Hotels in Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital, largest city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the eleventh-most populous municipality in the European Union and the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Rhine-Ruhr region, Madrid and Milan by 4,185,000 people. 4.9 million people live in Barcelona metropolitan area. The main part of a union of neighboring cities and towns named Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), with a population of 3,186,461 in the vicinity of 636 km ² (density of 5010 inhabitants / km ²). Barcelona is Europe's largest city on the Mediterranean coast.

Barcelona is recognized as a global city because of its importance in finance, marketing, media, entertainment, arts and international trade. Barcelona is a major economic center with one of the major ports of the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, and the international airport of Barcelona is the second largest in Spain after the Madrid-Barajas Airport (treats about 30 million passengers per year). Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, was one of the major cities of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural center and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage.

Especially known architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is known in recent times for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean are located in Barcelona.
As the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona houses the seat of the Catalan government, known as the Generalitat de Catalunya; special attention to the executive, parliament and the Supreme Court of Catalonia. The city is also the capital of the comarca Barcelonès (shire).