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Castelldefels Castle is perched on a hill at 59 metres above sea level. This monumental ensemble, which lends its name to the town, was built in the 10th century over what had been an Iberian settlement and, later, a Roman villa.

The castle was strategically constructed overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, overlooking a commanding position to control the territory and the coastal strip.

It was used for centuries as a fortress to defend the Eramprunyà barony, and was restored and fortified in the 16th century against attacks by Berber privateers.

Piracy began to fade away in the 18th century, and the castle fell into the hands of several noble families. One name that is closely associated with the fortification is the banker Manuel Girona, who bought and spearheaded the restoration of this iconic city landmark in 1897.

During the 20th century, it was used as a military training centre by the Republican authorities during the Civil War in 1937 and early 1938. Shortly afterwards, the castle and church were converted into a prison for international brigade members in March of the same year. Visitors can see original graffiti by these brigadiers in Santa Maria church in Castelldefels. This 10th-century church is the part of the ensemble that retains the oldest remains, with walls dating from the Iberian, Roman, medieval, modern and contemporary periods.

Both the castle and the church have been declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest.

Another impressive feature is the Fencing Room, which is decorated with 18th century paintings, and the Institutional Room, or the Noble Room, which bore witness to the grand feasts and celebrations attended by the Catalan bourgeoisie at the beginning of the 20th century, and which retains its neo-Gothic décor.

The town of Cercs, in Berguedà, forms part of the most important mining centre in Catalonia, particularly from the modern mining of brown lignite coal in the late 19th century. To ensure stable labour in such an isolated place, a colony was built with housing and basic services for the miners, following the example of the textile colonies in the region.

Since 1999, the colony of Sant Corneli has been home to Cercs Mines Museum, which explains what the mining activity in the area was like over many years, from a geological, landscape, social and economic point of view. The Museum belongs to the Territorial system of the Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia (mNACTEC).

The main building of the Museum is the old school of the colony, which was converted in 1931 to the "Hogar del Minero" (Home of the Miner) dedicated to services for workers (café, library, barbershop, cinema, games room, etc.). Here you can see the permanent exhibition that explains what coal mining and the mining infrastructure was like. A significant part is devoted to daily life in the colony and to the working conditions of the miners. Two audiovisual displays describe their most emblematic protests and you can also visit a miner’s house.

In 2012, "The spectacle of the mine: emotions and sensations" was included as part of the exhibition which delves into the world of mining through a immersive museum experience using new technologies.

Finally, a guided tour of the interior of the mine transports the visitor to other periods and you can travel along the first 450 metres of a 7 km long gallery in a wagon.

Pablo Picasso and Barcelona had a special connection. He lived there during his childhood and youth. For this reason, he chose this city to open, in 1963, the first Picasso museum in the world and the only one created during the artist's life. Its main legacy is the most comprehensive collection of works executed by the artist during his youth, comprising more than 4,000 items. That is why the Picasso Museum of Barcelona has become a reference centre for discovering the early stages in Picasso’s artistic career.

Most of the pieces that can be seen in the museum date back to the period between 1890 to 1917. The tour includes paintings from the artist’s childhood and school years (Man with Beret), from his (Science and charity), his time spent in Paris (), from the (The fool) and from the rose period (Harlequin).

Particularly outstanding among the paintings executed after 1917, is the Las Meninas, series from 1957, a group of 58 paintings analysing the masterpiece by Velázquez. Here you will also find the collection of etchings, lithographs and ceramics.

The entire exhibition of avant-garde art is housed in the interior of five major palaces in the street Carrer Montcada, that date back to the 13th-14th centuries and are an excellent example of Catalan Gothic civil architecture.

The home of the industrialist chocolatier Antoni Amatller is one of the greatest examples of the Catalan modernist architecture and one of the few that still have the ornamental richness of this style promoted by the bourgeoisie. Located on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, it is the work of the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch who was commissioned to remodel the building, acquired by the industrialist, from head to foot.

The Casa Amatller stands out for the composition of the façade and for the restructuring and redecoration of the ground floor and the main floor, a reflection of the originality of the modernista architecture and decorative arts. The façade is a colourful composition that incorporates sgraffito on a white base, ochre and red ochre, glazed tiles, green woodwork, black wrought iron and grey stone from Montjuïc. In addition, there is unique sculptural decoration, notable for the relief of St. George and the Dragon, designed by Eusebi Arnau. The tiered gable at the top of the façade is reminiscent of the classic shape of a tablet of chocolate and is one of the most characteristic features of the building. Inside, one must admire the antique furniture, the columns, the floor, the ceilings and the lamps, original decoration of the residence.

Currently, the Casa Amatller is home to the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art. It has about 400 objects of Roman, Medieval, Baroque and Modernista periods. But above all it is noted for its documentary resources. It maintains a large photo library specialising in Hispanic art, with about 350,000 items illustrating and cataloguing the works of art. Its consultation is essential for any researcher in the history of the art.

The MNAC (Catalan National Museum of Art) is located in the Palau Nacional de Montjuïc, built for the international exhibition of 1929. The Museum opened its doors in 1934, bringing together the medieval collection, which was gradually expanded to include works from other periods. Among the most emblematic works are the magnificent paintings from the apse in Sant Climent and Santa Maria de Taüll.

Regarding Romanesque art, other exceptional pieces include the mural paintings of Santa Maria d'Àneu and Sant Quirze de Pedret, the Batlló Majesty and the altar frontal of Avià. Notable from the Gothic period are masterpieces by painters such as Jaume Huguet, Lluís Dalmau, Bernat Martorell and Lluís Borrassà, among others.

Modern art also has a prominent place and especially since 2014 when the collection, the exhibition rooms and the museography of this period was renovated. La vicaria (The Spanish Wedding) by Marià Fortuny, is one of the star works, followed by pieces of the most representative artists of Modernisme, such as Gaudí or Casas, and those of the avant-garde, such as Picasso or Miró.

There are also great artists from the European Renaissance and Baroque such as Titian or Velazquez, for example, and the photographic exhibits complete the collection.

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With a style that is original, fantastic and full of imagination, the Casa Batlló is one of the most representative works of the architect Antoni Gaudí. Situated on the Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona and inspired by nature, it is a marvel of ornamental design and a masterpiece of form, colour and light. For all these reasons, it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

Without doubt, the most unique architectural element is the façade of Casa Batlló; the combination of stone, wrought iron, broken pieces of glass and polychrome ceramics that make it one of the most creative and original designs of the architect.

On the top, the roof is shaped like the back of animal with large iridescent scales. Crowning it all are large spherical pieces that look like ridges and remind one of the figure of a dragon or a similar fantastic animal. Another important element of the façade is the tower crowned by a cross with four arms, as well as the design of aquatic themes that decorate the walls. The mask-shaped balconies and main floor gallery simulating bones are two attractive additions to the building.

Highlights inside include, among other elements, the ceiling of the main hall, the groups of chimneys on the roof, the main staircase and the parabolic arches of the loft, creating open and ventilated spaces advanced for the time.

"A great mountain of pure salt that grows as it is extracted." This is how, according to Aulus Gel·li Cató described, in the second century, one of the most important potassium salt mines in the world, located in Cardona. It is a depression of land shaped like an elongated ellipse with an area of ​​100 hectares and containing unique natural and geological features. It has been exploited as an open mine since the Neolithic era, and from 1900 to 1990 through extraction, following the discovery of potassium salts by the engineer Emili Viader i Solé.

"La Muntanya de Sal de Cardona" (the Salt Mountain of Cardona) is now a cultural and tourist centre dedicated to promoting the importance of the geological site and its utility for man through the centuries.

The museum area is an open space that explains the geology, mineralogy and botany of the "Vall Salina de Cardona" (Salt Valley of Cardona), included since 1992 in the Plan for Areas of Natural Interest in Catalonia.

You can also learn about the history of the exploitation of salt throughout the centuries. Entering the old mining pit, you can see a unique piece of industrial archaeology: salt extraction machinery designed and built during the 1920s.