BCN: Gothic Quarter and Catalonian Socio-economics (15th June 2011)

When we think of Barcelona, the word most heavily associated with the place is often Modernism.But this city has another, perhaps even more intricate and extensive, history: its Gothic period.

The "Barri Gotic" is Barcelona's Gothic quarter, the historical centre of Barcelona, and the buzzing centre of town, filled with cafes and restaurants along nearly every single street. The Gothic quarter also boasts Roman remains, such as the hidden away remains of the Temple of Augustus (picture further below), as well as a myriad of palatial town residences along small and dark cobbled alleyways whic transport you straight back into the Barcelona of a few centuries ago. This district is the other face of Barcelona.

So why does Barcelona boast so many town residences, whereas in Madrid for instance most important buildings were royal residences or government buildings? The answer will be explained (at least partly) in the following lines. The Catalan inheritance system has long been the same as Britain's. The eldest child would always inherit the estate and money, keeping the family's name intact and without dividing large sums of money into less important smaller amounts, thus keeping the family capital intact. This resulted in wealth being retained within individual family circles for long periods of time (if properly invested), resulting in a very powerful Catalonian bourgeoisie. 

Temple of Augustus, Barcelona

Because Catalonian subjects had always felt slightly distant from the centrally-based Spanish monarchy, they often went to this rich bourgeoisie looking for funding for projects or economic backup of many kinds. This solidified the reputation, honour and name of these families, some of which are still well-known today (for instance the Guell family). This social class gained more respect and capital, which led to the construction of big, handsome town houses or small palaces in the centre of Barcelona, with many of them surviving for future generations as the Barri Gotic. 

The socio-economic analysis of Barcelona and in particular its Gothic quarter ties in deeply with the region's strong textile industry in the last 200 or so years. One particular outlying area of Barcelona, now part of the city itself, was previously known as the "Manchester of Spain" due to the strong presence of various industries and car factories there. But like Manchester itself, this area has now been redeveloped, with most of it turned into a business park with even a few skyscrapers popping up here and there. I am not going to analyse the industries in Barcelona right now, but let it suffice to say that these played a hugely important role in the growth, both economic and population-wise, of the city, much more so than any other area of Spain, even Madrid. 

Oxford or Venice? Actually, Barcelona

Back to the Gothic quarter: this area boasts many hidden plazas (squares), a maze of twisting and sloping cobbled alleyways, as well as many gems of Gothic architecture, such as this beautiful "bridge" connecting two buildings. Here one can see the intricate details and developed craft used to create such a wonderful bridge with such a relatively small purpose.

At various points you seem to wander down empty cobbled alleys, making you feel like you are in the middle of a sleepy countryside town: the noise of cars has disappeared, the sun is shining, and the odd palm tree can be spotted rising high above the roofs. Its hard to believe that we are in one of the most cosmopolitan hot-spots in the Mediterranean basin!

I did the walk between the cathedral and, the Roman temple and Montcada street in under one hour, but I would advise anyone going to spend a whole afternoon strolling down the streets and sitting down at sunset at one of the thousands of bars and cafes dotted along the way.