News

Azulgranas se juegan el título

A big game for Barcelona took place last night. Not only was it a very important victory for the team, but it was a very important victory for the city of Barcelona, and for all of Catalunya. Barcelona played Real Madrid in the first game of the Champions League last night and walked away the victors in a two to nothing win. 

This match is more than just a soccer game. It is a large rivalry that goes farther than just soccer. There is a constant battle, social and political, between Madrid and Catalunya. This match represents it all. The fight between central power in Madrid, and nationalism in Catalunya is a constant fight back and forth, and this important game is a powerful representation of a win for Catalunya and Catalan pride. Hopefully, they can keep up their lead, and beat Madrid in the next game.

The bar I went to watch the match at was a small local bar filled with what seemed to be young business men, who just got there from work. For the majority of the game, it was a rather quiet bar, with the occasional outcry with something important happened, or when we got close to scoring. The moment the first goal went in, the bar exploded with cheering and sining. From then on, the bar was not quiet. the entire rest of the game, especially when the second goal went in, was filled with loud sining, Barcelona chants, hugging, clapping and laughter. It was a very cultural experience for me.

Field Study to the Guilds

The Guilds and the financial district were the economic heart of the city, and is where all the money flowed through. It is like our modern day wall street in the United States, however, this was much earlier.

We started the Field study with a stop at the Palau de la Musica. The palau is a Catalan Classical music theater which was built in 1901 by the middle class musicians with architect  Domènech i Montaner. The building is of modernista style architecture with intricate mosaics and fascinating iron work. It was a place for middle class people to go to the theater and enjoy Catalan music. After the performances, the performers and spectators would travel down the street and relax at the Teatre Lanitc bar. 

After the Palau, we visited the Financial Building in the financial district. This large building was not built at the same time that this are of the city was built, therefore, a lot of demolition had to be done to fin in such a large and important building. 

We then saw the workshop houses, or specialty guilds, which was the heart of the cities economy. Each house specialized in a certain trade, such as iron, wool, wood working, or shoes, and the entire family, as well as an apprentice, would live and work in the house. Each house has the same basic structure. The ground floor has one large window, where the owner would put the machine and work, so people could see what type of guild it was. This window was the display window. Next to the window was a small door that lead tot he upstairs. The owner of the house would live on the first floor, because there were no elevators in the buildings. As shown in the picture, the first floor had the largest balcony, with each window above it getting smaller and smaller. The top floors were reserved for the servants of the guild and the apprentice. The balconies on the first floor were built as a status symbol, to show everyone that they were successful and of a higher class. The guilds were made of heavy stone, with a wood structure. Each guild had its own saint, which they placed at the front of the house. The oldest guild was the iron guild. 

The largest balcony is on the first floor,
while the top floor has the smallest window

Large display window with a small door next to it

We then made it over the the Placa de la llana. This placa was like a modern day Placa Catalunya, but it was for the economy of wool. it was a local neighborhood stock market, where people could see the price of wool, to make business.


Our next destination was the Santa Maria del Mar church that represented Catalan wealth for the area. on our way there, we passed over Carrer Priceza, where they had to reconstruct the street to make it big enough for the princess to leave town when she wanted to. The church was built by the middle class, for the middle class and represented the religion and power of the guild owners. The design is simple and it is connected to God by utilizing natural light. This is where the families were buried.

Our last stop on the field study was Carrer de Canvis Vells, which was the financial district for all the guilds. It financed everyone's guilds and was the center of the economy. This is where the price of all products was determined, and deals were made. It is like the stock market of its time. This is were currency was determined and trading took place. If you were an ally, you had the privileged of dealing with no taxes. It is arrangements like these that were put in place to protect the economy. The building pictured below was the actual stock market building.

Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia is a very important cultural icon for Barcelona. It represents religion and architecture that Barcelona is proud of. It is one of the first things people talk about when Barcelona is mentioned. In my opinion, it is the greatest piece of art work in the entire city, and it isn't even finished yet.

It was designed by Barcelona's greatest and most popular Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, and is a masterpiece that attracts millions of tourists year round. It has become a symbol of Barcelona and therefore vital to its culture. Over a century of construction has taken place, and it is still incomplete. Gaudi devoted the last years of his life to the project, and died suddenly during the construction.

Classical Music Concert

Last night I attended the Mozart Requiem concert in the Santa Maria del Mar church. This church is culturally significant to the history of Barcelona because it was built by the middle class, for the middle class. It was a symbol of wealth and power for the people of the original city. This church represented the religion of the middle class, and was the place of worship for all the guild workers.

The concert last night was a fun and interesting cultural experience, as I was able to sit inside a historically important church with local Catalan people, listening to amazing classical music. As a side note, the acoustics in the church were phenomenal. 

Cultural Significance of Port Olympic

After three failed attempts, Barcelona finally won the votes to host the Olympic Games in 1992. This event was a major event that helped shape Catalan culture and identity. One of the major renovated areas of Barcelona was Poble Nou, which is now the Port Olympic.

The entire beach front was build along with the huge port that is there right now. To make room for all this construction, much of the area had to be demolished and cleared out. The government was forced to kick out families to make room for the new construction.

Included in the rebuilding were the two large skyscrapers that tower over the entire area. One is a hotel, while the other is a large business building with a lot of office space. Also, the fish at the base of the two towers was designed and constructed for this event. It was part of a public art project that transformed the city by building hundreds of pieces of public art.

Today, this area is a major tourist attraction and one of the reasons people come to Barcelona. There are many restaurants along the beach and near the port, as well as a long beach for people to sun bathe on. This will remain a major part of Barcelona culture for many years to come.

News

The major governmental unrest taking place in Africa right now is a major international news story for Spain. Though the unrest is not taking place in Spain, due to the close proximity Spain and Africa have to each other, the people fleeing Africa to get away from the dangerous uprisings will attempt to penetrate the borders of Spain and find a safe place to live. This potential immigration problem is a serious issue for the safety and protection of Spain. Much like Mexican immigrants flowing over the American borders, African immigrants, now and in the future, are posing a danger to Spain. All over the news papers are pictures of the civil unrest going on in Libya,  Syria and the rest of northern Africa.

Cultural Significance of Placa Espanya

The 1929 International Exhibition was a big step in Catalan Culture. It was one of the major events that proved to the rest of the world that Catalunya is a serious and important place. Placa Espanya is where the magic fountain show takes place every weekend, and has the iconic Palau Nacional museum on top, over looking the entire city.

The biggest cultural icon here however, is not the fountain, but the four columns. These columns represent a lot for Catalunya and is something very close to the hearts of all Catalans. The Columns were constructed prior to the 1929 event and were built to represent the Catalan flag. However, with dictatorship regime in power, and the  1929 event about to take place, the columns were ordered to be demolished. This is a huge political statement that was made by the central government, to take attention of of radical Catalunya and focus on the central government of Madrid.

A recent fight by Catalan nationalists has restored the columns to Placa Espanya, and they are currently a symbol of Catalan pride. and Catalan nationalism. It is both a cultural symbol, as well as a highly political symbol.