Interesting facts about Barcelona

Interesting facts about Barcelona

1. Even though it is known as a single street, La Rambla actually consists of 5 streets: Rambla de Canaletes, Rambla dels Estudis, Rambla de Sant Josep (or de les Flors), Rambla dels Caputxins and Rambla de Santa Monica.
2. FC Barcelona Museum is the most visited museum in the city with over 2 million visitors annually, besides all other museums with works of famous world’s artists.
3. Catalonia celebrates the Valentine’s Day on 23 April, and as the World Book Day falls on the same day, a man is supposed to give a rose to a woman, while she gives him a book in return.
4. Portal de l’Angel is the most popular shopping street, as well as the most crowded one as 3.000 people per hours passes through.
5. Even though Sagrada Familia is considered Gaudi’s lifework, he was not the first architect who had worked on it. It was the architect Francisco del Villar, and Gaudi continued the construction following his own unique style.
6. Barcelona’s beaches as we know them today came to be during the 1992 Olympics.
7. “Ghost stations” is the name for 12 abandoned metro stations in Barcelona, and they got the name because they are not in function anymore and it is believed they are haunted.
8. There are two legends of how Barcelona was founded. One says that it was created 400 years before Rome by Hercules. The other says that Barcelona was founded by Hamilcar Barca after whom the city was named after.
9. Twelve seconds before the New Year begins, people in Barcelona eat 12 grapes – it is believed it brings luck and health.
10. Eulalia is the patron of Barcelona. Romans killed her when she was only 13, and ever since the cathedral was finished, 13 geese live there.
11. In part of the city called Passeig de Gracia, within 100 meters reach, there are works of Barcelona’s finest architects: Lluis Domenech i Montaner, Cadafalch and of course – Gaudi.
12. Some characters from the Star Wars franchise were inspired by Casa Mila.
13. Barcelona has its own secret world, i.e. 1.800 shelters built during the Civil War. Refogi 307 shelter is a tourist attraction.
14. During the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th century, most of the city was occupied by the sea, and soon after the process of urbanization began.
15. There is a square with numbers on Sagrada Familia the sum of which is 33 – Christ’s age when he was killed.