Barcelona is the most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain.

Barcelona was founded as a Roman city and early in its history it became capital of the Counts of Barcelona. Today it is the capital of Catalonia. It remains today an important cultural center and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage. It is particularly renowned for its architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech I Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Barri Gòtic is the center of the old city of Barcelona. Many of the buildings date from medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Catalan modernisme architecture, often known as Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe, developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. The best known work of Antoni Gaudí, which is here in this quarter, is the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882 and is still on-going.