Barcelona

Barcelona, the name (said to be derived from Hamilcar Barca) of a province and its capital on the E. coast of Spain. The province first came into existence as a country under Charlemagne in 801, and was, after several vicissitudes, merged in the kingdom of Aragon. The city now ranks as the second in Spain, and stands at the mouth of the river Llobregat on the edge of a small fertile plain sloping towards the Mediterranean. The streets of the ancient quarter, dating from very remote times, are narrow, crooked, and full of flat-roofed, semi-Oriental houses. The Plaza Nuova is a fine open space, and the new faubourgs are Parisian in style. In 1845 the citadel and ramparts were removed, and public gardens put in their places, but the fortress Montjuich to the S.W. recalls Peterborough's exploit in 1705. On the other side of the harbour is the suburb of Barceloneta. The port, in spite of the obstruction of a bar, does a large trade, exporting nuts and fruits, leather, silk, wine, brandy, iron, copper, cork, etc. The cathedral, begun in the thirteenth century and never completed, is a fine example of the Pointed style, and contains magnificent glass. The university was founded in 1430. The royal palace was destroyed by fire in 1875. There are numbers of handsome churches and convents, two valuable libraries, municipal buildings, and many theatres. It is connected by rail with Paris and Madrid, and has given shelter to many English criminals as being the most accessible spot beyond extradition laws.