Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona in the Middle Ages.
After joining the Kingdom of Aragon and forming the confederation of the Crown of Aragon, Barcelona, ​​which continued to be the capital of the Principality of Catalonia, became the most important city of the Crown of Aragon and the main economic and administrative center
Crown, but was overtaken by Valencia, wrested from Moorish control by the Catalans shortly before the dynastic union between the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon in 1492.
Barcelona became a center of Catalan separatism, briefly becoming part of France during
17th century Reaper War.
It was the capital of Revolutionary Catalonia during the Spanish Revolution of 1936 and the seat of government of the Second Spanish Republic later during the Spanish Civil War until it was captured by the Fascists in 1939.
Following Spain's transition to democracy in the 1970s, the city was the capital of Revolutionary Catalonia during the Spanish Revolution of 1936.
Barcelona has once again become the capital of autonomous Catalonia.
Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and today is an important cultural center and major tourist destination.
Particularly famous are the architectural works of Antonio Gaudi and Luis Domenech i Montaner, which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The city is home to two of Spain's most prestigious universities: the University of Barcelona and the Pompeu Fabra University.
The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean is in Barcelona.
The city is famous for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics, as well as world-class conferences and exhibitions, and many international sporting tournaments.
Barcelona is a major cultural, economic and financial center of southwestern Europe, as well as the main biotechnology center of Spain.
As a leading global city, Barcelona's influence on global socio-economic affairs qualifies it for global city status.
Barcelona is a transport hub: the Port of Barcelona is one of Europe's main seaports and Europe's busiest passenger port, with Barcelona-El Prat International Airport serving over 50 million passengers a year, an extensive motorway network and high traffic capacity.
-high-speed rail line linking France and the rest of Europe.