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 Catalunya
(Cataluña or Catalonia)
There are four provinces in Catalunya: Flanked by the Pyrenes Mountains and bathed by the Mediterranean
Sea, this region occupies the north eastern part of the peninsula.
It has a strong identity, with a unique culture and language
all its own. It is a highly developed region with great dynamism.
With 6 million inhabitants, it is the second most populated
region in Spain, after Andalucia.
Barcelona is the historical capital of Cataluña and
Spain's second leading city in both size and importance, after
Madrid. Its port is one of the most important on the Mediterranean
Sea. The city, exceptionally beautiful, has an impressive architectural
heritage that includes the Gothic Quarter, with its cathedral,
the old City Hall Building, the Episcopal Palace and the splendid
Palace of the Generalitat, the site of the Catalan government.
The city also boasts the work of the incomparable modernist
architect Antonio Gaudi, who graced Barcelona with the better
share of his many works of exceptional genius. Among them are
the unfinished Church of the Sacred Family, G?ll Park, the
Batll Home and the Mil Home. Barcelona also has many museums,
two of which are the Picasso Museum and the Museum of Catalan
Art.
Lleida, capital of the province of the same
name, is set on a steep slope that culminates in the grandiose
citadel, in
the centre of which is the "Seo", or cathedral, built
between the 12th and 15th centuries. Find more information
on Lleida here.
The Costa Brava is the coastal zone that begins about 40 kms.
North of Barcelona and includes the entire shoreline of the
province of Girona. It is an area of great natural beauty,
formed by a succession of steep cliffs and small coves with
finely grained sand. Some of its towns have been massively
exploited for tourism, but others, such as Tossa de Mar, still
maintain their original size and fishing-village charm. The
principal tourist centres on the Costa Brava are: Rose, Sant
Pere Pescador, L´Escala, L´Estartit, Begur, Palafrugell,
Palamos, Platja d´Aro, S´Agaro, Sant Feliu de Guixols,
Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar and Blanes. In this zone there
are several cities and villages of special interest among them:
Girona, capital of the province of the same name, it is one
of the oldest and most beautiful Catalan cities, with a particularly
interesting Jewish Quarter.
Figueres, the birthplace of Salvador Dali, with a grandiose
museum that brings together the better part of his finest work.
Empuries is a Greco-Roman city that has preserved magnificent
classical vestiges.
La Costa Dorada stretches south from the Costa Brava to Tarragona.
It is formed by beautiful, open, well maintained beaches. The
principal tourist centres on the Costa Dorada are: Calella
de la Costa, Arenys de Mar, Castelldefels, Sitges, Calafell,
Torredembarra, Tarragona, Salou, Cambrils, Miami Playa, L´Hopitale
de l´Infant and Sant Carles de la Rapita. In this zone
the most interesting attractions are:
Tarragona, the capital of the province of the same name. Of
great importance in classical antiquity, the city preserves
numerous vestiges of Tarraco, the original Roman city, some
of which are the aqueduct, the amphitheatre and, on the coast,
the so-called Tomb of the "Escipiones". Located closely
together a few kilometres inland from Tarragona are two important
medieval monasteries, Santes Creus and Santa Maria de Poblet,
one the Pantheon of the Aragonese Kings.
Sitges, an important tourist centre, offers several interesting
museums, especially that of Cau-Ferrat, which has two paintings
by El Greco.
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