located (1985-1992), designed by Carles Buxadé, Joan Margarit, Federico Correa and Alfons Milà,[433]​ a large venue located between the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium —rehabilitated between 1986 and 1989 by Buxadé, Margarit, Correa and Milà themselves together with Vittorio Gregotti—and the Plaza de Europa, with buildings such as the Palau Sant Jordi by Arata Isozaki (1984-1990), the Bernat Picornell Swimming Pools (1988-1991, Moisés Gallego") and Franc Fernández"), the Montjuic Telecommunications Tower (1991) in Santiago Calatrava and the National Institute of Physical Education "National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (Barcelona)") (1985-1992), by Ricardo Bofill.[434]​.

To accommodate the athletes, a new neighborhood was built, the Poblenou Olympic Village (1985-1992), with a general layout of the Martorell-Bohigas-Mackay-Puigdomènech team, and the intervention in various residential buildings by a wide range of architects, such as Ricardo Bofill, Carlos Ferrater, Esteve Bonell / Francesc Rius, Xavier Vendrell") / Manuel Ruisánchez"), Albert Viaplana / Helio Piñón, Elías Torres / José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, Òscar Tusquets / Carlos Díaz"), Federico Correa / Alfons Milà, Jordi Garcés / Enric Sòria, Lluís Clotet / Ignacio Paricio, etc.[435] Various buildings and facilities were built in the same area, such as the Eurocity 1 office buildings (1989-1992), by Roser Amadó and Lluís Domènech i Girbau, and Eurocity 2, 3 and 4 (1989-1992), by Viaplana and Piñón; the Central Telefónica (1989-1992), by Jaume Bach and Gabriel Mora; (1990-1992), by Álvaro Siza; the Nova Icària Sports Pavilion and Municipal Library (1989-1992, by Franc Fernández") and Moisés Gallego"); Ortiz") and Enrique de León").[436]​.

Another area of action was the El Valle de Hebron neighborhood, organized according to a project by Eduard Bru") (1989-1991), which included buildings and infrastructure such as: the archery facilities "Campo Olympic de Tiro con Arco (Barcelona)") (1990-1991), by Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós; the Palacio de Deportes del Valle de Hebron (1990-1991), by Jordi Garcés and Enric Sòria; the La Teixonera Tennis Club (1989-1992), by Antoni Sunyer"); and the Olympic Press Village (1989-1991), by Carlos Ferrater.[437]​.

A notable element was the Collserola telecommunications tower (1989-1992), by Norman Foster, located in Tibidabo. 288 m high, it has a cylindrical concrete shaft supported by three post-tensioned braces anchored to the mountain with three struts placed at 120° from each other; In its central part it contains a metal structure with a curvilinear triangular shape, which houses a viewpoint.[438]​.

For the event, a multi-denominational religious center was also built, the parish of Patriarch Abraham (1990-1992), the work of Agustí Mateos" and Josep Benedito"). The new building accommodated the spiritual needs of all participants in the games, whatever their beliefs, and subsequently became the parish of the new Olympic Village neighborhood. The floor plan therefore moves away from traditional Catholic shapes, and presents an almond-shaped design based on curved lines of great geometric simplicity.[439]​.

The turn of the century did not bring about a substantial change in the future of the city, which continued to focus on innovation and design as future projects, along with the use of new technologies and a commitment to environmental sustainability. Stylistically, the transition of the century has been marked again by the eclecticism derived from postmodern theories, while the influence of international currents such as high-tech, a style based on the intensive use of high technology, and deconstructivism, a current based on non-Euclidean geometry and antilinearism, with curved and "soft" forms with an apparently chaotic appearance, have gained strength.[459] It is also worth highlighting the progressive importance acquired by computing. in architectural design, with programs such as CAD and Power Point that have replaced the old ways of preparing architectural projects.[460]​.

One of the most notable events of the new millennium was the celebration of the Universal Forum of Cultures in 2004, which allowed new urban changes in the city: the entire Besós area was recovered, until then populated by old disused factories, the entire Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood "Pueblo Nuevo (Barcelona)") was regenerated and the new Diagonal Mar neighborhood was built, while the city was provided with new parks and spaces for leisure. citizens.[461]​ The profile of the city changed after the construction of a large cylindrical skyscraper, the Torre Agbar, as well as the W Barcelona hotel, which modified the appearance of the Port of Barcelona and, therefore, its seafront.[462]​.

The Agbar Tower (2000-2005), the work of Jean Nouvel, is one of the most emblematic buildings built in the new millennium, and has significantly changed the Barcelona skyline.[463] High-tech style, it is 145 m high and shaped like an oval cylinder, inspired according to the author in the bell towers of Gaudí's Sagrada Familia. The façade has a double skin of concrete and glass, with a set of 4,000 LED devices of different colors that light up at night, creating particular polychrome effects.[464]​.

Around the same time, the new Gas Natural headquarters was built (1999-2006), the work of Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue, a building broken down into four bodies: the "tower" is the tallest, with an H shape composed of two bodies of different heights; The "bracket" is a body attached to the tower that acts as access to the building; The "aircraft carrier" is a cantilevered body that protrudes from the central tower and provides horizontality to the layout of the complex; The "waterfall" is a low body with a stepped façade that restores the elevation of the surrounding buildings. The entire building has a glass roof, whose play of reflections between the four bodies generates a somewhat dematerialized image of the complex.[465]​.

Other buildings from these early years were: the Jaume Fuster Library (2001-2004), by Josep Llinàs, with a rhomboidal floor plan and a complex and sinuous layout that interacts with an irregular-looking urban environment; diaphanous;[467]​ the Illa de la Llum residential complex (2002-2005), by Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio, with three bodies: a 5-story block flanked by two towers, one with 26 floors and another with 18, resolved with modules of aluminum ceilings that are repeated on the façade, while the entire complex is supported by tube pre-frames galvanized;[468]​ and the rehabilitation of the Barceloneta market (2002-2007, by Josep Miàs"), with an organic conception that structures different spaces in a dynamic and integrative way.[469]​.

The main building impulse of these years was the celebration of the Universal Forum of Cultures in 2004. The venue was designed by Elías Torres and José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, which includes a 16-hectare multipurpose esplanade culminated at one end by a large photovoltaic panel that became one of the emblems of the event.[470]​ The main construction was the Forum building (2000-2004), by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron - current headquarters of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona -, with a low-profile triangular floor plan with a distribution of several interior patios that generate open spaces, and a rough-looking façade of indigo blue, furrowed by various stripes of glass. irregular and undulating shapes that hide the supporting elements, generating large open spaces with a flexible layout inside.[472]​ The space of the enclosure and its adjacent areas have subsequently been used to locate various public parks, such as the Linear Park by Garcia Fària, by Pere Joan Ravetllat and Carme Ribas; the Auditoriums park, by Alejandro Zaera; and the Diagonal Mar park, by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue.

Among the constructions of the following years, it is worth highlighting: the Biomedical Research Park (2006), by Manuel Brullet and Alberto de Pineda, a truncated-conical building with wooden slat cladding; another;[474]​ the W Barcelona hotel —also known as Hotel Vela— (2009), by Ricardo Bofill, a 99 m high building shaped like a ship's sail, with a glazed curtain wall façade;[475]​ the Telecommunications Market Commission headquarters building (2008-2010), by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig, with an asymmetrical longitudinal planimetry profile and a double façade of horizontal slats that offers solar protection;[476]​ the Media-TIC building (2010), by Enric Ruiz-Geli, has a cubic shape and is supported by iron girders covered by a translucent coating of inflatable bubble plastic, which allows us to distinguish the fluorescent structure inside the building;[477]​ the Diagonal Zero Zero tower of Telefónica (2008-2011, by Enric Massip-Bosch"), by 110 m high and with a rhomboidal floor plan, with a white aluminum ribbed façade; Catalanas;[479]​ and the Bellcaire Fair or Old Encantes (2013), by Fermín Vázquez Huarte-Mendicoa, a canopy-shaped structure that covers the Encantes open-air market, made up of various modules with different inclinations to reflect the light and the surrounding landscape.[480]​.

Other works from these years are: the International Center for Advanced Medicine (2004), by Luis Alonso and Sergio Balaguer"); the expansion of CosmoCaixa Barcelona (2004, by Esteve") and Robert Terradas"); the Hilton Diagonal Mar hotel (2005), by Òscar Tusquets; the Colegio Mayor Sant Jordi (2006), by Josep Lluís Mateo;[481]​ the departmental building of the UPF (1996-2007), by Juan Navarro Baldeweg ; Martí Galí");[484]​ the Illa del Mar residential building (2008), by Adolf Martínez"), Josep Lluís Martínez"), Jorge Muñoz&action=edit&redlink=1 "Jorge Muñoz (architect) (not yet written)") and Enrique Albin"); the Can Framis Museum (2007-2009, by Jordi Badia");[485]​ the entire City of Justice of Barcelona and Hospitalet de Llobregat (2009), by David Chipperfield and Fermín Vázquez Huarte-Mendicoa; the Suites Avenue building (2009), by Toyoo Itō; the Institute of Ocular Microsurgery (2009), by Josep Llinàs;[486]​ the Blau building (2009), by Antoni de Moragas, Eva Mercader Oliver") and Susanna Itarte Rubió");[487]​ the Blood Bank (2006-2010), by Joan Sabaté Picasó"), Àlex Cazurra Basté") and Horacio Espeche Sotailo");[488]​ the Can Travi Civic Center (2008-2010), by Sergi Serrat"), Ginés Egea") and Cristina García&action=edit&redlink=1 "Cristina García (architect) (not yet written)");[489]​ the GAES headquarters (2008-2010), by Jorge Mestre") and Iván Bercedo"); the reconversion of the Arenas bullring in a shopping center (2005-2011), by Richard Rogers; the Bassat headquarters (2010-2011, by Alexa Plasencia"), Antonio Buendía") and Albert Arraut");[490]​ the Distrito 38 building (2011), by Arata Isozaki, Alejandro Zaera and Farshid Moussavi;[491]​ the Vodafone building (2012), by Dominique Perrault;[492]​ and the Antares building (2020), by Odile Decq.[493]​.

On the other hand, the economic crisis that began in 2008 paralyzed numerous architectural projects, some as emblematic as the La Sagrera Tower, by Frank Gehry, or the Spiral Tower, by Zaha Hadid, putting an end to a few years of construction in the city of great projects commissioned from internationally famous authors.[494]​.

In 2022, the Cirerers building, the tallest wooden building in Spain, was inaugurated, the work of the Celobert architectural cooperative, a sustainable project based on an industrialized construction system in cross-laminated wood.[495]​.

In terms of landscape architecture, it is worth mentioning the Central Park of Nou Barris (1997-2007), by Carme Fiol and Andreu Arriola, structured on several levels in which pergolas that act as lighting panels stand out, as well as the presence of water, through three lakes with fountains; In 2007 he received the International Urban Landscape Award in Frankfurt (Germany).[496]​ Another green space of interest is the Poblenou Center park (2008), by Jean Nouvel, divided into various thematic spaces, with avant-garde design, among which stand out: the Island under the dome, a space surrounded by a water channel that houses a metal dome surrounded by laurels; and the Well of the World, a crater formed by several spirals of earth.[497]​.

The urban planning of the new millennium has reinforced the polynuclear grid structure promoted since the 1990s, which has favored the appearance of new urban centers such as the Forum, 22@ and La Sagrera.[498]​ In 2025 the new Plaza de las Glorias Catalanas was inaugurated after several years of works, in which traffic was buried and a new park was installed for the enjoyment of citizens.[499]​.

Communications have improved with the arrival of high speed, which links the Catalan capital with Madrid and Paris; The port and airport of El Prat have been expanded, with the aim of turning Barcelona into the logistics center of southern Europe. The metro network has also been expanded, with the extension of several lines (3 and 5), and the creation of some new ones (lines 9, 10 and 11), some of them fully automated. In 2012, an orthogonal reorganization of the bus network began to create a rapid transit bus network.[500] The construction of a new ring road is also planned to improve communications in the metropolitan area.

• - Diagonal Mar Park (1999-2002), by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue.

• - Barcelona International Convention Center (2000-2004), by Josep Lluís Mateo.

• - Jaume Fuster Library (2001-2004), by Josep Llinàs.

• - Biomedical Research Park (2006), by Manuel Brullet and Alberto de Pineda.

• - Hotel Habitat Sky (2004-2007), by Dominique Perrault.

• - Can Framis Museum (2007-2009), by Jordi Badia").

• - Suites Avenue Building (2009), by Toyoo Itō.

• - Blau Building (2009), by Antoni de Moragas, Eva Mercader Oliver") and Susanna Itarte Rubió").

• - Telecommunications Market Commission (2008-2010), by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig.

• - GAES building (2008-2010), by Jorge Mestre") and Iván Bercedo").

• - Media-TIC Building (2010), by Enric Ruiz-Geli.

• - Diagonal Zero Zero Tower of Telefónica (2008-2011), by Enric Massip-Bosch").

• - Vodafone Building (2012), by Dominique Perrault.

• - Bellcaire Fair or Old Charms (2013), by Fermín Vázquez Huarte-Mendicoa.

• - Art of Catalonia.

• - History of Barcelona.

• - Urban planning of Barcelona.

• - Districts of Barcelona.

• - Former municipalities of Barcelona.

• - Municipal aggregations of Barcelona.

• - Public art in Barcelona.

• - Urban art from Barcelona.

• - Urban furniture from Barcelona.

• - Fountains of Barcelona.

• - Parks and gardens of Barcelona.

• - Odononymy of Barcelona.

• - Catalan modernism.

• - Architecture of Spain.

• - Architecture of Madrid.

• - Annual competition for artistic buildings (Barcelona) "Annual competition for artistic buildings (Barcelona)").

• - FAD Award.

• - Mies van der Rohe Contemporary Architecture Prize.

• - District 22@.

• - Annex: Basilicas of Barcelona.

• - Annex:Skyscrapers in Barcelona.

• - Annex: Tallest buildings in the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona.

• - Annex:Architectures of Spain.

• - World Heritage Site in Catalonia.

• - Assets of cultural interest of the Barcelonés region "Annex: Assets of cultural interest of the Barcelonés region (province of Barcelona)").

• - Apple of discord "Apple of discord (Barcelona)").

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Architecture of Barcelona.

• - Barcelona official website Archived December 23, 2014 at the Wayback Machine.

Barcelona, ​​capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, is located in the Spanish Levant, on the Mediterranean coast. It is located on a plain about 6 meters long and 6 meters wide, limited on its sides by the sea and the Collserola mountain range - with the summit of Tibidabo (516.2 m) as the highest point - as well as by the deltas of the Besós and Llobregat rivers. Above the coastline and separating the city from the Llobregat delta is the Montjuic mountain (184.8 m).[6] Likewise, from the Collserola mountain range several hills advance on the plain that follow a line parallel to the coastal mountain range: they are the Peira hills (133 m), the Rovira (261 m), the Carmelo "Mount Carmelo (Barcelona)") (267 m), the Creueta del Coll (249 m), the Putget (181 m) and Monterols (121 m).[7]​.

The Barcelona plain is located on a fault that runs from Montgat to Garraf, originating in the Paleozoic. The terrain is made up of slate substrates "Slate (rock)") and granitic formations, as well as clays and calcareous stones.[8] The coast was formerly occupied by marshes and lagoons, which disappeared as the coastline advanced thanks to the sedimentation provided by the rivers and torrents that flowed into the beach; It is estimated that from the century BC. C. the coastline has been able to advance about 5 km.[9]​ The plain area was formerly crisscrossed by numerous torrents and streams, which were grouped into three river sectors: the Horta stream in the area near the Besós river (or eastern area); the Riera Blanca and the Gornal torrent in the Llobregat area (or western area); and, in the central area of ​​the plain, a set of streams from the southern slope of Tibidabo, such as the Sant Gervasi, Vallcarca, Magòria and Collserola streams.[10]​.

The climate is Mediterranean, with mild winters thanks to the protection that the terrain's orography offers to the plain, which is sheltered from the north winds. The temperature usually ranges between 9.5 °C and 24.3 °C, on average. It has little rainfall, about 600 mm annually, and most precipitation occurs in spring and autumn. This shortage meant that in the past numerous works had to be carried out to supply the city with water, including wells, canals and irrigation ditches. The vegetation of the area is mainly composed of pines and oaks, and undergrowth of heather, durillo, strawberry tree and climbing plants. In the past, both dryland and irrigated agriculture was practiced - mainly vineyards and cereals - although today practically the entire surface is built.[11]​.

Barcelona, ​​with a population of 1,604,555 inhabitants in 2015,[12]​ is the most important urban center in Catalonia at a demographic, political, economic and cultural level. It is the seat of the autonomous government and the Parliament of Catalonia, as well as the Provincial Council, the archbishopric and the IV Military Region, and has a port, an airport and an important network of railways and roads.[13]​.

Prehistory

There are few vestiges of prehistoric times in the city. Although the human presence in the Paleolithic is confirmed, the first remains in terms of architecture come from the Neolithic, a time when human beings became sedentary and went from a subsistence based on hunting and gathering to an agrarian and livestock economy. These first vestiges come from the end of the Neolithic (3500 BC-1800 BC), and are mainly manifested by funerary practices with pit tombs, which used to be quite deep and covered with slabs. An example of this is the tomb discovered in 1917 on the southwest slope of the Monterols hill, between Muntaner and Copérnico streets; of imprecise dating, it is 60 cm high and 80 cm wide, and was made up of flat slabs of irregular shape. As far as habitations are concerned, from this period only a cabin back has been found in what is the current San Andrés Condal station.[14]​.

From the Bronze Age (1800 BC-800 BC) there are also few remains preserved regarding the plain of Barcelona. The main ones come from a site discovered in 1990 on San Pablo Street, where remains of fireplaces and individual burial graves have been found. The remains found in 1931 in Can Casanoves, behind the San Pablo Hospital, are also surely from this period, where remains of stone walls and the bottoms of three circular cabins of about 180 cm in diameter have been found. On the other hand, there are written testimonies of two megalithic monuments, located in Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)") and Campo del Arpa, of which, however, no material trace has remained. Finally, from the late Chalcolithic there are few remains of the so-called "urn field culture", found in the Can Don Joan farmhouse, in Horta, and on the southeastern slope of the Montjuic mountain, between the Molí Antic and Font de la Mamella roads.[15]​.

Iberian period

Between the century BC. C. and the century BC. C. the plain of Barcelona was occupied by the Layetans, an Iberian people who occupied the current regions of Barcelonés, Vallés "Vallés (Catalonia)"), Maresme and Bajo Llobregat.[16] Iberian architecture was based on rammed earth walls, with a lintel system, with false arches and vaults made by approximation of courses. The cities were usually located on an acropolis, with towers and solid walls for defense, within which the houses were located, with an irregular distribution, generally with a rectangular plan.[17]​.

In Barcelona there are hardly any Iberian architectural remains: the main vestiges of this culture were found in the hills of Rovira, Peira and Putget, as well as in Santa Cruz de Olorde - in Tibidabo -, but they have not allowed us to establish special characteristics with regard to habitations or funerary tombs.[18]​ The main remains come from Rovira, where in 1931 vestiges of a Iberian town that, unfortunately, were destroyed when anti-aircraft batteries were installed during the Civil War. Apparently, it had a wall with two entrances, while located outside the walls a set of silos with 44 tanks excavated in the rock was found.[19]​.

Apparently, the main Iberian settlement in the area was in Montjuic—possibly the Barkeno named after two coins minted at the end of the century BC. C.—, although the recent urbanization of the mountain and its intensive use as a stone quarry throughout the city's history has caused the loss of most of the remains. In 1928, nine large-capacity silos were discovered in the Magòria area, which were probably part of a warehouse for agricultural surpluses. On the other hand, in 1984 remains of a settlement were found on the southwest slope of the mountain, on a piece of land measuring about 2 or 3 hectares.[20]​.

Roman period

In the century BC. C. the Romans arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, during the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, which began a colonizing process that culminated with the incorporation of all of Hispania into the Roman Empire. In the century BC. C. Barcino was founded,[note 1]​ a small walled city projected from the beginning with a monumental air, and which took the urban form of castrum initially, and oppidum later, settled on the Mons Taber (16,9). The maximum splendor of the Roman era occurred during the century, with a population that must have ranged between 3,500 and 5,000 inhabitants.[21]​.

The Romans were great experts in civil architecture and engineering, and provided the territory with roads, bridges, aqueducts and cities with a rational layout and basic services, such as sewage, as well as buildings such as temples, baths, circuses and theaters. Roman architecture was based on the use of ashlar, brick and masonry rigs, and compared to the Greek architrave system they introduced the use of the arch "Arch (architecture)"), the vault and the dome. They adopted from the Greeks the use of the Ionic and Corinthian orders, to which they added the Tuscan and the Composite.[22]​.

The Barcino enclosure was walled, with a perimeter of , which protected an area of ​​10.4 hectares.[23] The first wall of the city, of simple masonry, began to be built in the century BC. C. It had few towers, only in the corners and at the doors of the walled perimeter. However, the first incursions by the Franks and Alemanni starting in the 250s gave rise to the need to reinforce the walls, which were expanded in the 19th century. The new wall was built on the foundations of the first, and was formed by a 2-meter double wall, with space in the middle filled with stone and mortar "Mortar (construction)"). The wall consisted of 74 towers about 18 meters high, most of them with a rectangular base.[24]​.

The center of the city was the forum, the central square dedicated to public life and business. It was located at the confluence between the cardus maximus "Cardo (street)") (Llibreteria and Call streets) and the decumanus maximus (Bisbe, Ciutat and Regomir streets), approximately in the center of the walled enclosure.[25]​ In the forum, constructions dedicated to business, justice, the baths and other public buildings were concentrated, and it was the place where the authorities met in the Curia and the Basilica. The forum area has not been clearly delimited, but it appears to approximately coincide with the current Plaza de San Jaime.[26] In the forum was the Temple of Augustus "Temple of Augustus (Barcelona)"), the first emperor and founder of the Roman Barcino. It was built a few years after the founding of the city, probably at the beginning of the century AD. C. It was a rectangular building, on a , hexastyle and peripteral, about 35 meters long by 17.5 meters wide. Between the Corinthian colonnade was located the , a room that contained the image or sculpture of the Emperor Augustus, accessible from the forum. Only three columns "Column (architecture)") remain from this temple, still located in their original location, although they are currently inside the building of the Excursionist Center of Catalonia, on Paradís Street.[27]​.

Contenido

Las primeras construcciones intactas que se conservan en la ciudad proceden de la Edad Media, época en que Barcelona se constituyó como condado y posteriormente pasó a formar parte de la Corona de Aragón, convirtiéndose en un importante eje marítimo y comercial del mar Mediterráneo. En el siglo surgió el Consejo de Ciento, una de las primeras instituciones públicas de Barcelona. El recinto de la ciudad fue creciendo desde el primitivo núcleo urbano —lo que hoy día es el Barrio Gótico—, y en el siglo surgió el barrio de El Raval. Barcelona tenía entonces unos 25 000 habitantes.[36]​.

Pre-Romanesque

The first style produced in the field of medieval art is the so-called pre-Romanesque, located between the fall of the Roman Empire and the creation of the Hispanic Brand. During this period Barcelona was integrated into the Visigoth kingdom and, after a brief Islamic occupation, into the Carolingian Empire.

Visigothic architecture was characterized by the use of the ashlar wall, the horseshoe arch and the barrel or groin vault. The churches used to have a basilica plan with one or three naves "Nave (architecture)"), or a Greek cross, generally with free-standing chapels and an entrance porch.[37] In Barcelona there are few remains of the Visigothic period, in which the city remained within the walls. There are known remains of a palace built in the century on the old Roman forum, later an episcopal palace. Another palace, perhaps where Ataúlfo was murdered, was discovered under the current Salón del Tinell, in the Plaza del Rey "Plaza del Rey (Barcelona)"), where a necropolis of the time (- centuries) was also discovered.[38]​ The cathedral continued to be the early Christian basilica, and there is evidence that churches such as San Pablo del Campo, Santos Justo y Pastor "Basilica de los Santos Justo y Pastor (Barcelona)") and Santa María de las Arenas—later del Mar—.[39]​ It is likely that for a time the cathedral was attached to the Arian cult practiced by the first Visigoths, until the Catholic conversion of Recaredo in the year 587.[40]​.

The brief Islamic occupation of the city, lasting just 83 years, did not leave a special mark. The population of the Muslim Barshilūna (برشلونة) remained predominantly Christian, as the invaders did not attempt to convert them to Islam. The Arab wali set up a military garrison in the city, and possibly converted the cathedral into a mosque, as happened in other cities, although there is no evidence of this.[41]

Later the city fell under dependence on the Carolingian Empire, which spanned from the conquest of Ludovico Pío in 801 to the offensive led by Almanzor in 985. During this time the cathedral was restored, thanks to the initiative of Bishop Frodoí around the year 877, on the occasion of the transfer of the remains of Saint Eulalia to the crypt of the cathedral.[42] During the approximately two centuries that Carolingian influence lasted in Barcelona, the city also had the cathedral with the urban churches of San Jaime "Iglesia de San Jaime (Barcelona)"), San Miguel "Iglesia de San Miguel (Barcelona)") and Santos Justo y Pastor "Basilica de los Santos Justo y Pastor (Barcelona)"), in addition to those located outside the walls of Santa María del Pino, Santa María del Mar and the monasteries of San Pablo del Campo and San Pedro de las Puellas; All of these churches were later renovated in other styles.[43]​ Around the century, various parishes and population centers were also formed in the vicinity of the city, such as San Ginés dels Agudells, San Andrés de Palomar, San Juan de Horta, San Gervasio de Cassoles and San Martín de Provensals.[44]​.

During the medieval period, Barcelona had a Jewish neighborhood, Call, located between the current streets of Fernando, Baños Nuevos, Palla and Obispo. Founded in 692, it survived until its destruction in 1391 in a xenophobic assault. It was separated from the rest of the city by a wall, and had two synagogues (Major, currently a museum, and Minor, today the parish of San Jaime), baths, schools and hospitals.[45]​.

The development of agriculture in the plain of Barcelona was consolidated with the construction, in the middle of the century - and probably by Count Miró - of two canals that directed the waters of the Llobregat river "Llobregat (river)") and the Besós to the outskirts of the city: the Besós was known as Acequia Condal or Regomir, and was parallel to the Strata Francisca, a road that was a variant of the old Via Augusta Roman, and which was built by the Franks to better bring the city closer to the center of the Carolingian Empire.[46]​.

Romanesque

Romanesque art, developed from around the year 1000 to the 19th century, is linked to the creation of the Catalan counties—of which the County of Barcelona acquired preeminence over the rest—which progressively gained autonomy from the Carolingian Empire, while at the same time recovering ground from the Islamic kingdoms. Feudalism was established as the prevailing regime, and Romanesque languages emerged, including Catalan.[47]​ In the County, the main influences came from Lombardy and the Provencal and Toulouse schools, although new typologies were created in the use of stone and in the covering of large surfaces with vaults that allow us to speak of an authentically Catalan Romanesque.[48]​ Romanesque architecture stands out for the use of barrel vaults and semicircular arches, with stone walls carved in ashlars on a masonry core. The churches have one or three naves, with a wide transept and ambulatory in some cases, in addition to the presence of one or more apses in the back.[49]​.

Little is known about the Romanesque cathedral, except that it was consecrated in 1058, which suggests that it must have been a different building from the early Christian or pre-Romanesque one. It probably occupied the central space of the current Gothic cathedral, and if it followed the model of other churches of the time it must have had three naves with three stepped apses and an entrance portico. It had a bell tower that bordered the Count's Palace.[50] The church of Nuestra Señora del Coll "Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Coll (Barcelona)") is also from the century, located at the foot of Mount Carmel "Monte Carmelo (Barcelona)"), of which the central body and the bell tower are preserved, while the other current elements of the church are from the century.[51]​.

The main exponent of Romanesque art in Barcelona is the monastery of San Pablo del Campo, completely renovated between the 19th and 2nd centuries. The façade has a tympanum "Tympanum (architecture)") with an image of Jesus between Saints Peter and Paul, with the Tetramorphs and the hand of God.[53]​.

In the century the monastery of San Pedro de las Puellas was also renovated, founded in 945 by Count Sunyer, but rebuilt in Romanesque style before 1147, the date on which the church was consecrated. It had a cross-shaped plan, with an atrium, cloister and several monastic rooms.[54] In the middle of the century the monastery of Santa Ana "Monasterio de Santa Ana (Barcelona)") was created, with a Latin cross plan with a nave and a rectangular head; The cloister is from the 19th century, with two floors, with a lower gallery of pointed arches with quadrilobed columns.[55] Also from the 19th century are: the chapel of San Lázaro, in Plaza del Pedró, which was part of an old leper colony; and the Marcús chapel, belonging to an old hospital for the poor, with a rectangular plan and an apse that was demolished in 1787.[56] The church of San Juan de Horta was probably also from this period, around which the municipality of Horta "Horta (Barcelona)") was created, destroyed in the events of the Tragic Week "Semana Trágica (Spain)") of 1909.[57]​.

Gothic

Developed between the and centuries, it was a time of economic development and geographical expansion: Barcelona became one of the main political, economic, social, cultural and commercial centers of the Crown of Aragon, and would become one of the main Mediterranean powers in the centuries, and, in competition with Genoa and Venice.[63] Architecture underwent a profound transformation, with lighter, more dynamic forms, with a better structural analysis that allowed for more stylized buildings, with more openings. and, therefore, better lighting. New typologies appeared, such as the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, and the use of buttresses and buttresses to support the structure of the building, which allowed larger interiors decorated with stained glass and rose windows.[64]​.

From the middle of the century, fully Gothic churches were introduced in Barcelona, ​​characterized by the plan of a nave with a polygonal head flanked by side chapels between buttresses. These churches were initially promoted mainly by Franciscans and Dominicans, and their first exponents were the churches-monastery of Santa Catalina and San Francisco. and heptagonal head.[66]​ The church of San Francisco "Convento de San Francisco (Barcelona)") (1247-1297) had a nave with seven sections, with side chapels and a polygonal apse; It was located in the current Plaza del Duque de Medinaceli, until it was demolished in 1837.[67] Between the 13th and 14th centuries, the convent of Carmen "Convento del Carmen (Barcelona)") was also built - demolished in 1875 -, with a single nave with a polygonal head and side chapels, covered with diaphragm arches that were later replaced by a ribbed vault.[68]​.

In 1298 the Gothic reform of the Barcelona Cathedral began, with a three-nave structure with an ambulatory and double chapels, and a crypt with the tomb of Saint Eulalia. The head is inspired by the Narbonne Cathedral, with an ambulatory and a crown of radial chapels. The initial project is by an unknown author, while between 1317 and 1339 Jaume Fabre completed the chevet and the crypt; Between 1365 and 1388, Bernat Roca was in charge of the transept and the bell towers, as well as the vaults of the naves up to the rear choir; between 1398 and 1405 Arnau Bargués built the chapter house; In the following years the cloister was built, with master builders Jaume Solà), Bartomeu Gual and Andreu Escuder. The façade was built in the 19th century, in the neo-Gothic style.[69]​.

Next to the cathedral a large group of churches emerged, the first being that of Santa María del Pino, begun in 1319 and practically completed at the end of the century. It has a single nave with seven sections with cross vaults, with chapels between the buttresses, following the type of churches of mendicant orders. The façade stands out for its large rose window with radial traceries, comparable to those of Sant Cugat del Vallès and the Cathedral of Tarragona. Next to the church is the octagonal bell tower. Master builders such as Guillem Abiell, Francesc Basset and Bartomeu Mas took part in its layout.[70]

En este período Barcelona pasó a formar parte del nuevo reino de España surgido de la unión de las coronas de Castilla y Aragón. Fue una época de alternancia entre períodos de prosperidad y de crisis económicas, especialmente por las epidemias de peste en el siglo y por conflictos sociales y bélicos como la Guerra dels Segadors y la Guerra de Sucesión entre los siglos y , aunque en este último siglo repuntó la economía gracias a la apertura del comercio con América y al inicio de la industria textil. La ciudad seguía encorsetada en sus murallas —la única ampliación fue en la playa, el barrio de la Barceloneta—, pese a que al final del período tenía casi 100 000 habitantes. Artísticamente fue la época del Renacimiento y el Barroco, estilos en los que se construyeron numerosos palacios e iglesias.[92]​.

Renaissance

Artistically, although some authors speak of a certain decadence, it was a fairly productive time, although there was no truly indigenous creation, since both the artistic forms and styles, and often the artists themselves, came from outside. In any case, the innovations of the Italian Renaissance arrived late, towards the end of the century, and meanwhile the Gothic forms survived.[93] Renaissance architecture stood out for the return to classical forms, with the use of semicircular arches, "Column (architecture)" columns of classical orders, barrel vaults with coffered ceilings and half-orange domes. The floor plan used to be central, with open spaces and harmonious shapes based on strict mathematical proportions.[94]​.

The survival of the Gothic is denoted in examples such as the façade of the church of San Miguel "Iglesia de San Miguel (Barcelona)") (1519)—currently attached to a side wall of the Basilica of La Merced "Basilica de la Merced (Barcelona)")—, by the master builders Gabriel Pellicer") and Pau Mateu") and by the French sculptor René Ducloux"), with a Gothic portal with Corinthian pilasters sides and niches of Gothic tracery.[95] At this time, numerous reforms and additions were also made to the church of the Dominican convent of Santa Catalina "Convento de Santa Catalina (Barcelona)"): the Nativity chapel was added to the Gothic building in 1529; in 1534 the chapel of the hatters' brotherhood; in 1545 the high choir and a tabernacle were added; del Rosario; and in 1602 the chapel of San Raimundo de Peñafort, the work of Pere Blai, already in a fully Renaissance classicism.[96] Between 1540 and 1587 the church of Santa María de Vallvidrera was rebuilt on an old Romanesque building of the century; quadrangular.[97]​.

Renaissance innovations slowly penetrated, resulting in hybrid buildings between Gothic and Renaissance, such as the Convent of the Angels and the Foot of the Cross "Convent of the Angels (Barcelona)") (1562-1566), by Bartomeu Roig"): the church had a nave with three vaulted rooms and a polygonal apse; it currently houses the institution Fomento de las Artes Decorativas.[98]​ In 1566 The chapel of San Cristóbal was built on the ground floor of Mateu Roig's house, on Sant Pere més Alt street, which combines Gothic windows with a classicist rectangular portal, framed by Ionic columns and a triangular pediment "Fronton (architecture)") crowned by acroteras with stone spheres.[99]​.

At a civil level, during the century numerous works were carried out in the Hospital of the Holy Cross: between 1509 and 1512 the Hall of Santa Magdalena was built in the east wing, and between 1511 and 1518 work was done in the west wing, where the new access portal was located, the work of Antoni Cuberta") and Antoni Papiol"), a Gothic-Renaissance hybrid; between 1568 and 1575, the monumental stairs that connected the upper floors with the patio were built, by Joan Safont. 1843.[101]​ In 1546, the Pia Almoina "Casa de la Pia Almoina (Barcelona)") - currently the Diocesan Museum of Barcelona - was built, a charitable institution for assistance to the poor, located next to the cathedral. The building rested on remains of the Roman wall, and the body with a gabled roof is preserved from the original building, where the continuous gallery on the upper floor stands out, and the semicircular portal.[102]​ Among them. Between 1549 and 1557 the Lloctinent Palace (current Archive of the Crown of Aragon, work of Antoni Carbonell) was built. It has a Gothic façade with a pointed tower and mixtilinear windows, aligned horizontally and vertically. The building is quadrangular, with an equally square patio, with carpanel arches, and an upper gallery of semicircular arches on Tuscan columns.[103]​ In this century, the renovation work on the Royal Palace culminated with the construction of the Mirador de Martín el Humano (1555), a five-story rectangular tower with galleries of semicircular arches that protrude from the body of the building, above the Salón del Tinell.[104]​.

One of the first buildings with a fully Renaissance spirit was the Trentenary Hall of the City House (1559), which featured a gallery with a classicist portico, to which a door of Serlian influence was added in 1580, composed of a semicircular arch framed by attached pilasters and a frieze with triglyphs and metopes, with decoration of shields and trophies. The Trentenario was destroyed in 1830 during the construction of the new neoclassical façade, and partially rebuilt in 1929.[105] During this period the building of the Barcelona town hall was also expanded with the chapel, the writing offices and the interior patio with an upper gallery (1577).[106]​.

The main exponent of the new style was the new façade of the Generalitat Palace (1596-1619), by Pere Blai, inspired by Roman models taken from Antonio da Sangallo and Michelangelo.[107] The palace was expanded between 1526 and 1600 with several adjacent buildings, until it occupied the entire block. The Golden Chamber (1526), the Patio de los Naranjos (1532, Antoni Carbonell") and Pau Mateu"), the Poniente market (1536-1544), the Levante market (1547) and the New Town Hall (1570-1577, Pere Ferrer") were then built. Between 1596 and 1619 Blai built the new façade of the Plaza de San Jaime and renovated the chapel of San Jorge - current Hall of San Jorge -, with three naves of equal height - in the hallenkirche or "hall plan" style -, with quadrangular pillars of the Doric-Tuscan order, groin vaults and an elliptical dome over the transept "Cross (architecture)"). Corinthian pilasters, and with four levels: one with a padded base, another with an entablature and windows with alternating curved and triangular pediments, another with a cornice and small windows - some blind -, and another with an entablature and balustrade. The portal is Doric with a semicircular arch, with an entablature and a niche with the coat of arms of the Generality; in the century a sculpture of Saint George, by Andreu Aleu, was added. with a dome with a lantern "Lantern (architecture)"), covered with green and yellow tiles.[108]​.

As for private palaces, they present a typology based on an interior patio with a staircase, entrance hall and upper gallery, with decoration of grotesques and Gothic traceries. Exemplary of this are the Bassols house, currently linked to the Pignatelli palace and headquarters of the Royal Artistic Circle; the Centelles palace (1514); and the Gralla house (1506, by Mateu Capdevila), demolished in 1856. Casa Clariana-Padellàs (1497-1515), current Museum of History of Barcelona, which was moved from Carrer de Mercaderes to Plaza del Rey "Plaza del Rey (Barcelona)") during the opening works of the Via Layetana; and the Casa de l'Ardiaca (1490-1514), which once housed the archdeacon of the cathedral and is currently the headquarters of the Municipal Institute of History and the Historical Archive. of the City, after joining this building with the adjacent Casa del Degà in the 19th century, a time when the interior cloister through which the building is currently accessed was created.[111]​.

In the century the farmhouses continued to be built preferably in the Gothic style, although little by little the new style was introduced, mainly in parts of the façade such as doors, windows, galleries and arcades, which incorporated sculptural decoration, generally grotesques.[112] Between the centuries and many of them were fortified, due to piracy and banditry. On the other hand, the enrichment of the owners thanks to the Guadalupe ruling that put an end to the War of the Remensas led to the beautification of numerous farmhouses.[113]​ Some exponents are: Can Mestres, in Vallvidrera —renovated in the century—; Ca l'Armera, in San Andrés "District of San Andrés (Barcelona)"); Can Valent, also in San Andrés; and Can Planas, in San Martín "San Martín District (Barcelona)").

In terms of urban planning, in the first half of the century the Sea Wall was built, where the bastions of Levante, Torre Nueva, San Ramón and Mediodía were located.[114]​ For the rest, the main urban reform was in the area around the cathedral, where the Plaza de la Seo was opened, in front of the main portal of the cathedral (1546), as well as the Plaza de San Ivo, with a space cut off from the Royal Mayor Palace. A part of the same palace was dismembered (the patio and the north and east wings), which was given by the Crown to serve as headquarters for the Inquisition - currently the Frederic Marès Museum -, while the rest was converted into the Royal Court in 1542.[115]​.

On the other hand, over the centuries an artificial port was built to finally cover the needs of the important commercial center that was Barcelona: paradoxically, during the period of splendor of Catalan trade in the Mediterranean, Barcelona did not have a port prepared for the port volume that was common in the city. The old port at the foot of Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)") had been abandoned, and the city only had the beach to receive passengers and goods. Deep draft ships had to unload using boats and porters. Finally, in 1438 royal permission was obtained to build a port: first, a ship loaded with stones was sunk to serve as a base for the wall that joined the beach to the island of Maians; The wall was reinforced in 1477, it was lengthened into a breakwater in 1484. In the middle of the century the port was expanded in response to the campaign initiated by Charles I against Tunisia. At the end of the century, the pier was 180 m long and 12 m wide. New improvement works in the century finally provided a port in good condition for the city.[116]​.

• - Church of San Miguel "Iglesia de San Miguel (Barcelona)") (1519).

• - Church of Santa María de Vallvidrera (1540-1587).

• - Convent of the Angels and the Foot of the Cross "Convent of the Angels (Barcelona)") (1562-1566), by Bartomeu Roig").

• - Lloctinent Palace (1549-1557), by Antoni Carbonell").

• - Clariana-Padellàs House (1497-1515).

• - House of l'Ardiaca (1490-1514).

• - Can Mestres farmhouse.

Baroque

As in the Renaissance, the art of the time followed the currents coming from outside. As happened with the Renaissance innovations, the Baroque in Catalonia gradually penetrated, with the survival of the previous typologies and a new stylistic mix in the execution of the works.[118]​ Even so, the Catalan Baroque has simpler lines, simple structures, not as ornate as in the Italian Baroque, and it is more evident in the decoration than in the layouts, which follow the classical line. Renaissance classicism survived practically until 1660, which was replaced by a "decorativist Solomonic" Baroque until 1705, when architecture became more academic until leading to neoclassicism.[119]​.

Baroque architecture assumed more dynamic forms, with exuberant decoration and a scenographic sense of shapes and volumes. The modulation of space became relevant, with a preference for concave and convex curves, paying special attention to optical games (trompe-l'œil) and the viewer's point of view. In coexistence with the counter-reformist ideology, art became propagandistic and was put at the service of the ostentation of power, both political and religious.[120]​.

The first works of the century were still in Renaissance classicism, as would be the case of the convent of San Francisco de Paula (1597-1644), with a church with a single nave with side chapels, a rectangular bell tower and a two-story cloister with Doric columns on the lower one and Ionic on the upper one. It was followed by the convent of La Merced "Convento de la Merced (Barcelona)") (1637-1651), where the cloister stands out - currently incorporated into the building of the Captaincy General of Catalonia -, the work of Jeroni Santacana), with four semicircular arches with Tuscan columns, an upper gallery with twice as many arches as the lower one, with Ionic columns, and a level of balconies.[121]​.

Other exponents are: the convent of the Holy Trinity "Iglesia de San Jaime (Barcelona)") (1619), of the shod trinitarians, a reform of the Gothic church - currently the parish of San Jaime -, in which the Jesuit plan was added, with a transept, presbytery and interconnected side chapels; the Augustinian convent of Santa Mónica (1626-1636), whose church—renovated in 1887 by Joan Martorell and destroyed in 1936—followed the same scheme as the previous one, while the cloister—the only part that is preserved, currently an art center—has two floors with arcades on pillars;[122]​ the Servite convent of Buen Suceso (1626-1635), current headquarters of the district of Ciutat Vella "District of Ciutat Vella (Barcelona)");[123]​ and the church of San Ginés de Agudells (1671), which replaced one from the 19th century, with a nave with a transept and a square bell tower with a pyramidal roof, with a rectory and a cemetery.[124]​.

The incorporation of baroque forms was more successful in ornamentation than in the architectural language itself, as can be seen in the generalization of the use of Solomonic columns. Good examples are the Convalescent House of the Hospital de la Santa Cruz (1629-1680) and the church of Bethlehem "Iglesia de Belén (Barcelona)") (1681-1732). the second level.[126]​ The Jesuit church of Our Lady of Bethlehem, the work of Josep Juli"), has a congregational plan - in the style of the Gesù -, a longitudinal nave with a barrel vault, an entrance narthex under the choir and intercommunicating chapels, each with an elliptical dome with a lantern "Lantern (architecture)"). The façade has a rhomboidal padded facing, a square door, a rose window and a doorway-altarpiece with Solomonic columns and a classical entablature, but treated baroquely, with recesses and projections, flanked by two statues of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Francis of Borja, by Andreu Sala. Arnaudies") so it corresponds to the original layout and to Jeroni Escarabatxeres in the conclusion of the façade and the interior decoration. It is of small proportions (23 x 12 m), divided into three vertical bodies by large pilasters, with a taller central body that houses a niche with the image of the saint.[128]​.

En este período hubo una gran revitalización económica, ligada a la Revolución Industrial —especialmente la industria textil—, lo que comportó a su vez un renacimiento cultural. Entre 1854 y 1859 se produjo el derribo de las murallas, por lo que la ciudad pudo expandirse, motivo por el que se impulsó el proyecto de Ensanche elaborado por Ildefonso Cerdá en 1859. Asimismo, gracias a la revolución de 1868 se consiguió el derribo de la Ciudadela, cuyos terrenos fueron transformados en un parque público. La población fue creciendo, especialmente gracias a la inmigración del resto del estado, llegando a finales de siglo a los 400 000 habitantes.[162]​ Artísticamente, el siglo vio la sucesión de diversos estilos de diferente signo, como el neoclasicismo, el historicismo y el modernismo.[163]​.

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism, developed between the end of the century and the beginning of the 19th century, marked a return to classical Greco-Roman art, driven by the discovery of the remains of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the theoretical work of the art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann. In Catalonia, the impetus of the Barcelona School of Fine Arts (the Llotja) was decisive for the consolidation of Catalan art, as well as its distancing from its guild and artisan aspect. If until then the construction was entrusted to master builders with union training, from now on the new architects will already have an academic qualification.[164][note 5]​.

Neoclassical architecture was not very productive, highlighting the name of Antoni Cellers, academic architect and great theorist of classicism. He was the author of the currently missing church of the Calzados Carmelitas (1832), as well as the Alòs i Dou palace (1818), in which he made a neoclassical interpretation of the traditional Catalan patio, with Serlian arches on Ionic columns, and a façade behind the garden with an Ionic tetrastyle.[170]​.

His disciple was José Mas Vila, author of the new façade of the City House (1830), fully classicist and monumental in nature, with a central body standing out from the rest, where four Ionic columns stand out that support an attic with the city's coat of arms.[171] Mas Vila, master of houses and fountains at the City Hall, was also in charge of the remodeling of the Plaza de San Jaime and the urbanization of Fernando Street, as well as the construction of the market. La Boquería (1836-1846), initially a porticoed square with an Ionic colonnade, although halfway through construction iron was chosen to cover it, instead of the stone planned by Mas.[172] Together with Josep Buxareu") he was also in charge of the conversion of the convent of Santa Catalina "Convento de Santa Catalina (Barcelona)") into the market of the same name (1844-1848).[173]​.

It is also worth mentioning the presence of the Italian architect Antonio Ginesi, author of the chapel of the Eastern Cemetery (1818), of a somewhat eclectic style "Eclecticism (art)"), which mixes the new classical language with elements that endure from the Baroque, as well as influences from Egyptian art.[174]​.

In 1828, the parish church of Santa María de Sants was built, the work of Francisco Renart of a programmatic classicism, with a semicircular arch doorway flanked by two Ionic columns, on which there is a rose window and a triangular pediment, and on the side a 70 m high bell tower. The church was destroyed in 1936, and rebuilt between 1940 and 1965 by Raimundo Durán Reynals.[175]​.

An emblematic building of the time was the Casa Xifré (1835-1840), the work of Josep Buxareu") and Francesc Vila"), a residential building located in front of the Lonja palace, which stands out for its ground floor porticos with semicircular arches. The façade has a decoration close to the so-called Elizabethan style, with reliefs by the sculptor Damià Campeny.[176]​ It was the first building in Barcelona with running water.[177]​.

Between 1844 and 1848, the Portal de Mar was built, a monumental access portico to Barceloneta from the Pla de Palau, the work of Josep Massanès, which was demolished in 1859. Eclectic in style, it mixed classical, Gothic and oriental elements, and was formed by a door with four Ionic columns, a stepped pediment and a dome, while on the sides there were monumental arches of ultra-past horseshoe supported on double columns.[178]​ Massanès was also the author of a widening plan in 1838, which included the triangle located between Canaletas, the University Square "Plaza de la Universidad (Barcelona)") and Urquinaona Square, and which already outlined what would be the Plaza de Cataluña, located in the center of the triangle.[175]​.

One of the last exponents of neoclassicism was the Teatro Principal "Teatro Principal (Barcelona)") (1847), by Francisco Daniel Molina, built to replace the old Teatro de la Santa Cruz - originally from 1568 -. It has a classicist façade with a romantic Elizabethan air, with three large balconies with triangular pediments embedded in semicircular arches.[179]​.

As far as urban planning is concerned, the most notable event of these years was the confiscation "Spanish Confiscation") of 1836, which left numerous plots of land that were built or converted into public spaces: thus, at the location of the Carmelite convent of San José, on the Rambla, the Boquería market was built; The Liceo theater was built on the convent of Nuestra Señora de la Buenanueva of the barefoot Trinitarians; The Plaza Real was located on the site of the Capuchin convent of Santa Madrona; the Franciscan convent-school of San Buenaventura gave way to the Hotel Oriente; A barracks of the Barcelona Urban Guard was located above the convent-school of the Carmelites of San Ángel Mártir; and the convent of Santa Catalina "Convento de Santa Catalina (Barcelona)") was replaced by the market of the same name.[180] Likewise, the new health provisions enacted at this time meant the disappearance of numerous parish cemeteries, whose plots were developed as new public squares; Thus, squares such as Santa María, del Pino, San José Oriol, San Felipe Neri, San Justo, San Pedro and San Jaime emerged.[181]​.

Historicism

The architecture of the middle of the century was impregnated with the new romantic spirit and, following the guidelines of theorists such as John Ruskin and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, it was framed within the so-called historicism, a current that advocated the revitalization of previous architectural styles, especially medieval, which is why various currents called with the prefix "neo" were created: neo-Gothic, neo-Romanesque, neo-Mudejar, neo-baroque, etc.[182]​.

One of its first prominent figures was Elías Rogent, first director of the recently created Higher Technical School of Architecture of Barcelona. He was the author of the headquarters of the University of Barcelona (1862-1873), in the University Square "Plaza de la Universidad (Barcelona)"), a sober building with a religious appearance despite its civil character, especially in the interior cloisters, which have an almost monastic appearance. It has an axial plan, highlighting in its central part the staircase of honor and the auditorium, an eclectic hall that mixes Romanesque, Gothic and Islamic elements, on whose sides are the patios in the shape of a cloister, also of medieval inspiration. the center, from which the dome protrudes.[183]​.

Another exponent was Josep Oriol Mestres, author of the remodeling of the Gran Teatro del Liceo (1862), a building by Miquel Garriga i Roca from 1847 that had to be rebuilt after a fire; Of Mestres's intervention, the façade and the large interior room stand out, an original composition of rows of shops unfortunately lost in the fire of 1994.[184] Mestres was also the author of the new façade of the Barcelona Cathedral (1887-1890), in a neo-Gothic style inspired by French Gothic; The façade was completed with a dome designed by Augusto Font Carreras.[185] Other works by Mestres were: the church of Santa María del Remedio (1846-1849), which was the parish church of Les Corts after separating from Sarrià; the Theater of the Champs Elysées "Teatro de los Champs Elysées (Barcelona)") (1853), on Paseo de Gracia - now disappeared -, which stood out for its metal structure; the Casa Jover (1856), built on the Renaissance Casa Gralla; and the building of the Philippine Tobacco Company (1880), on the site of the old Jesuit school of Cordellas, on the Rambla.

Joan Martorell was the author of various churches inspired by the Gothic, such as that of the Salesas "Church and convent of the Salesas (Barcelona)"), on Paseo de San Juan (1882-1885), and that of the Sacred Heart of the Jesuits, on Caspe street (1883-1889). The first is eclectic in style, with evident medieval influences, but expressed in a personal way; It has a single nave plan in the shape of a Latin cross, with side chapels and a pentagonal apse with an ambulatory, as well as a transept that protrudes volumetrically on the outside, while on the façade it stands out for a tall tower finished in a point and with two lateral pinnacles. The second denotes a certain Romanesque-Byzantine influence, and presents a centralized plan with a dome on a drum "Drum (architecture)") surrounded by smaller domes to distribute the weight; The façade is sober, and stands out for the chromatic effects of the materials used.[186] Martorell was responsible for the transfer of the Gothic church of Santa María de Montsió "Iglesia de San Raimundo de Peñafort (Barcelona)") —belonging to an Augustinian convent and originally from 1388— from the Portal del Ángel to the Rambla de Cataluña, and he designed its new neo-Gothic façade. (1882-1890); It is the current parish of San Raimundo de Peñafort.[187] He was also the author of the Güell Palace in Pedralbes, later the Royal Palace (1862); of the church and convent of the Adoratrices (1875); and the Jesuit school of San Ignacio (1893-1896).

World's Fair of 1888

At the end of the century, an event was held that had a great economic and social as well as urban, artistic and cultural impact for the city, the Universal Exhibition of 1888. It took place between April 8 and December 9, 1888, and was held in the Ciudadela park, land previously belonging to the army and won for the city in 1868. The incentive of the fair events led to the improvement of the infrastructure of the entire city, which gave an enormous leap towards modernization and development.[210]​.

The remodeling project of the Ciudadela park was entrusted to José Fontseré in 1872, who designed large gardens for the recreation of citizens, and together with the green area he planned a central square and a ring road, as well as a monumental fountain and various ornamental elements, two lakes and a forest area, in addition to various auxiliary buildings and infrastructure, such as the Borne Market (1874-1876), a water tank - currently the UPF Library -, a slaughterhouse, an iron bridge over the railway lines and several service booths.[211]​.

The entrance to the Exhibition was through the Arc de Triomphe, a monument created for the occasion that still remains in its original place, designed by Josep Vilaseca. Of neo-Mudejar inspiration, it has a height of 30 meters, and is decorated with rich sculptural ornamentation, the work of Josep Reynés, Josep Llimona, Antoni Vilanova, Torquat Tasso, Manuel Fuxà and Pere Carbonell.[212]​.

Next came the Salón de San Juan – current Lluís Companys promenade –, a long avenue 50 meters wide where the wrought iron balustrades, the pavement mosaics and large street lamps stood out, all designed by Pere Falqués. The first building after access through the Arc de Triomphe was the Palace of Fine Arts, the work of Augusto Font Carreras, in a neoclassical style. On the opposite side was the Science Palace, the work of Pere Falqués, in a neo-Greek style, where there was also a large room for holding conferences.[213]​.

Once past these two buildings, one entered the enclosure itself, at the entrance of which the Monumental Waterfall stood out, designed by Fontserè in collaboration with Antoni Gaudí, who intervened in the hydraulic project and designed an artificial grotto under the Waterfall. The architectural complex presents a central structure in the shape of a triumphal arch with two pavilions on its sides and two side wings with stairs, which house a pond divided into two levels. The monument stands out for its sculptural profusion, in which several of the best sculptors of the moment participated, such as Rossend Nobas, Venancio Vallmitjana, Josep Gamot, Manuel Fuxá, Joan Flotats and Rafael Atché.[214]​.

To the right of the waterfall was the restaurant, known as the Castle of the Three Dragons - currently the Museum of Zoology -, the work of Lluís Domènech i Montaner, in a neo-Gothic style, but with innovative structural solutions that already pointed to modernism, especially due to the use of iron and exposed brick. Next to it were the Círculo del Liceo and the Greenhouse, the work of Josep Amargós, made of iron and glass following the example of the Crystal Palace at the London Exhibition of 1851. Next came the Martorell Museum of Geology, by Antonio Rovira y Trías; the Umbraculo, by José Fontserè; the Press pavilion, work of Jaume Comerma"); and the pavilion of the Spanish Colonies, by Jaume Gustà i Bondia.[215]​.

Modernism

Modernism "Modernism (art)") was an international movement that developed throughout the Western world,[note 6]​ and that advocated the creation of a new architectural language detached from previous styles—especially in opposition to historicism—, placing special emphasis on the relationship of architecture with the applied arts, in parallel to the Arts and Crafts phenomenon.[220]​ Developed between the century and the century,[note 7]​ in Catalonia it had enough of its own personality. to talk about Catalan modernism, due to the large quantity and quality of works produced and the large number of first-class artists who cultivated this style. Stylistically it was a heterogeneous movement, with many differences between artists, each one with their personal stamp, but with the same spirit, a desire to modernize and Europeanize Catalonia.[221]​.

Some essential features of modernism were: an anti-classical language inherited from romanticism, with a tendency towards a certain lyricism and subjectivism; decisive linkage of architecture with the applied arts and artistic crafts (glassmaking, forging, ceramics, cabinetmaking, marquetry, enamel, sgraffito), creating a remarkably ornamental style; use of new materials, creating a mixed construction language rich in contrasts, in search of the plastic effect of the whole; strong feeling of optimism and faith in progress, which produces an exalted and emphatic art, a reflection of the climate of prosperity of the moment, especially in the bourgeois class.[222]​.

The first modernism, developed in the 1890s, was still a style not especially defined, whose main component was an embodied Gothicism already detached from historicism, with the survival of certain classicist and medievalist features, practiced mainly by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Antoni Maria Gallissà.[223]​ In these first years there was a certain feeling of indefinition, as seen shown in the work Modern Architecture of Barcelona (1897), by Francesc Rogent, where he defends the use of the "neo-Greek style" for public buildings, "neo-Gothic" for private buildings and "neo-Romanesque" for churches.[224] At the same time, an academic architecture outside of modernist innovations continued to be practiced, as seen in the work of architects such as Salvador Viñals, Cayetano Buigas, Joan Baptista Pons i Trabal, Francisco de Paula del Villar y Carmona, etc.[225]​.

At the turn of the century, modernism evolved towards a certain stylistic formalism of secessionist influence, practiced by a second generation of architects such as Josep Maria Jujol, Manuel Raspall, Josep Maria Pericas, Eduard Maria Balcells, Salvador Valeri, Alexandre Soler, Antoni de Falguera, Bernardí Martorell, etc.[226] These architects propose architecture as a support for exultant ornamentation, entering a phase mannerism of modernism.[227]​ On the other hand, neo-Gothic and classicist eclecticism tendencies continued, practiced mainly by Enric Sagnier, José Doménech y Estapá, Manuel Comas i Thos, Augusto Font Carreras, Joan Josep Hervàs, etc.[228]​.

El panorama artístico en el siglo estuvo condicionado por la convulsa situación política, con el fin de la monarquía en 1931 y la llegada de la Segunda República, finalizada con la Guerra Civil y sustituida por la dictadura franquista, hasta el restablecimiento de la monarquía y la llegada de la democracia. Socialmente, este siglo vio la llegada masiva de inmigración a la ciudad, con el consecuente aumento de la población: si en 1900 había 530 000 habitantes, en 1930 casi se habían doblado (1 009 000 hab), para llegar entre 1970 y 1980 al pico máximo (1 754 900) y a finales de siglo a 1 500 000 habitantes.[278]​.

El inicio del siglo estuvo marcado por la expansión geográfica de la ciudad: en 1897 Barcelona se anexionó seis poblaciones limítrofes, hasta entonces independientes: Sants, Les Corts, San Gervasio de Cassolas, Gracia, San Andrés de Palomar y San Martín de Provensals. Igualmente, en 1904 fue anexionado Horta "Horta (Barcelona)"); en 1921, Sarrià; en 1924, Collblanc y la Zona Franca "Zona Franca (Barcelona)"); y en 1943 El Buen Pastor "El Buen Pastor (Barcelona)") y el Baró de Viver, segregados de Santa Coloma de Gramanet.[279]​ La anexión de los nuevos municipios planteó la necesidad de un plan de enlaces de la ciudad, que salió a concurso público en 1903, resultando ganador el urbanista francés Léon Jaussely: el Plan Jaussely preveía grandes infraestructuras viarias (paseos de ronda, diagonales, paseos marítimos), parques, enlaces ferroviarios y áreas de servicios. Aunque solo se realizó parcialmente, inspiró el urbanismo barcelonés durante gran parte del siglo.[280]​.

Noucentism

Noucentisme represented an attempt to renew Catalan culture, bringing it closer to the innovations produced in the recently released century, in parallel to a political ideology of vindication of Catalanism advocated by Enric Prat de la Riba. The main theorist of the movement was Eugeni d'Ors, who from the newspaper La Veu de Catalunya wrote a series of articles praising the work of young Catalan creators at the beginning of the century. The first of them, published in 1906, marked the beginning of Noucentisme, coexisting for a few years with the latest modernist works, and which would last practically until the 1940s, in parallel with the emergence of new currents such as rationalism in the 1930s.[281]​.

Contrary to the Nordic and medieval values ​​defended by modernism, Noucentisme returned to the Mediterranean world, to classical Greco-Latin culture. They were also based on Renaissance classicism, with special influence from Filippo Brunelleschi, while their sober and refined sense of forms brought them closer to the rationalist architecture that was beginning to emerge in Europe.[282]​ They were also inspired by other styles of the past, but detached from the medievalism to which the modernists had turned, such as the Baroque.[283]​ On the other hand, the more academic current of this movement practiced an eclectic monumentalism influenced by the Beaux Arts style "Beaux Arts (architecture)"), with a special reference in French and English architecture, as well as the American Chicago School "Chicago School (architecture)").[284]

Within Noucentisme, various currents are perceived: a "Gaudinian" Noucentisme, practiced by Gaudí's disciples such as Juan Rubió or Cèsar Martinell; a "neobrunelleschian" noucentisme, inspired by Florentine Renaissance architecture and, especially, by Brunelleschi, developed by Josep Goday or Nicolás María Rubió y Tudurí; a "pro-rationalist" noucentisme, more influenced by international currents, which combines functionalism "Functionalism (architecture)") with Art Deco ornamentation, and has exponents such as the brothers Ramon and Antoni Puig i Gairalt, Ramon Reventós, Francesc Folguera, Raimundo Durán Reynals and Jaume Mestres i Fossas; an "eclectic" noucentisme, with versatile language and monumentalist tendency, exemplified by Enric Sagnier, Josep Maria Pericas and Eduard Ferrés; and an "academic" Noucentisme, which follows a traditional classicist line that will survive in post-war architecture, with representatives such as Francesc Nebot, Eusebi Bona, Adolf Florensa and Eugenio Cendoya.[285]​.

The first current was represented by Juan Rubió and Cèsar Martinell, both disciples of Gaudí. Rubió evolved from modernism, the style in which he produced his best works - as seen in the previous section -, until leading to a classicism with a baroque air; His best production in this period was the reform of the Barcelona Industrial School (1927-1931). Martinell kept modernist forms alive, especially through the use of brick and tile, as denoted in his main specialty, agrarian architecture, with a set of wineries spread throughout Catalonia that have been called the "cathedrals of wine"; In Barcelona its production was scarce, although the Durán Clinic (1924), the building at 11 Benavent Street (1928) and the Masllorens factory (1929-1930) can be mentioned.[286]​.

In the Brunelleschian current, Josep Goday and Nicolás María Rubió y Tudurí stood out. The first recovered classic forms such as "Fronton (architecture)" pediments and pilasters, combined with a baroque resource such as the sgraffito technique,[287]​ as is evident in works such as the Post Office and Telegraph building (1914-1927), in a classical baroque style of great monumentality;[288]​ and in numerous public schools promoted by the Barcelona City Council: Ramon Llull (1919-1923), Lluís Vives (1919), Baixeras (1917-1920), Pere Vila (1921-1930), Milà i Fontanals (1930), Collaso i Gil (1932).[289] Rubió y Tudurí was especially dedicated to landscape architecture: director of Parks and Gardens of Barcelona between 1917 and 1937, he was the main promoter of the "Mediterranean garden",[note 9]​ which is denoted in his works such as the Tamarita gardens (1918), those of Francesc Macià square (1925), the Font del Racó park (1926), the gardens of the Royal Palace of Pedralbes (1927), those of Salvador Espriu (1929) and those of Turó Park (1933). Its main building was the church of Santa María Reina "Iglesia de Santa María Reina (Barcelona)") (1922-1936), a subsidiary of the monastery of Montserrat - it was initially called the church of Santa María de Montserrat de Pedralbes -, which denotes the influence of Brunelleschi's Pazzi chapel, as well as the baptistery of San Juan "Baptistery of San Juan (Florence)") Florence.[290]​ Other of his works, the Radio Barcelona pavilion (1922-1929) and the Metro Goldwyn Mayer offices (1934), are already pre-rationalist.[291]​.

The eclectic and academic trend followed a monumentalist line whose main exponent was the Via Layetana, which was the main testing ground for this trend after its opening in 1908. Influenced by the Beaux Arts "Beaux Arts (architecture)") and the Chicago School "Chicago School (architecture)"), it would be the architecture that would reemerge in the postwar period. Its main exponents were Enric Sagnier, Josep Maria Pericas, Eduard Ferrés, Francesc Nebot, Eusebi Bona, Adolf Florensa and Eugenio Cendoya. From Sagnier, analyzed in the previous section, it would be appropriate to remember at this stage the building of the Barcelona Pension Fund on Vía Layetana (1914-1917), the Basilica of San José Oriol (1915-1931) and the Ribas Board of Trustees (1920-1930). Pericas evolved from modernism to a sober classicism (Diagonal house, 1920). Eduard Ferrés maintained a post-secessionist style and was a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, as seen in the Damians house, later Almacenes El Siglo (1913-1915), built with Lluís Homs and Ignasi Mas, where its spherical skylight dome of expressionist influence stands out.[292] Francesc Nebot and Eusebi Bona were the authors of the Royal Palace of Pedralbes. (1919-1929), formed by a central body and two side wings that open in a curve to the main façade, with porches with Tuscan columns and semicircular arches.[293]​ Alone, Nebot built the Cine Coliseum "Coliseum (Barcelona)") (1923), a Beauxarti style building "Beaux Arts (architecture)") inspired by the Paris Opera;[294]​ and the headquarters of the Bank of Spain in the Plaza de Cataluña (1927-1928).[295]​ For his part, Bona designed the building of La Unión y el Fénix Español (1927-1931), of French and American influence, which stands out for its high drum dome "Drum (architecture)") with a sculpture of the abduction of Ganymede "Ganymede (mythology)").[296]​ Adolf Florensa He was the author of the Casa Cambó (1921-1930), the General Captaincy building (1926), the New City House building (1927-1933, with Joaquim Vilaseca and Antoni de Falguera), the Casal del Metge (1930), the Nautical School (1930-1933, with Joaquim Vilaseca) and the National Labor Promotion building (with Josep Goday, 1931-1936). Finally, Eugenio Cendoya was the author of the church of San Miguel de los Santos and several headquarters for banks, such as those in Bilbao and Vizcaya, although his main work was the National Palace of Montjuic "Palacio Nacional (Barcelona)") for the Barcelona International Exhibition of 1929, with Enric Catà and Pere Domènech i Roura.[297]​.

The most innovative line of Noucentisme was the one that leaned towards the rationalism that was beginning to develop in Europe with architects such as Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It was mainly represented by Ramon and Antoni Puig i Gairalt, Ramon Reventós, Francesc Folguera, Raimundo Durán Reynals and Jaume Mestres i Fossas. Antoni Puig i Gairalt was the author of the Myrurgia factory (1928-1930), which synthesizes elements of classicist Noucentisme, Art Deco and rationalism.[298]​ His brother Ramon built the Pidelaserra house (1932), with exuberant eclecticism.[299]​ Ramon Reventós designed the first multi-residential complex in Barcelona, the Masana house. (1928), of Bauhausian influence.[300] Francesc Folguera built the Ritz Hotel (1917-1919), although his most interesting work was the Casal de Sant Jordi (1928-1932), which reflects the teachings of the German magazine Moderne Bauformen, defender of a modern, but moderate, bourgeois architecture.[301] Raimundo Durán Reynals approached him. rationalism in works such as the residential building at 243 Aribau Street (1933-1935) or the Casa Cardenal (1935), although in the post-war period he practiced academic classicism.[302] Finally, Jaume Mestres i Fossas built the Blanquerna school (1930-1933), halfway between Noucentisme and rationalism.[303]​.

From this period it is also worth mentioning architects such as: Ignasi Mas i Morell (David building, 1929-1931), Miquel Madorell (Tívoli Theatre, 1917-1919), Arnau Calvet (Jorba house "Casa Jorba (Barcelona)"), 1926), Francesc Guàrdia i Vial (Tobacco Tenant Company building, current Treasury Delegation, 1929), Josep Domènech i Mansana (church of Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús, 1932-1940) and Juan Guardiola (Casa Ferran Guardiola or “Casa China”, 1929). Also worth noting is the construction of two railway stations: the North Station "Estación del Norte (Barcelona)") (1910-1914), the work of Demetrio Ribes consisting of a renovation of a previous building from 1861 by Pere Andrés i Puigdoller), consisted of two buildings that were joined by Ribes with a U-shaped structure and covered by a large metal platform, with a certain modernist influence and secessionist;[304]​ and the Francia Station (1925-1930), by Pedro Muguruza, Raimundo Durán Reynals, Salvador Soteras and Pelayo Martínez, with platforms covered by two large iron naves and a hall with a classicist appearance, where three coffered vaults stand out.[305]​.

As far as urban planning is concerned, the most important action in these years was the opening of the Vía Layetana, which connected the Ensanche with the sea - another avenue parallel to this was planned, as well as another perpendicular one, which was ultimately not executed. Emerging from an urban reform project by Àngel Baixeras (Barcelona Interior Reform Plan, 1884), the works were carried out in 1908, with the desire to create an avenue with a uniform appearance, so the majority of buildings have a Noucentista appearance, with a certain influence of the Chicago School. with the mountain, which was occupied by single-family houses in the style of English garden cities.[note 10]​ For transportation, a tram was installed on the avenue and a funicular to ascend to the top of the mountain, where the Tibidabo Amusement Park was located.[307]​.

• - Damians House (1913-1915), by Eduard Ferrés, Lluís Homs and Ignasi Mas.

• - Cine Coliseum "Coliseum (Barcelona)") (1923), by Francesc Nebot.

• - National Labor Promotion Building (1931-1936), by Adolf Florensa and Josep Goday.

• - Myrurgia Factory (1928-1930), by Antoni Puig i Gairalt.

• - Casa Jorba "Casa Jorba (Barcelona)") (1926), by Arnau Calvet.

• - Can Guardiola or “Casa China” (1929), by Juan Guardiola.

International Exposition of 1929

In 1929 the International Exhibition "International Exhibition of Barcelona (1929)") was held in Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)"). For this event, the entire area of ​​the Plaza de España "Plaza de España (Barcelona)") and Montjuic Mountain were urbanized, and the pavilions that currently host the Barcelona Fair were built. The Exhibition took place from May 20, 1929 to January 15, 1930, on an area of ​​, and had a cost of 130 million pesetas.[308]​.

The Exhibition site was built according to a project by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The complex began in the Plaza de España, designed by Puig i Cadafalch and Guillem Busquets, who created a monumental complex around a hemicycle formed by a baroque-style colonnade, inspired by San Pedro Square in the Vatican. The Exhibition hotels were built here, the work of Nicolás María Rubió y Tudurí, and in the center was a monumental fountain "Fountain of the Plaza de España (Barcelona)") designed by Josep Maria Jujol. At the entrance to the square that leads to the Avenida de la Reina María Cristina, two tall towers in the shape of campaniles were located, the work of Ramon Reventós, inspired by the campanile of San Marcos in Venice.[309]​.

The official section was located on Avenida de la Reina María Cristina, where various pavilions were located: the Palace of Communications and Transportation, the work of Félix de Azúa and Adolf Florensa; the Palace of Dress (or Work), by Josep Maria Jujol and Andrés Calzada; the palace of Metallurgy, Electricity and Motive Power, by Amadeu Llopart and Alexandre Soler i March; the palace of Textile Art, by Joan Roig&action=edit&redlink=1 "Joan Roig (architect) (not yet written)") and Emili Canosa"); and the palace of Projections, by Eusebi Bona and Francisco Aznar. Closing the avenue were the palaces of Alfonso At the foot of the mountain, the famous Magic Fountain of Montjuic was built, the work of Carles Buïgas, as well as the Four Columns of Puig i Cadafalch. The main building of the Exhibition was the National Palace "Palacio Nacional (Barcelona)") - current headquarters of the MNAC -, the work of Eugenio Cendoya, Enric Catà and Pere Domènech i Roura.[297]​.

Scattered across the mountain were the rest of the pavilions, such as the one in Barcelona, ​​by Josep Goday; the Press Palace – current headquarters of the Urban Police –, by Pere Domènech i Roura; the Palace of Decorative and Applied Arts, by Manuel Casas&action=edit&redlink=1 "Manuel Casas (architect) (not yet written)") and Manuel Puig&action=edit&redlink=1 "Manuel Puig (architect) (not yet written)"); the Palace of Graphic Arts - current Museum of Archeology "Museo de Arqueología de Catalunya (Barcelona)" - by Raimundo Durán Reynals and Pelayo Martínez; the Palace of Agriculture – current Fabià Puigserver Theater –, by Josep Maria Ribas i Casas and Manuel Maria Mayol; the Spanish pavilion, by Antoni Darder; the Palace of the Provincial Councils, by Enric Sagnier; the Palace of Chemistry, by Antoni Sardà; the Royal pavilion - currently known as Palacete Albéniz -, by Juan Moya; the Palace of Modern Art and the Palace of the Missions, both by Antoni Darder.

Rationalism

In the 1930s, a strong desire to approach the European architectural avant-garde arose, where rationalism was emerging, a style practiced in central Europe since the early 1920s by architects such as Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius and J.J.P. Oud. It was a style that combined functionality and aesthetics, giving predominance to volume over mass, with forms based on the rectangle and horizontal lines, without hiding the structure of the building, with smooth walls and metal windows, without ornamental overload.[317]​ In Catalonia, the influence of international architecture was expressed in two lines: a more purist rationalism inspired by Le Corbusier, and an eclecticism that accepted other references, such as art deco or German expressionism, with a special reference in the Bauhaus.[318]​.

In 1930, the GATCPAC group (Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture) emerged in Barcelona,[note 12]​ with a desire to renew and liberate Noucentista classicism, as well as to introduce in Spain the new international currents derived from rationalism. The GATCPAC defended the carrying out of scientific calculations in construction, as well as the use of new materials, such as fiber cement boards or uralite, as well as lighter materials such as glass.[319] It was founded by Josep Lluís Sert, Josep Torres Clavé, Germán Rodríguez Arias, Sixte Illescas, Cristòfor Alzamora, Ricardo de Churruca, Manuel Subiño, Pere Armengou and Francesc pear trees; Later, other architects such as Raimon Duran i Reynals, Antoni Bonet i Castellana, Jaume Mestres i Fossas, Antoni Puig i Gairalt, Ramon Puig i Gairalt, Alexandre Soler i March, Francesc Fàbregas and Joan Baptista Subirana joined. Unfortunately, his work was cut short with the outbreak of the Civil War.[320]​.

Catalan rationalism had special qualities, such as the departure from formalism, a certain expressionist tendency and a clear political connection with the Second Republic,[321]​ as denoted in the creation in 1936 of the SAC (Union of Architects of Catalonia), directed by Torres Clavé y Fàbregas, which defended intervention in the control of construction, the collectivization of housing and the orientation of the teaching.[322]​ Torres Clavé was director of the magazine A. C. Documents of Contemporary Activity (1931-1937), based on avant-garde magazines such as Das Neue Frankfurt, directed by Ernst May, or L'Esprit Nouveau, by Le Corbusier and Amédée Ozenfant.[323]​.

Among its members, Josep Lluís Sert, an internationally famous architect who settled in the United States after the Civil War, stood out. He was a disciple of Le Corbusier, with whom he worked in Paris and whom he invited to visit Barcelona in 1928, 1931 and 1932.[324] His two main works in Barcelona in these years were the Bloc house (1932-1936) and the Central Anti-tuberculous Dispensary (1934-1938), both in collaboration with Torres Clavé and Subirana. The first is based on the housing project by Le Corbusier (1922), and is a set of S-shaped houses, made of long, narrow blocks with a two-bay metal structure, with access to the houses through covered corridors; Spanish for the 1937 Paris International Exhibition, where Picasso's was exhibited for the first time, which was reconstructed in Barcelona in 1992 by Miquel Espinet"), Antoni Ubach") and Juan Miguel Hernández León.[327]​.

Postwar period

The beginning of the Franco dictatorship caused a break in the avant-garde integration of Catalan architecture, since the new regime opted for a more academic style. The absence of a conceptual program led to the work being subordinated to the expertise of its author, although the prevailing ideological discourse promoted monumentalism and the classroom character of the achievements of the moment. In the first postwar years, the Noucentista style reemerged, with a marked academic component, in a neoclassical style influenced by American eclecticism "Architecture in the United States") and Mediterranean neo-Renaissanceism.[330]​.

Given the failed attempts to formulate a new architecture of the regime, only initially visible due to the passing influence of Italian and German architecture with a historicist and regionalist tendency "Regionalism (architecture)"), and due to the lack in Catalonia of official commissions from the new authorities, the constructions in Barcelona were linked to the monumentalist Noucentisme of the 1920s, with the survival even of a certain attenuated rationalism.[331]​.

Among the architects and works of these years we can mention: Raimundo Durán Reynals (church of Santa María de Sants, 1940-1965; headquarters of Fabra & Coats, 1941-1944; Clip homes, 1949-1952; Julio Muñoz palace, 1949-1952); Eusebi Bona (Spanish Credit Bank in Plaza Cataluña, 1940-1950; Pirelli commercial building, 1948); Francesc Nebot (residential building at 368 Balmes Street on the corner of Ronda General Miter, 1946); Adolf Florensa (building in Plaza Villa de Madrid, 1946); Lluís Bonet i Garí (Life Bank of Spain, 1942-1950; National Pension Institute, 1947); Francesc Mitjans (residential buildings at 182 Balmes Street, 1941-1948; 76 Amigó Street, 1941-1944; and 140 General Miter Roundabout, 1947-1949); Manuel de Solà-Morales i de Rosselló (Officers' Residence, 1939-1940); Francisco Juan Barba Corsini (homes on Paseo de la Bonanova 105-107, 1946); Joaquim Lloret i Homs (El Rancho Grande housing, 1944); Pere Benavent de Barberà (homes at Calle de la Reina Victoria 26 and Ronda del General Miter 55, 1946-1950); and Josep Soteras (Olivetti Factory, 1940-1953; Industrial Building, 1947; monumental fountain on Paseo de Gracia, 1952).

At this time, numerous churches destroyed or damaged during the war were restored, while new ones were created, most in a Florentine Renaissance style continuing the line started by Rubió and Tudurí: church of Nuestra Señora de la Bonanova (1942-1962), by Josep Danés i Torras; church of the Capuchin convent of Sarrià (1940-1944), by Pere Benavent de Barberà; Church of Our Lady of the Angels (1942-1957), by Josep Danés i Torras; Church of Perpetual Help (1950), by Joaquim Porqueras Bañeres"); Church of San Miguel de los Santos (1950-1963), by Antoni Fisas.[332]​.

The years of the dictatorship were characterized by urban developmentalism, which consisted of the unbridled construction of cheap housing, largely officially protected, to absorb the population coming above all from Spanish regions such as Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura or Galicia. The massive influx of immigration led to a rise in shanty towns, mainly in Montjuic "Montjuic (Barcelona)"), Somorrostro, Pueblo Nuevo "Pueblo Nuevo (Barcelona)") and El Carmelo, places where at the end of the 1960s there were about 10,000 shacks. Although protected housing was encouraged, this did not stop speculation.[333]​ The construction of housing was carried out, in many cases, without prior urban planning, and using cheap materials that, over the years, would cause various problems such as aluminosis. The construction fever caused a notable demographic increase and the creation of new neighborhoods, such as El Carmelo, Nou Barris, El Guinardó, El Valle de Hebron, La Sagrera, El Clot or Pueblo Nuevo "Pueblo Nuevo (Barcelona)").[334]​.

Group R

In the 1950s there was a renewal of the architectural panorama thanks to the R Group (1951-1961),[338]​ a group of architects who connected the experience of rationalism and GATCPAC with new international currents, such as Neoliberty, neoempiricism and organicism, with the influence of architects such as Alvar Aalto, Oscar Niemeyer, Bruno Zevi and Gio Ponti.[339]​ They considered themselves post-functionalists, starting from rationalist functionalism "Functionalism (architecture)"), but surpassed on the basis of humanist criteria.[340]​ The architecture of Group R increasingly distanced itself from the regime's own style, acquiring a vindictive nuance, in which the commitment to modernity was considered an opposition to the regime.[341]​.

Among its initial members were José Antonio Coderch, Antoni de Moragas, Josep Maria Sostres, Manuel Valls"), Joaquim Gili, Oriol Bohigas, Josep Martorell and Josep Pratmarsó"); In 1953, Coderch and Valls left, while Manuel Ribas i Piera, Josep Anton Balcells, Francesc Bassó and Guillermo Giráldez joined; in 1958 Pablo Monguió and Francesc Vayreda entered").[342]​ These architects gained a new awareness due to Alberto Sartoris's conference at the Barcelona Athenaeum in 1949, where he called for the search for a new national architecture, which was supported by Oriol Bohigas in his article Possibilities of a Barcelona architecture.[343]​ However, over time the diversity The tendencies of these authors, who moved between neo-popularism, Miesian neo-rationalism, informalism and neo-functionalism, led to the dissolution of the group.[344]​.

In this generation, José Antonio Coderch stood out, one of the Spanish architects of the time with the most international prestige. Influenced by Aalto, his works show a high degree of simplicity and volumetric purity, while the curvilinear and articulated forms denote a certain expressionist component.[345]​ He was a defender of traditional Catalan architecture, and showed great concern for interior design and adaptation to the environment.[346]​ He worked associated with Manuel Valls since 1942; In 1960 he joined the international group Team 10.[347] Among his works are: the La Maquinista Workers' Cooperative (1951-1953), the Navy House (1952-1954), the residential building at 7 Johann Sebastian Bach Street (1957-1961) and the Tàpies House (1960-1963).

Josep Maria Sostres was a disciple of Sixte Illescas, and later received the influence of Giuseppe Terragni, while declaring himself an admirer of Gaudí, to whom he alluded to highlight the overcoming of rationalist functionalism.[348] He was the author of the Moratiel house (1956-1957), the Iranzo house (1957), and the offices of El Noticiero Universal (1963-1965).

Antoni de Moragas was in favor of industrial design over artisanal work; "He worked associated with Francesc de Riba i Salas"): Park Hotel (1950-1954), Fémina cinema (1950-1952), residential building at 125 Vallcarca Avenue (1953), Bullfighting House (1960-1962).

Barcelona School

Between the years 1960 and 1970, the so-called Barcelona School "Barcelona School (architecture)") emerged, according to the name proposed by Oriol Bohigas in his article A possible Barcelona School, published in the magazine Arquitectura in 1968. Heir to the R Group, the new school was inspired by the Italian neorealism "Neorealism (architecture)") that was triumphing at the time internationally, combining a rationalist constructive language with functionality and design.[367]​ The Barcelona School once again revalued modernism, and placed emphasis on the educative and communicative role of architecture, to which they granted a social commitment as a dynamic element of social and urban structures. Likewise, they valued craftsmanship and the use of traditional materials of Catalan architecture, such as brick and ceramics.[368]​ They also placed special emphasis on attention to design and interest in detail.[369]​.

Various members of Group R were also included in the Barcelona School. David Mackay joined the Bohigas-Martorell tandem in 1962, forming the MBM firm. Furthermore, a new generation of architects emerged, among which stood out: Federico Correa, Alfons Milà, Ricardo Bofill, Lluís Cantallops"), Lluís Nadal"), Albert Viaplana, Helio Piñón, Esteve Bonell or the Studio PER group, formed by Lluís Clotet, Òscar Tusquets, Cristian Cirici and Josep Bonet. Over time the School suffered some important splits, such as that of Ricardo Bofill and his Taller de Arquitectura; the members of Studio PER, immersed in postmodern currents; the Viaplana-Piñón tandem and its orientation towards an abstracting formalism; and the personal and eclectic career of Esteve Bonell.[370]​ It is worth noting that at the beginning of the 1960s, the first women architects in Barcelona were qualified, such as Margarita Brender, Roser Amadó and Anna Bofill.[371]​.

In this period, some architects of the previous generation continued to work: José Antonio Coderch approached minimalism,[372]​ with works such as the Trade towers (1965-1969), drawn on circle segments in such a way that the façade, a black glass curtain wall, runs along the profile of the building in a continuous line;[373]​ other works of his were the Raset residential complex (1968-1973), the French Institute (1972-1974, without the collaboration of Manuel Valls")), the La Caixa offices on Diagonal Avenue (1974-1979) and the expansion of the Barcelona School of Architecture (1978-1984).

Antoni Bonet i Castellana, trained in the GATCPAC and exiled after the war, a period in which he carried out his work preferably in Argentina and Uruguay, upon his return he built the Meridiana Canódromo (1962-1963, with Josep Puig i Torné"), a light building formed by two paraboloid floors on steel pillars, with cantilevered stands covered with a concrete brise-soleil closed at the ends by an aluminum structure glazed.[374]​ He was also the author of the Urquinaona tower (1966-1973).

Transition and democracy

The end of the dictatorship and the arrival of democracy marked a new development in the architectural panorama of the city, increasingly immersed in international avant-garde currents. The new socialist councils of Narcís Serra and Pasqual Maragall opted for art and architecture as hallmarks of the city, and began an extensive program of urban reforms, which culminated with the celebration of the Olympic Games. The new public commissions were reflected in the increase in facilities such as schools, parks and gardens, roads and urban spaces, civic, cultural and sports centers.[391]​.

At a stylistic level, the last decades of the century saw a rapid succession of styles, sometimes complementary and sometimes contrasting, which on various occasions coexisted simultaneously. From the 1970s until the end of the century, the following trends are mainly perceived:

• - Eclectic rationalism: direct heir of rationalist architecture, they understand their task as a discipline, defending the relationship between construction and architecture, with special emphasis on composition; They highlight the commitment between tradition and modernity, as well as the urban character of the architecture. Its main representatives were: Rafael Moneo, Josep Llinàs, Josep Lluís Mateo and the tandems Jaume Bach / Gabriel Mora and Esteve Bonell / Francesc Rius.[392]​.

• - Neotraditionalism: it is a trend that is nourished mainly by historical models, considering traditional construction as a pure architectural language, with influence from popular and regional architecture, as well as Noucentisme and modern classicism - such as that represented by Otto Wagner -, while having Robert Venturi and Aldo Rossi as contemporary models, as well as the Italian group Tendenza. Due to its attempt to reconvert classicism into a contemporary project, this trend represents a precursor to postmodern architecture. It was mainly represented by the members of Studio PER: Òscar Tusquets, Lluís Clotet, Cristian Cirici and Josep Bonet.[393]​.

• - Postmodern architecture: they defend the free use of historical styles, with a tendency towards eclecticism "Eclecticism (art)"), separating the architectural language from its resulting image, the principles of appearance, the construction of form. The main exponent of this current was Ricardo Bofill.[394]​.

• - Neoorganicism: it emerged in opposition to eclectic rationalism, with a strong figurative component and a taste for plastic values, which is denoted in a certain baroque style of forms. Santiago Calatrava and some works by Josep Llinàs are part of this trend.[395]​.

• - Neomodern architecture (or contemporary avant-garde): in opposition to neotraditionalism and postmodernism, they present a greater interest in the conceptual and abstracting figuration, and assume the inheritance of modern language as experimentation. They denote the influence of Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright and Russian constructivism "Constructivism (art)") and, at a more current level, of Frank Gehry and Álvaro Siza. Enric Miralles, Carlos Ferrater and the tandems Elías Torres / José Antonio Martínez Lapeña and Helio Piñón / Albert Viaplana could be included in this trend.[396]​.

1992 Olympic Games

Another of the profound transformations of Barcelona came on the occasion of the 1992 Olympic Games. The event involved the remodeling of part of the Montjuic mountain, where the so-called Olympic Ring was located (1985-1992), designed by Carles Buxadé, Joan Margarit, Federico Correa and Alfons Milà,[433]​ a large venue located between the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium —rehabilitated between 1986 and 1989 by Buxadé, Margarit, Correa and Milà themselves together with Vittorio Gregotti—and the Plaza de Europa, with buildings such as the Palau Sant Jordi by Arata Isozaki (1984-1990), the Bernat Picornell Swimming Pools (1988-1991, Moisés Gallego") and Franc Fernández"), the Montjuic Telecommunications Tower (1991) in Santiago Calatrava and the National Institute of Physical Education "National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (Barcelona)") (1985-1992), by Ricardo Bofill.[434]​.

To accommodate the athletes, a new neighborhood was built, the Poblenou Olympic Village (1985-1992), with a general layout of the Martorell-Bohigas-Mackay-Puigdomènech team, and the intervention in various residential buildings by a wide range of architects, such as Ricardo Bofill, Carlos Ferrater, Esteve Bonell / Francesc Rius, Xavier Vendrell") / Manuel Ruisánchez"), Albert Viaplana / Helio Piñón, Elías Torres / José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, Òscar Tusquets / Carlos Díaz"), Federico Correa / Alfons Milà, Jordi Garcés / Enric Sòria, Lluís Clotet / Ignacio Paricio, etc.[435] Various buildings and facilities were built in the same area, such as the Eurocity 1 office buildings (1989-1992), by Roser Amadó and Lluís Domènech i Girbau, and Eurocity 2, 3 and 4 (1989-1992), by Viaplana and Piñón; the Central Telefónica (1989-1992), by Jaume Bach and Gabriel Mora; (1990-1992), by Álvaro Siza; the Nova Icària Sports Pavilion and Municipal Library (1989-1992, by Franc Fernández") and Moisés Gallego"); Ortiz") and Enrique de León").[436]​.

Another area of action was the El Valle de Hebron neighborhood, organized according to a project by Eduard Bru") (1989-1991), which included buildings and infrastructure such as: the archery facilities "Campo Olympic de Tiro con Arco (Barcelona)") (1990-1991), by Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós; the Palacio de Deportes del Valle de Hebron (1990-1991), by Jordi Garcés and Enric Sòria; the La Teixonera Tennis Club (1989-1992), by Antoni Sunyer"); and the Olympic Press Village (1989-1991), by Carlos Ferrater.[437]​.

A notable element was the Collserola telecommunications tower (1989-1992), by Norman Foster, located in Tibidabo. 288 m high, it has a cylindrical concrete shaft supported by three post-tensioned braces anchored to the mountain with three struts placed at 120° from each other; In its central part it contains a metal structure with a curvilinear triangular shape, which houses a viewpoint.[438]​.

For the event, a multi-denominational religious center was also built, the parish of Patriarch Abraham (1990-1992), the work of Agustí Mateos" and Josep Benedito"). The new building accommodated the spiritual needs of all participants in the games, whatever their beliefs, and subsequently became the parish of the new Olympic Village neighborhood. The floor plan therefore moves away from traditional Catholic shapes, and presents an almond-shaped design based on curved lines of great geometric simplicity.[439]​.

The turn of the century did not bring about a substantial change in the future of the city, which continued to focus on innovation and design as future projects, along with the use of new technologies and a commitment to environmental sustainability. Stylistically, the transition of the century has been marked again by the eclecticism derived from postmodern theories, while the influence of international currents such as high-tech, a style based on the intensive use of high technology, and deconstructivism, a current based on non-Euclidean geometry and antilinearism, with curved and "soft" forms with an apparently chaotic appearance, have gained strength.[459] It is also worth highlighting the progressive importance acquired by computing. in architectural design, with programs such as CAD and Power Point that have replaced the old ways of preparing architectural projects.[460]​.

One of the most notable events of the new millennium was the celebration of the Universal Forum of Cultures in 2004, which allowed new urban changes in the city: the entire Besós area was recovered, until then populated by old disused factories, the entire Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood "Pueblo Nuevo (Barcelona)") was regenerated and the new Diagonal Mar neighborhood was built, while the city was provided with new parks and spaces for leisure. citizens.[461]​ The profile of the city changed after the construction of a large cylindrical skyscraper, the Torre Agbar, as well as the W Barcelona hotel, which modified the appearance of the Port of Barcelona and, therefore, its seafront.[462]​.

The Agbar Tower (2000-2005), the work of Jean Nouvel, is one of the most emblematic buildings built in the new millennium, and has significantly changed the Barcelona skyline.[463] High-tech style, it is 145 m high and shaped like an oval cylinder, inspired according to the author in the bell towers of Gaudí's Sagrada Familia. The façade has a double skin of concrete and glass, with a set of 4,000 LED devices of different colors that light up at night, creating particular polychrome effects.[464]​.

Around the same time, the new Gas Natural headquarters was built (1999-2006), the work of Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue, a building broken down into four bodies: the "tower" is the tallest, with an H shape composed of two bodies of different heights; The "bracket" is a body attached to the tower that acts as access to the building; The "aircraft carrier" is a cantilevered body that protrudes from the central tower and provides horizontality to the layout of the complex; The "waterfall" is a low body with a stepped façade that restores the elevation of the surrounding buildings. The entire building has a glass roof, whose play of reflections between the four bodies generates a somewhat dematerialized image of the complex.[465]​.

Other buildings from these early years were: the Jaume Fuster Library (2001-2004), by Josep Llinàs, with a rhomboidal floor plan and a complex and sinuous layout that interacts with an irregular-looking urban environment; diaphanous;[467]​ the Illa de la Llum residential complex (2002-2005), by Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio, with three bodies: a 5-story block flanked by two towers, one with 26 floors and another with 18, resolved with modules of aluminum ceilings that are repeated on the façade, while the entire complex is supported by tube pre-frames galvanized;[468]​ and the rehabilitation of the Barceloneta market (2002-2007, by Josep Miàs"), with an organic conception that structures different spaces in a dynamic and integrative way.[469]​.

The main building impulse of these years was the celebration of the Universal Forum of Cultures in 2004. The venue was designed by Elías Torres and José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, which includes a 16-hectare multipurpose esplanade culminated at one end by a large photovoltaic panel that became one of the emblems of the event.[470]​ The main construction was the Forum building (2000-2004), by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron - current headquarters of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona -, with a low-profile triangular floor plan with a distribution of several interior patios that generate open spaces, and a rough-looking façade of indigo blue, furrowed by various stripes of glass. irregular and undulating shapes that hide the supporting elements, generating large open spaces with a flexible layout inside.[472]​ The space of the enclosure and its adjacent areas have subsequently been used to locate various public parks, such as the Linear Park by Garcia Fària, by Pere Joan Ravetllat and Carme Ribas; the Auditoriums park, by Alejandro Zaera; and the Diagonal Mar park, by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue.

Among the constructions of the following years, it is worth highlighting: the Biomedical Research Park (2006), by Manuel Brullet and Alberto de Pineda, a truncated-conical building with wooden slat cladding; another;[474]​ the W Barcelona hotel —also known as Hotel Vela— (2009), by Ricardo Bofill, a 99 m high building shaped like a ship's sail, with a glazed curtain wall façade;[475]​ the Telecommunications Market Commission headquarters building (2008-2010), by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig, with an asymmetrical longitudinal planimetry profile and a double façade of horizontal slats that offers solar protection;[476]​ the Media-TIC building (2010), by Enric Ruiz-Geli, has a cubic shape and is supported by iron girders covered by a translucent coating of inflatable bubble plastic, which allows us to distinguish the fluorescent structure inside the building;[477]​ the Diagonal Zero Zero tower of Telefónica (2008-2011, by Enric Massip-Bosch"), by 110 m high and with a rhomboidal floor plan, with a white aluminum ribbed façade; Catalanas;[479]​ and the Bellcaire Fair or Old Encantes (2013), by Fermín Vázquez Huarte-Mendicoa, a canopy-shaped structure that covers the Encantes open-air market, made up of various modules with different inclinations to reflect the light and the surrounding landscape.[480]​.

Other works from these years are: the International Center for Advanced Medicine (2004), by Luis Alonso and Sergio Balaguer"); the expansion of CosmoCaixa Barcelona (2004, by Esteve") and Robert Terradas"); the Hilton Diagonal Mar hotel (2005), by Òscar Tusquets; the Colegio Mayor Sant Jordi (2006), by Josep Lluís Mateo;[481]​ the departmental building of the UPF (1996-2007), by Juan Navarro Baldeweg ; Martí Galí");[484]​ the Illa del Mar residential building (2008), by Adolf Martínez"), Josep Lluís Martínez"), Jorge Muñoz&action=edit&redlink=1 "Jorge Muñoz (architect) (not yet written)") and Enrique Albin"); the Can Framis Museum (2007-2009, by Jordi Badia");[485]​ the entire City of Justice of Barcelona and Hospitalet de Llobregat (2009), by David Chipperfield and Fermín Vázquez Huarte-Mendicoa; the Suites Avenue building (2009), by Toyoo Itō; the Institute of Ocular Microsurgery (2009), by Josep Llinàs;[486]​ the Blau building (2009), by Antoni de Moragas, Eva Mercader Oliver") and Susanna Itarte Rubió");[487]​ the Blood Bank (2006-2010), by Joan Sabaté Picasó"), Àlex Cazurra Basté") and Horacio Espeche Sotailo");[488]​ the Can Travi Civic Center (2008-2010), by Sergi Serrat"), Ginés Egea") and Cristina García&action=edit&redlink=1 "Cristina García (architect) (not yet written)");[489]​ the GAES headquarters (2008-2010), by Jorge Mestre") and Iván Bercedo"); the reconversion of the Arenas bullring in a shopping center (2005-2011), by Richard Rogers; the Bassat headquarters (2010-2011, by Alexa Plasencia"), Antonio Buendía") and Albert Arraut");[490]​ the Distrito 38 building (2011), by Arata Isozaki, Alejandro Zaera and Farshid Moussavi;[491]​ the Vodafone building (2012), by Dominique Perrault;[492]​ and the Antares building (2020), by Odile Decq.[493]​.

On the other hand, the economic crisis that began in 2008 paralyzed numerous architectural projects, some as emblematic as the La Sagrera Tower, by Frank Gehry, or the Spiral Tower, by Zaha Hadid, putting an end to a few years of construction in the city of great projects commissioned from internationally famous authors.[494]​.

In 2022, the Cirerers building, the tallest wooden building in Spain, was inaugurated, the work of the Celobert architectural cooperative, a sustainable project based on an industrialized construction system in cross-laminated wood.[495]​.

In terms of landscape architecture, it is worth mentioning the Central Park of Nou Barris (1997-2007), by Carme Fiol and Andreu Arriola, structured on several levels in which pergolas that act as lighting panels stand out, as well as the presence of water, through three lakes with fountains; In 2007 he received the International Urban Landscape Award in Frankfurt (Germany).[496]​ Another green space of interest is the Poblenou Center park (2008), by Jean Nouvel, divided into various thematic spaces, with avant-garde design, among which stand out: the Island under the dome, a space surrounded by a water channel that houses a metal dome surrounded by laurels; and the Well of the World, a crater formed by several spirals of earth.[497]​.

The urban planning of the new millennium has reinforced the polynuclear grid structure promoted since the 1990s, which has favored the appearance of new urban centers such as the Forum, 22@ and La Sagrera.[498]​ In 2025 the new Plaza de las Glorias Catalanas was inaugurated after several years of works, in which traffic was buried and a new park was installed for the enjoyment of citizens.[499]​.

Communications have improved with the arrival of high speed, which links the Catalan capital with Madrid and Paris; The port and airport of El Prat have been expanded, with the aim of turning Barcelona into the logistics center of southern Europe. The metro network has also been expanded, with the extension of several lines (3 and 5), and the creation of some new ones (lines 9, 10 and 11), some of them fully automated. In 2012, an orthogonal reorganization of the bus network began to create a rapid transit bus network.[500] The construction of a new ring road is also planned to improve communications in the metropolitan area.

• - Diagonal Mar Park (1999-2002), by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue.

• - Barcelona International Convention Center (2000-2004), by Josep Lluís Mateo.

• - Jaume Fuster Library (2001-2004), by Josep Llinàs.

• - Biomedical Research Park (2006), by Manuel Brullet and Alberto de Pineda.

• - Hotel Habitat Sky (2004-2007), by Dominique Perrault.

• - Can Framis Museum (2007-2009), by Jordi Badia").

• - Suites Avenue Building (2009), by Toyoo Itō.

• - Blau Building (2009), by Antoni de Moragas, Eva Mercader Oliver") and Susanna Itarte Rubió").

• - Telecommunications Market Commission (2008-2010), by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig.

• - GAES building (2008-2010), by Jorge Mestre") and Iván Bercedo").

• - Media-TIC Building (2010), by Enric Ruiz-Geli.

• - Diagonal Zero Zero Tower of Telefónica (2008-2011), by Enric Massip-Bosch").

• - Vodafone Building (2012), by Dominique Perrault.

• - Bellcaire Fair or Old Charms (2013), by Fermín Vázquez Huarte-Mendicoa.

• - Art of Catalonia.

• - History of Barcelona.

• - Urban planning of Barcelona.

• - Districts of Barcelona.

• - Former municipalities of Barcelona.

• - Municipal aggregations of Barcelona.

• - Public art in Barcelona.

• - Urban art from Barcelona.

• - Urban furniture from Barcelona.

• - Fountains of Barcelona.

• - Parks and gardens of Barcelona.

• - Odononymy of Barcelona.

• - Catalan modernism.

• - Architecture of Spain.

• - Architecture of Madrid.

• - Annual competition for artistic buildings (Barcelona) "Annual competition for artistic buildings (Barcelona)").

• - FAD Award.

• - Mies van der Rohe Contemporary Architecture Prize.

• - District 22@.

• - Annex: Basilicas of Barcelona.

• - Annex:Skyscrapers in Barcelona.

• - Annex: Tallest buildings in the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona.

• - Annex:Architectures of Spain.

• - World Heritage Site in Catalonia.

• - Assets of cultural interest of the Barcelonés region "Annex: Assets of cultural interest of the Barcelonés region (province of Barcelona)").

• - Apple of discord "Apple of discord (Barcelona)").

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Architecture of Barcelona.

• - Barcelona official website Archived December 23, 2014 at the Wayback Machine.