The Mediterranean climate - long dry summers, mild winters and rain in spring and autumn - is found on only 5% of the Earth’s surface, in five regions. These are present in the Jardí Botànic de Barcelona (Botanical Garden of Barcelona), opened in 1999 and located on the hill of Montjuïc. Arranged over 14 hectares of gently sloping ground are botanical collections from Australia, Chile, California, South Africa and the Mediterranean basin, including the Canary Islands.
The area has been designed by the architects Carles Ferrater and Josep Lluís Canosa, the landscape architect Bet Figueras, the biologist Joan Pedrola and the horticulturist Artur Bossy. Within what seems to be a large, natural amphitheatre, the planting is organised geographically, as well as being grouped for ecological affinities. The designers took advantage of the terrain in order to create the areas and roads while avoiding excessive earth movement.
Notable among its objectives is the conservation, documentation and dissemination of the natural heritage of Catalonia. For this reason, the grounds also houses the building of the Institut Botànic de Barcelona (Botanic Institute of Barcelona), which has an important library and one of the largest herbariums in Catalonia.
Montjuïc botanical garden exists side-by-side with the Jardí Botànic Històric (Historic Botanical Garden), opened in 1941 in the Foixarda area. Its location promotes the growth of the Euro-Siberian species of plants. In 1986, it had to close because it was affected by the construction of the Olympic facilities, although it reopened in 2003.
On 7th November, 1809, Napoleon's troops entered Hostalric with the aim of taking the town since it was on the only natural pass between Girona and Barcelona. Once the village had been razed, the Castle became the main target. On 13th May 1810, after five months of siege and with the walls demolished and the water supply cut off, the French managed to occupy the fortress.
This episode from the Peninsular War has left its mark on the current appearance of Hostalric Castle. This fortress was built in 1716 by the Engineer General of Philip V, George Prosper Verboom, who was also responsible for the
Citadel in Barcelona and the fortification of
La Seu Vella in Lleida. It was designed to take account of the
new fortification models by the military engineer, Vauban. It had three bastions, defence towers, a moat and two ravelins.
The structure that has lasted up to the present day is formed by the underground entrance, cart gateway, the guards’ section, the bastion of Santa Tecla, the second gateway, the main arsenal, the crenellated bastion, the main gate, the parade ground, the clock tower and the road to the town.
Almost nothing remains of the
original construction from the medieval period, which was demolished by the Duke of Noailles in 1695. Only the fortified road which ran from the town to the castle is of late medieval origin. The two walls parallel to the road were protected by two circular towers, of which only a small stretch is preserved.
Between the municipalities of Xerta and Tivenys, at one of the most spectacular places on the lower section of the River Ebro, is a major work of hydraulic engineering that transformed the economic activity of the area and has left a monumental testimony to an industrial heritage. This is a dam with a lock (a retaining wall that diverted the water) of about 310 metres long, built diagonally across the river.
It seems that the origin of a lock at this point can be traced to the Islamic period and that it must have been restored in the 12th century, after the conquest of Tortosa. Even so, it was not completed until 1411, under the direction of Mussà Alamí. It was in the 19th century when it was refurbished and the lock that diverted the water into the left and right channels of the Ebro which, as it still does today, served to irrigate the Delta and the gardens within the valley. Despite these works, the lock allows the boats that sail on the River Ebro to pass.
In addition to the dam with the lock, the heritage complex consists of several annexed buildings: the breakwaters, the old flour factory – of which only the walls remain standing - and the mill. This preserves a stone carved with the date of its construction, 1575, and items (the mill race and run-off channels and the toothed wheels) have been kept that belong to this time period. It has been refurbished many times until the end of the 19th century when it was used as an electrical generation plant. Even so, it is considered one of the few industrial buildings from the Renaissance period in Catalonia.
Given its privileged position, located on a hill in the mountains of the Serra Grossa and on the left bank of the Sénia river, Ulldecona is the perfect example of a frontier castle. During the Arab occupation, between the 8th and 11th centuries, it was an Andalusian fortification. With the conquest of the lands south of the Ebro by the Christians, it passed to the Montcada family of Tortosa in 1148, who gave it over to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, and it was transformed into a Christian Castle. A village grew up around it, thus being protected from Muslim attacks.
Currently, the fortified complex consists of three buildings - two towers and the old church - and remains of other demolished buildings, all surrounded by a perimeter wall. One of the most emblematic structures is the circular tower from the 12th century, which served as a watchtower. The upper terrace of this latter building, of which the battlements and embrasure have been preserved, offers unparallel views over the surrounding area. It is complemented by the square Keep Tower from the 13th century, which housed the stately rooms.
The Church is the most modern building within the enclosure, dating back to the 16th century. It may have replaced a primitive chapel located in the main tower of the Castle.
Although most visible structures relate to the Christian military fortification, the remains of the first Arabic Castle, such as the remnants of the wall topped by two watch towers, are still preserved today. Also within the enclosure, there are the walls of medieval dwellings and even the remains of an ancient Iberian settlement.
Rafael d'Amat i de Cortada (1746-1819), Baron of Maldà, is one of the most significant figures in Catalan culture of the 18th century and the greatest exponent of memoiristic and autobiographical prose of the age. This is because, for 50 years, he wrote a diary in which he described, in detail, everything that was happening around him, the Calaix de sastre (Miscellany), which has become one of the most important historical documents.
The Baron of Maldà belonged to the minor nobility of Barcelona and, as such, he was a deeply religious and conservative man, in addition to being avowedly anti-French. He had no great love of reading and never displayed any great cultural education. Even so, he had a vocation as a chronicler. From 10th July, 1796 until a few days before his death, he filled more than seventy volumes on various topics, from personal facts and facts about his everyday life to social, political and cultural events.
He used a popular and colloquial language, even careless at times. It is significant that it was written in Catalan as, in the 18th century, Spanish was the language of prestige. The reason for this was that the Calaix de sastre was never published at the time, but rather its purpose was to be read at social gatherings with circles of friends and acquaintances.
This extensive diary offers an unprecedented approach to a fledgling journalism and enables one to see at first hand what life was like in 18th century Catalonia and, in particular, Barcelona. At the same time, Calaix de sastre was considered one of the most important examples of Catalan Rococo. In addition to the diary, other manuscripts from the Baron have been preserved, such as L'explicació de la ciutat de Barcelona (An Explanation of the City of Barcelona) and Successos de Barcelona des de lo any 1750 fins al de 1769 (Events in Barcelona from 1750 to 1769).
El castell-monestir d'Escornalbou a Riudecanyes és una peculiar mansió senyorial de principis del segle XX. Es va formar a partir de les restes de dos edificis medievals: el Monestir de Sant Miquel , fundat el 1153; i un castell , construït sobre les restes d'una fortalesa romana. El seu propietari, el diplomàtic, egiptòleg i filantrop Eduard Toda, va seguir la moda de l’època per convertir els edificis històrics en residències burgeses.
Durant més de sis segles, el complex va constituir la Baronia d'Escornalbou. Després de les desamortitzacions de Mendizábal (1835) va estar gairebé en ruïnes, fins a adquirir Toda el 1911. La restauració seguí una interpretació molt personal. Toda fins i tot va decidir ignorar les recomanacions i consells de Puig i Cadafalch. Així, es van enderrocar edificis, es van aixecar torres d’estil exòtic i medieval i es van convertir zones per satisfer les necessitats i gustos del propietari.
Els resultats encara són visibles avui: de l’ antic monestir , només es conserven l’església romànica, algunes restes de la Casa Capitular i l’estructura del claustre, que esdevingué un punt d’observació / jardí amb vistes al Camp de Tarragona. El castell va ser convertit en una casa senyorial i escenari de reunions de les figures més importants de la Renaixença catalana. Destaquen la biblioteca i la rica col·lecció d’estampes, ceràmiques, mobles i peces de la col·lecció que Toda havia recuperat dels seus viatges.
El poblat ibèric dels Ilergets , al municipi de Tornabous, al comtat d'Urgell, ofereix una de les principals demostracions del seu potencial polític, econòmic i comercial abans de l'arribada dels romans.
Tot i que els orígens de l’assentament són de finals de la primera edat del ferro, les restes arqueològiques del Molí d’Espígol demostren el nivell avançat de desenvolupament urbanístic que aquesta comunitat havia assolit en el moment del seu punt àlgid, entre els segles IV i III. BC
Va ser en aquest moment quan Molí d’Espígol va passar de ser un assentament a una ciutatamb una economia basada en l’agricultura i la ramaderia. La complexitat de les cases i les innovacions, com la canalització sota el paviment, demostren el progrés de l’assentament. I, sobretot, el traçat urbà, que ha perdurat fins als nostres dies.
Les excavacions, iniciades el 1970 pel Museu Diocesà de Solsona (Museu Diocesà de Solsona) i gestionades pel Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya des del 2000, han deixat entreveure dues àrees arqueològiques ben definides : la zona urbana , amb restes visibles i visitables; i una zona suburbana al nord, fora de les muralles de l’ oppidum , com a resultat del creixement de la ciutat. També s’ha identificat la font que va subministrar aigua a la comunitat: anantiga piscina , avui dia assecada, situada fora de la vila emmurallada.
Al voltant del 200 aC es va encaminar la gent d’Ilergetes ibèrics i el lloc va ser abandonat. Es va produir una reocupació posterior fins al seu total abandonament a mitjan segle I aC.
La fundació del Monestir o la Casa dels Cànons de Santa Maria de Vilabertran és un símbol del moviment de reforma de finals del segle XI que lluitava contra les imposicions de la noblesa en cites eclesiàstiques.
Amb aquesta postura, el clergue Pere Rigau pot reunir una comunitat de sacerdots que viuen a la casa annexa a l'Església de Santa Maria de Vilabertran. El 1080, el monestir, que segueix la regla de Sant Agustí, és fundar en terrenys donats per famílies de la zona. Avui és considerat una de les primeres comunitats d'oficines a Catalunya que, a més, va deixar el llegat als exemples més ben conservats d' arquitectura canònica medieval .
El complex arquitectònic, construït entre els segles XII i XIII, tenia un format inicial per a una claustre central que dona a les habitacions del monestir ia l’Església. L’església és l’element més destacable del complex, especialment la creu processional del seu interior, considerada la peça més gran d'obra eclesiàstica gòtica de Catalunya.
El posteriors és ampliar la casa canònica amb la capella funerària del Rocabertí (segle XIV), el palau abacial (segle XV) i el pati emmurallat (segle XVIII) que van portar els edificis exteriors dins del recinte.
Baetulo was founded ex novo around 100 BC as one of the first colonies of Hispania Tarraconensis. But it was largely in the time of Augustus that it became a prosperous city on the Mediterranean coast, famous for its production and exportation of wine, as evidenced by the wine amphorae from Baetulo found throughout the Empire. Today, the remains on display of this Roman colony, which gave rise to the current Badalona, are some of the best preserved of Catalonia.
With the first official excavations, in the first third of the 20th century, the first finds began to appear. However, the museumisation of the city’s Roman heritage began in 1955, when the baths of Baetulo were discovered in a wonderfully preserved state. The Museum of Badalona was built on top of these baths and was opened in 1966.
After the reforms carried out in 2010, this premises displayed, in a circular route of over 3,000 m2, the baths (preserved in their entirety), the decumanus and cardo maximus, with a complex of houses (insulae) and shops (tabernae), as well as the remains of the sewers. The route takes in the permanent exhibition, which includes pieces such as the Tabula Hospitalis. The jewel of the Museum, however, measures just 28 cm high: it is the Venus de Badalona, one of the most important female representations from Catalonia. The sound effects, the lighting and the elements of historical reconstruction complete the space allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the world of ancient Baetulo.
Other elements from Roman Badalona that can be visited are the House of the Dolphins (with high-quality mosaics and remains of the original wall paintings), the Garden of Quintus Licinius (with the remains of a Roman swimming pool) and a stretch of 38 metres of water conduit with a barrel vault, which provided drinking water to the houses, the fountains and the baths. These demonstrate the heights of splendour the city had reached.
"Iulia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino”. This inscription on a tombstone in the Museu d'Història de Barcelona (Barcelona City History Museum) shows the full name the Romans gave the city when they founded it in the years 15-13 BC during the time of the Emperor Augustus and which would become what is now Barcelona. For centuries it was an important colony of the Laietània, who went on to play a more important role in the final period of antiquity.
Although much of Roman city remains hidden, numerous archaeological excavations continue to provide information about what life was like in Barcino. Nowadays, the various remains can been seen in museums.
A significant part of the colony is visible in the archaeological subsoil of the Museu d'Història de Barcelona, where evidence of its monuments and the everyday life of its inhabitants have also been preserved. It is complemented by the Domus Avinyó and Domus Sant Honorat, residential houses that belonged to important personages of Barcino.
In the central area of the Forum there was an imposing temple dedicated to Augustus, of which three columns are preserved in situ within the premises of the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya. Not very far away, in the current Pati Llimona, we find the monumental remains of the Porta de Mar (Door of the Sea) and the baths that were located on the outside of the maritime entrance.
Also significant are the necropolis such as that on the Plaça de la Vila de Madrid, which displays 85 funeral items, and the Drassanes Reials, where a mausoleum has been preserved. Both are found next to the roads that left Barcino.
Other remains of Roman Barcelona that can be seen are the fragments of the wall (both the original from the 1st century BC and those built over them in the 3rd century AD), some defensive towers, the remains of the cemetery that was used as a sewer and which surrounded the perimeter of the wall and some arches and arcades from one of the two aqueducts that supplied water to the city.
Outside the walls, Barcino had an extensive ager (farmlands) where various villas have been identified.
