Barcelona is a Historian’s Holiday Rental Paradise

If you are a bit of a history buff book your HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN near Barcelona for an adventure in exploring not soon forgotten. Barcelona is home to a rich culture and history which is evident in its architecture forming part of their heritage sites. Carthaginian and Phoenicians settlers first arrived on the shores of what was to become Barcelona some 2,500 years ago. The control of Barcelona was pasted to the Romans sometime in the first century BC. Subsequently the Visigoths took over after the demise of the Roman Empire when they invaded the city in 415 AD. In the eighth century, the Moors took control of the city after an invasion. There are a number of important sites you should visit, starting with the Place Sant Jaume. Although it served as a government building in the Roman Empire time it now houses the City Hall as well as other government communities. On a Sunday outside the Place Sant Jaume, they play host to the Sardana which is a traditional Greek dance. The oldest section of town is the Gothic Quarter that has survived form Roman times and still contains a lot of reminders of this by gone age. There has been some modernization but it lives well alongside the ancient buildings. There are a number of interesting courtyards, restaurants and bars for your convenience are located here. In the Middle Ages Barcelona was considered to have entered its Golden Age. During this period which occurred during the eleventh and twelfth centuries Barcelona became an influential centre for world trade. This prosperity continued into the thirteenth century with the rise of the church and the building of the Cathedral of Barcelona. Barcelona has been responsible for the preservation of a large number of buildings that included heritage sites and churches. The list of preserved buildings is staggering as included are the likes of San Pau del Camp, The Chapel of Santa Llucia, Placa del Rei and Santa Maria del Mar just to name some of the important ones on the list. As time moved on to the eighteenth century Barcelona became the centre for industrialization but, due to the Napoleonic Wars in the nineteenth century, Barcelona once again came to a standstill. The yellow fever epidemic didn't help the economy either. Barcelona was once again given an economic boost with the building of Spain's first railway; it ran 30 kilometres from Barcelona to the city of Mataro. Once again war stopped Barcelona’s progress but this time it was the Spanish Civil war. A lot of people became impoverished due to the war and moved to the larger cities in the hope of improving their lifestyle. This placed a hardship on the city council with reference to urban planning to accommodate this influx of residents. As a result of this migration the city experienced an unplanned construction boom. While on your HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN near Barcelona, take notice of the effect the 1992 Olympics had on the city. They built many new roads, parks and museums for the tourist trade. With the Olympics and the world trade fairs, Barcelona has become a major tourist destination and an important city for not only Europe but also of the world.