Barcelona Holidays

Rumoured to have been founded by Hercules himself, Barcelona has been envied and fought for almost since its inception. Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Franks have all claimed the city as their own over the centuries.

In the 12th century, with the city growing in importance, the Counts of Barcelona took control of the whole of Catalonia and through marriage formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Aragon. United under the Crown of Aragon, they engaged in empire-building, conquering territories as far afield as modern-day Italy and Greece.

In the 15th century Barcelona's progress halted. After Aragon and Castile united, Madrid was chosen over Barcelona as the capital and seat of power. The rising power of Castile and dominance of Madrid started the bad blood that persists between Barcelona and Madrid to this day. A hotbed of Catalan independence, Barcelona rose up against Philip IV in the 17th century and later opposed General Franco's coup. When Franco claimed power, he robbed Catalonia of its autonomy and forced the Catalan language underground. As ever Barcelona rose again, reinstating its language and reasserting its Catalan identity, and in 1992 it got the chance display itself to the world by hosting the Olympics. Since then, Spain’s second city has not looked back, being known throughout Europe and the world as a capital of culture and the country’s most important city for tourism. With so much on offer, it is a favourite destination for world travellers.