Travel Notes of Spain (10) Impression of Barcelona Old Town

As a famous historical and cultural city, Barcelona has many classical elements, mainly concentrated in the old city, and has become a tourist attraction.

The old city is the heart of Barcelona, and Gothic District is the core of the old city. Our trip mainly involves the Four Cats Cafe in the old city, Barcelona Cathedral, Roman City Wall, Gotham's old streets and alleys, Borglia Market and so on.

1, Four Cats Cafe

Els Quatre Gats (also known as Four Cats Bar Restaurant) is located at No.3, Montsio, North Sunta Anna, the new square in the old city. Built by the famous architect Puig I Cadalfch, the painter Romon? Raymond casas and Pere? Romeu and others were founded to seek an atmosphere similar to the "black cat pub" in Paris. According to Catalan, the name of the store means "a group of friends". The first menu in the restaurant was designed by Picasso when he was young, and his personal image was also displayed in the restaurant as a symbol. This is a place where artists often meet, and Picasso held his first exhibition here.

In the first five years of operation, Four Cats Cafe published magazines, staged puppet shows and shadow plays, and held conferences, art exhibitions and music box cultural salons, which left a deep impression on Barcelona people. 1903 was reopened on 1953 after it was closed, and the original name was still used to commemorate the founders and artists who contributed to the art. Now it has become one of the favorite attractions for tourists all over the world.

Zazie Hoko

2. Old streets in Santa Ana District

Along the street of Sunta Anna, there are some restaurants, fashion shops, museums and striking buildings along the way.

Old streets, narrow lanes, stone roads, old lamps and wall clocks record the experience here.

Graffiti on the old street

3. Barcelona Cathedral

Barcelona Cathedral, also known as Saint Eulalia Cathedral. A typical Gothic building, the symbol of the Parish of Barcelona, was built in13-15th century, and its main works were completed in14th century, among which the corridor around Goose Well was completed in 1450.

The internal structure of the church is very complicated, and the glass and sculpture are very interesting to visit. You can go to the top of the church by the elevator next to the dome of the church and enjoy the scenery of the old city of Barcelona. The prayer room in the cloister of the cathedral is dedicated to the protector of the handicraft guild. The choir seats, religious murals, sculptures and all kinds of gold and silver vessels in the chapel of St. Eulalia are dazzling.

In front of the cathedral is the new square, which is a gathering place for various performances, festivals and markets. During Christmas, there will be a Christmas market, where you can buy all kinds of handicrafts and local specialties.

We were just passing by and saw the church. There are many tourists visiting and taking photos here.

Next to the cathedral is the museum of the diocese of Barcelona, which shows many things of the Christian Catholic church. Now I mainly show Gaudi's related works.

4. Roman wall

There is a long Roman wall (Torres de la Muralla Romana) around the old city of Barcelona, which was built by the Romans in ancient Rome and formed fortifications around the city. Now there are only some remnants and several towers, from which you can vaguely see the magnificent scenery of the city wall.

The Roman city wall built in the 3rd-4th century is the only remnant of the ancient Roman city in Barcelona. Until the middle of19th century, the city scope of Barcelona was still confined to the ancient Roman wall area.

Roman walls appear intermittently around Barcelona cathedral. Near the square next to the church, there are relics of the Romata and the Roman Canal, and there are bronze sculptures of the old name of the ancient city "Barchino" on the ground.

This is one of the four entrances to the ancient Roman wall area.

Ruins of the ancient Roman canal near the city wall

The other part of the tower is in Angel Square (Ramon? Belenguer III Square).

Placa de L'Angel was the north gate established by the Romans at that time, and it was also one of the starting points for entering Gotham. Formerly known as Maifang, it was named after the main grain markets in the city were concentrated at the gate in the Middle Ages. Now that the city gate has disappeared, there are two Roman walls left on both sides, which are merged into the palace from here. The wall is as high as 18 meters, and three of the original seven towers have been preserved. At the foot of the city wall is a marble block engraved with ancient Roman inscriptions.

In the square stands a statue of Ramon, the Earl of Catalonia in the Middle Ages. Statue of Ramon Bellengier III Elgland. So there is also information that this is Ramon? Bellenger III Square.

Angel Square is one of the well-preserved areas of the Roman wall.

The city wall surrounds the ancient city and is tightly wrapped by modern buildings. There are many entrances to the city wall. In Gotham, the old and dilapidated Roman city walls give people a feeling that matches the ancient style of the old city.

? ? 5. King's Square

Delrell Square was built by Aragon, who ruled Barcelona in the 4th century. This used to be the courtyard of the former palace, where the king often held various ceremonies. Now it is a leisure area for local people. In summer, the square becomes an open-air concert venue.

Around the square are magnificent Gothic buildings, many of which are left over from the 6th century. To the north of the square is the Grand Palace; The Gothic tower on the left is a good place to overlook the medieval city. The stairs on the right lead to Thienel Hall and St. Yaga Cathedral on the east side of the square; To the southeast is the Barcelona City History Museum; Southwest leads to Barcelona Cathedral.

6. Barcelona Museum of History

Museu D'Hist o Ria de la Ciutat is a museum that bears the centuries-old history of Barcelona and records all the history since the ancient Roman Empire. The museum consists of two parts: the former Royal Palau Museum and the former Merkatborn Museum.

The palace is a Roman-style building and the residence of the ancient Aragon royal family, which was built in14th century. Bonn market is a tall iron frame building. 197 1 years ago was a fruit and vegetable market. In 2002, Roman relics and cultural relics were found in the market, so it was converted into a part of Barcelona History Museum. Now you can see the ruins of public baths and city walls on the original site.

We didn't have a timetable and time to visit, so we hurried past the museum with the team.

7. Grand Palace

There is a Roman-style building next to King's Square, which was later decorated in Gothic style. According to the tour leader, this is Palau in Barcelona. For hundreds of years since the Middle Ages, it was the palace of the supreme ruler of Barcelona.

The main hall named Thienel Hall in the palace is supported by seven solemn semicircular arches, and the whole hall is tall and magnificent.

Judging from the pictures and words, it is now the seat of the "Ministry of Culture" of the Barcelona municipal government, and the Catalan badge is still hanging at the door. Often used as a temporary exhibition hall, it is one of the most popular venues for concerts and artistic activities in Barcelona.

An exhibition was being held here when we visited.

Exquisite carvings on the vault

Luxurious stairs and courtyards

What organ of the palace is this?

The signboard on the wall shows that this is the cultural department of Catalonia, and the Aragon Crown Archives is on it.

8. St. Gomez Square

Placa de Sant Jaume was once the gathering place of ancient Romans and the administrative center of medieval cities. The two main streets of the early Roman colonies passed through here, and it was named after St. James' Church here in the Middle Ages. The porch in front of the church used to be the seat of the city Council.

Today, the government building of Catalonia Autonomous Region and Barcelona City Hall face each other across the square. This is one of the few government buildings in Europe that were built in the Middle Ages and are still in use today, and it is also the original institution.

One of them: General Tate of Catalonia Autonomous Region/General Palau Dratat, built in15th century (rebuilt in 1977). On the balcony on the second floor, there is a statue of George, the patron saint of Catalonia. The interior decoration of the building highlights the extraordinary sense of art.

The other: Casa de la Ciutat, built in14th century. The most artistic feature is its foyer, which maintains many traditional styles, and all kinds of oil paintings and statues can be seen everywhere.

9. Old streets and alleys in Gotham District

Barrigothic is located in the center of Barcelona, the core of the old city, and it is the intersection of history and reality. There are many neogothic buildings with a long history, which make them full of classical charm and romance.

13-15th century has a large area of Gothic architecture, some of which can even be traced back to ancient Rome, which is very distinctive. Except for some changes in19th century and early 20th century, most of them kept the style of the past.

Gothic District has kept a complicated street planning, with many small streets and squares, and its own area is not large, which is very suitable for walking and sightseeing.

In addition to the above-mentioned Barcelona Cathedral, the Roman Wall, the King's Square, the Grand Palace and other classical buildings, there are mainly scattered and nameless streets or architectural landscapes.

This is a typical Gothic building area, and the overpass connecting two buildings in Bisbee Lane has become a masterpiece in postcards.

Gothic Bridge on bisbee Street

Walking in the alley, there are high walls and deep courtyards on both sides, and exquisite sculptures can often be found on the outer walls and eaves.

Along the way, there are some seemingly messy and tortuous alleys, some quiet and some lively. The windows of residents on both sides of the alley are decorated with exquisite sculptures, and the windows of the small shop are also beautifully arranged.

Some driveways are very narrow and the spacing between buildings is very small.

This is a medieval Roman-style building, well preserved, dotted with fragments of ancient Roman walls in the middle.

This is the old street in Gotham.