Barcelona

Barcelona has existed as a settlement for two millennia. Early civilizations shaped the city before it achieved, in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, global power as a trading metropolis and empire capital. After a long struggle with the unifying Spanish state, the city revived, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as an industrial and commercial powerhouse. It became a center of culture, ornamented by modern planning and wondrous works by Gaudí and others. Barcelona became known as “The Rose of Fire”: home to revolutionaries and anarchists. Creativity and conflict continued to shape Barcelona in the twentieth century, as its citizens faced the Spanish Republic, Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship. Linking social and cultural currents to the rich architectural and experiential heritage of this multi-layered city, McDonogh and Martínez-Rigol reveal Barcelona’s hidden history to modern-day visitors and residents alike. Acknowledgments ix

Map of Barcelona xiv

Introduction 1

1 The Evolution of a Mediterranean City (to 1000 CE) 15

2 Barcelona the Capital (1000–1500) 53

3 Decline and Renewal (1500–1800) 97

4 The Industrial City (1800–1900) 127

5 The Exploding Metropolis (1900–1939) 167

6 Barcelona under Franco (1939–1970s) 207

7 Barcelona Today and Tomorrow (1970s– ) 241

Selected Sources 274

Chronology 288

Notes 299

Credits 315

Index 316

"McDonogh and Martínez-Rigol have mastered the material thoroughly. This comprehensive survey uses the city as a document of its own history and captures Barcelona's elusive character. It will enhance visitors' experiences and be a trusty guide for students and the general reader."
—Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, author of 1492: The Year Our World Began

"A dream journey through Barcelona's history, combining deep knowledge and stories, complementary points of view, architectural and social aspects, and multidisciplinary and multigenerational visions."
—Carles Carreras, University of Barcelona

Gary McDonogh is Helen Herrmann Chair and Professor of Growth and Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr College.

Sergi Martínez-Rigol is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Barcelona.