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Sant Pere de les Puelles, Barcelona, Spain
Sant Pere de Puelles
Many of Barcelona’s squares in Ciutat Vella contain astonishing Romanesque landmarks. Time seems to have stood still in the heart of the neighbourhood of Sant Pere, where the church of the ancient convent of Sant Pere de les Puelles still stands. A history dating back centuries marked by renovations which haven’t taken away any of the charm of the original building.
The history of the ancient monastery of Sant Pere de Puelles dates back to 945 AD, the year of its consecration. At that time, it became Barcelona’s first convent of Benedictine nuns. Throughout its history, Sant Pere de les Puelles has experienced many changes in fortune that have transformed the Romanesque building, which was built outside the city walls. The attacks by Arab troops, fires, and the expulsion of its religious community in the 19th century sealed its fate and the nuns moved to a new, permanent site in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi in 1879.
The church has been remodelled and undergone successive changes, and now, all that remains of the original monastery – where the nuns, most of whom were the daughters of the city’s noble families, once lived – is a heavily restored Romanesque church which preserves some relics of the original one. They can be seen in the chapel of the Holy Sacrament. Only one of the two original bell towers survives. It is octagonal in shape and has six bells which can be heard pealing throughout the neighbourhood. The Plaça de Sant Pere of Barcelona, with the imposing presence of the ancient monastery, is one of the most charming spots in the old town, the Ciutat Vella neighbourhood.
Museu de la Xocolata, Barcelona, Spain
Museu de la Xocolata
The Museu de la Xocolata was set up in the year 2000 as an initiative of Barcelona’s Confectioners’ Guild, and is housed in a building of great historic importance, the former Convent of Sant Agustí in Barcelona.
In addition to disseminating the culture of chocolate and its associations with Barcelona and Catalonia, the 600 m2 exhibition space of the Museu de la Xocolata traces the origins of chocolate, its arrival in Europe, and its semi-mythical status. Visitors can find out about its medicinal and aphrodisiac properties, its symbolic, cultural and economic significance and nutritional value, something which links tradition with modernity and forms part of our collective imagination.
The Museu de la Xocolata also has a wide range of activities and workshops on offer for all the visitors and there is also the possibility to hold birthday parties for the little ones.
by barcelonaturisme.com
Mercado de Santa Caterina, Barcelona, Spain
Santa Caterina Market
From the Barcelona Cathedral, an undulating, brightly coloured roof catches our eye. Attracted like insects to a colourful flower, we approach to discover a food market below the roof: the Santa Caterina Market. The original design of the building, as well as the treasure trove of produce displayed on its stalls, won’t disappoint visitors to the neighbourhood of Santa Caterina.
The refurbishment of Barcelona’s first covered food market by the architectural practice of Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue was completed in 2005. The old Santa Caterina food market revealed a gleaming, undulating and brightly coloured roof designed to be seen from the air. The roof is attached to the building by a wooden structure, and a vast mosaic of coloured ceramic pieces, representing fruit and vegetables, boldly breaks with the traditional look of a market. The market has always been characterised by a desire to innovate. Santa Caterina Market was built in 1845 to provide the neighbourhood’s blue-collar community with foodstuffs.
The spacious, modern market building was constructed on the former site of the Convent of Santa Caterina, from which it takes its name. During the post-Civil War period, Santa Caterina became the main food supplier to the towns on the outskirts of Barcelona. People from Sant Adrià, Santa Coloma and Mataró came on the tram to buy food in this market in times of shortage. Today, the market is still worth a visit: the modern exterior ushers us into a traditional market with food stalls and restaurants which serve outstanding-quality produce.
by barcelonaturisme.com
Museu Marítim de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Museum Marítim
The Museum Marítim is located by the waterfront in one of Barcelona’s finest landmark buildings: the Reials Drassanes, the medieval shipyards which are a unique example of civic Gothic architecture.
Since 1929, the Museu Marítim de Barcelona has built up a major collection of exhibits which are illustrative of Catalan seafaring culture and make it easier to understand the factors that influenced the country’s maritime history. The museum takes us on a journey through the history of seafaring with spectacular recreations of authentic maritime settings.
Highlights of the museum’s collections include model ships, nautical instruments, ex-votos, seascapes, figureheads and maps. High points of the permanent collection are the full-scale replica of the royal galley used by Juan of Austria at the Battle of Lepanto, and the historic schooner Santa Eulàlia, a 46-metre-long, four-masted vessel dating from 1918, which is moored in Barcelona's harbour.
by barcelonaturisme.com
Museu de l'Eròtica, Barcelona, Spain
Museu de l'Eròtica
The Museum of Erotica, on Barcelona's La Rambla, was set up with the clear purpose of providing an educational and recreational centre focusing on eroticism: a classic theme in the history and culture of mankind.
The Museum of Erotica is the first museum of erotic art and culture, where we can see the development of eroticism through different artistic and cultural fields of human beings from an anthropological, archaeological and literary point of view, amongst others..The Museum of Erotica's holdings comprise more than 800 pieces of great historical value showcasing the erotic manifestations of a wide range of cultures, from a ritualistic, religious and recreational point of view, and spanning several periods in our history, from Greece and Rome to the 1920s.
The museum also boasts a major collection of Asian art and features an exhibition of contemporary erotic art by internationally renowned artists.
by barcelonaturisme.com
Museu de Cera, Barcelona, Spain
Museum de Cera
The Museu de Cera provides an opportunity to meet over 300 personalities, both real and fictitious, from all periods of history. Against a backdrop of authentic sets, audiovisuals and realistic sound effects, the waxworks come to life to tell us about their illustrious, and sometimes tragic lives which have crossed the threshold of time.
The Museum de Cera also has two unusual cafés. El Bosc de les Fades is a unique, magical space which recreates a haunted forest, right down to the last detail: trees, fountains, will o’ the wisps and other fantastic creatures.
The Passatge del Temps will captivate you with its cutting-edge design and comfortable atmosphere, while offering an innovative take on the ancient art of origami.
by barcelonaturisme.com
Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, Spain
Gran Teatre del Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu was built in 1847 and is a unique cultural facility in Barcelona and one of Europe’s leading opera houses. Located on the Rambla, every year it hosts major opera and ballet productions and symphony concerts. The building was destroyed by fire in 1994 and reopened in 1999 after a magnificent reconstruction.
The Gran Teatre del Liceu was built on the Rambla by Barcelona’s affluent classes on the site of a former convent. It was designed to house the Music Conservatory and with the main purpose of creating a venue where high society could go to see opera, the star cultural attraction of the time. The Liceu soon became a Barcelona landmark, to such an extent that its destruction by the fire in 1994 sent shockwaves through Catalan society. The reconstruction project provided the Liceu building with highly advanced technical facilities and stage equipment, and faithfully restored the original splendour of one of the most well-known opera houses.
The five-tier auditorium seats 2,292, making the Gran Teatre del Liceu on Barcelona’s Rambla one of the world’s biggest opera houses. The season of opera, dance and music runs from September to July. There are also guided tours of the main areas of the theatre, allowing visitors to enjoy every detail and the magnificence of its architecture. Highlights include the main auditorium, the foyer and hall of mirrors, as well as the Cercle del Liceu, a private club which is a superb example of Catalan art nouveau, or modernisme. It contains period furniture and original works by the painter Ramon Casas
by barcelonaturisme.com
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