Interesting and fun facts about Barcelona

Barcelona is a city of rich culture, art, and beautiful architecture. Here are some fun facts about Barcelona you might want to know!

Jale

5 minute read

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Updated on 18 Aug 2023

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Living

Barcelona is one of the best cities in the world– it’s the city of famous artists like Picasso and Gaudí, the silicon valley of Europe, the alternative to Berlin's nightlife, and home to lover 180 nationalities. But it doesn’t just end there.

Did you know Barcelona has the 3rd richest football club in the world and could have been home to the Eiffel Tower? There’re just so many interesting quirks and facts about Barcelona that the more you know, the more impressed you’ll be! So we decided to sum up some of the most interesting ones for you!

1. Barcelona’s beaches are artificial.

National Geographic’s travellers voted Barcelona as the top beach city. But until the 1992 Olympics, there were no beaches in Barcelona. Barcelona’s coastline transformed into Barceloneta beach with the sand brought from Egypt.

2. Barcelona has the 3rd richest football team in the world.

FC Barcelona is mega-famous and is the world’s 3rd-richest football team. Its home stadium, Camp Nou, is the largest in Europe. To compare, London’s Wembley Stadium is the second one. In fact, out of 55 museums in Barcelona, FC Barcelona museum is the most visited one. Each year, more than 1.5 million people visit the FC Barcelona museum.

3. Gaudí’s work inspired the design of Star War’s famous Stormtroopers.

Fan or not, everyone has seen the soldiers from Star Wars– Stormtroopers. But did you know that the rows of chimneys on Gaudí’s Casa Milà are the inspiration behind their design?

4. Barcelona has 12 ghost metro stations.

Barcelona has 12 abandoned metro stations because of incomplete work and changes in planning. Since 2011, there’ve been ghost tours to these abandoned metro stations for adventure lovers. Those who went to Gaudí station swear they’ve seen the ghosts and shadows.

5. Eiffel was first pitched to Barcelona.

Paris might be known for the Eiffel Tower, but originally the tower was supposed to be in Barcelona. Gustave Eiffel pitched the landmark to Spain first. But Spain thought it didn’t fit the city's aesthetic and declined the plan.

6. Barcelona is home to one of the oldest theme parks in the world.

Tibidabo is the highest mountain in Barcelona and has a vintage Tibidabo amusement park. The history of the park goes back to 1899. This amusement park is a one-of-a-kind experience with old-fashioned rides and new, modernized attractions.

1. Antoni Gaudí designed 7 buildings for Barcelona.

You can see the unique buildings of one of the greatest architects, Antoni Gaudí, all over Barcelona. One of his most renowned works, Casa Milà got its name Alive House because it resembled living organisms. His other masterpiece Casa Batlló is known as House of Bones because it has a skeletal surface.

2. More than a century later, Sagrada Família is still not completed.

   Sagrada Família might take 2,000 years to complete, like The Great Wall of China.

Well, not literally, but Antony Gaudí died before he could finish this impressive church.

Since then Sagrada Família has been under construction for almost 150 years. They say it’ll be completed in 2026, but who knows.

3. Barcelona has the world’s greatest architect award.

Royal Institute of British Architects gives the Royal Gold Medal for architecture to people who’ve made a distinguishable contribution to architecture. But they made an exception by giving the award to the city of Barcelona in 1999. Up until today, Barcelona has been the only city to receive this award.

4. Antoni Gaudí got mixed up with a beggar.

The exceptional architect died when the tram hit him. Instead of receiving immediate aid, he lay unattended and unconscious for 30 minutes as people thought he was a beggar.

5. Barcelona is home to 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Out of the nine Barcelona UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Antoni Gaudí designed 7 of them.

• Sagrada Família
• Park Güell
• Casa Batlló
• Casa Milà
• Palau Güell
• The Crypt of Colonia Güell
• Casa Vicens

Lluís Domènech i Montaner designed the remaining 2, Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau.

6. Park Güell was initially supposed to be a housing complex.

Eusebi Güell had commissioned Gaudí to design a housing project called Park Güell. But it soon became a public park when only 2 of the 60 houses were built due to a lack of buyers.

Gaudí himself lived in Park Güell upon Güell's suggestion. Today, his house serves as a museum.

7. Barcelona aced urban planning before it even became a thing.

Nowadays, most new cities (e.g., New York) are planned with urban planning in mind. So it's revolutionary for an ancient city like Barcelona to showcase such grid-like patterns. While its older districts, like the Gothic Quarter, still have maze-like streets, the rest of Barcelona was built with a grid pattern with the edges of the buildings cut off to ease the traffic and help air circulation.

8. Barcelona will be the World's Capital of Architecture in 2026

Since 2020, UNESCO and the UIA elect the World’s Capital of Architecture. In 2020, Rio de Janeiro was the first city to receive this title. Barcelona won against Beijing and became the titleholder for 2026.

1. Barcelona inspired World Book Day.

Every year on the 23rd of April, lovers and friends in Barcelona exchange books and roses to celebrate Saint George’s day. The day became so big that it inspired UNESCO to declare the 23rd of April as World Book Day. Nowadays, most people in Barcelona celebrate Valentine’s day on Saint George’s day.

2. Barcelona banned bullfighting.

Bullfighting (corrida de toros) is one of the oldest traditions in Spain. From March to September, there’re many bullfighting shows in Spain. But the Catalan Parliament banned bullfights when more than 180,000 people signed against it.

3. Barcelona is the muse of Pablo Picasso.

Picasso considered Barcelona his muse even though he was born in Málaga and spent most of his time in Paris. Father of Cubism, Picasso studied in Barcelona and spent his developing years there. Today, Picasso Museum in Barcelona is home to more than 3,500 of his artworks.

4. Barcelona’s crowned for its openness to the LGBTQ+ community.

Gay Travel agency elected Barcelona as the best LGBTQ+ destination to travel to. Spain's first LGBTQ+ organization was founded in 1970 in Barcelona. And in 2014, Barcelona passed a law against homophobia.

5. Parc de Collserola is the world’s biggest metropolitan park.

Barcelona is one of the “Greenest” cities in Europe. Green Spaces make up 11% of Barcelona, with 68 parks and other green areas. Barcelona's Parc de Collserola is 22 times larger than New York's Central Park, making it the world's largest metropolitan park.

6. Flamenco isn’t so popular in Barcelona.

Spain is famous for its Flamenco dance all over the world. But Barcelona and the wider Catalan region have their own traditional dance– the Sardana. But don’t worry, you can still see magnificent Flamenco shows in the city.

7. Barcelona is home to 22 Michelin-star restaurants.

With 22 Michelin-star restaurants under its belt, Barcelona is a foodies’ paradise. If you’re ever in Barcelona, you might want to check rising chef Jordi Cruz’s delicious traditional Spanish dessert, The Pink Panther (cream-filled biscuit with pink icing), at restaurant ABaC.

8. Barcelona has two official languages.

Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region and has 2 official languages, Spanish and Catalan. Although most speak Catalan, you can still use Spanish to talk to others.

Now that you know so many interesting facts about Barcelona impress your friends or use them as conversation starters!

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