Catalonia is a popular region of Spain, where beach and sightseeing holidays are perfectly represented. You can not only bask in the sun, but also see the sights of Catalonia, many of which are listed by UNESCO.
Top 10 attractions in Catalonia
We offer you a brief description of the best attractions of Spanish Catalonia with photos and hope that you will certainly visit this European country to see all its beauty. Today we will tell you about what is worth seeing during your visit.
Sagrada Familia
This is the most famous creation of the great Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi. He himself drew up the design and began to build the temple, but a sudden death prevented the completion of construction. Construction is still going on today, and the temple has already been inscribed on the UNESCO list.
The Sagrada Familia is an active Catholic cathedral that regularly holds services. Tourists come daily to this world-famous long construction site to admire its divine beauty.
The last years Antonio Gaudi lived here in a small room, here he drew drawings and sketches of the future temple. Here is also the tomb of the great architect. Many come here to worship his talent and hard work.
Montserrat Monastery
It is the most famous pilgrimage center, located near the mountains of the same name in Catalonia. The monastery itself is located in the mountains, at an altitude of over 700 meters, 50 km from Barcelona. Today the area around it is declared a national park.
Anyone can come to these beautiful and holy places to repent of their sins in the church at Montserrat Monastery, participate in masses, pray, approach the statue of the Madonna, and then go down into the world with a clear conscience.
Salvador Dali Museum
The museum dedicated to the great artist is located in Figarese. It displays Dali’s paintings, which he left as a legacy to the Gala Foundation. This museum was a theater in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but it was burned down during the Civil War.
Salvador Dali was personally involved in the transformation of the former theater into a museum, one of the rooms of which today contains the artist’s grave. Today, the Dali Museum in Catalonia is the second most visited museum after the Prado in Madrid.
Palacio Guell
This famous mansion in Barcelona was designed and built by Antoni Gaudi at the end of the 19th century, commissioned by the Count of Guell. For more than 30 years it has been protected by the state and is on the famous UNESCO list.
Palacio Guell is one of the first works of the great master; specialists call this style Catalan Art Nouveau. But you can already see Gaudi’s hand: in the house the ceiling looks like a starry sky, the entrance is made for horse-drawn carriages, the interiors are distinguished by richness and originality.
Beget village
The old Catalan village has now been restored and given over to tourists admiring the Middle Ages. Local houses are built of gray stone and decorated with Arabic tiles. Around the houses are tubs of ornamental plants.
Walking through the narrow village streets, you will feel peace and solitude. Driving a car here is strictly prohibited. The village of Beget also boasts of its Roman past: the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul. Cristobal.
Castle Miravet
This medieval castle is located on a high hill near the village of the same name in the province of Tarragona in Catalonia. Miravet is an example of castle architecture created by the Crusaders during the Early Middle Ages.
The castle of Miravet was founded by the Moors in the 11th century. When these lands were conquered by the Christians in the 12th century, the fortress was given to the Templars. In the early 14th century, the fortress came into the possession of the Hospitallers until it became the property of the king.
Churches of the Val de Bois
These ten churches are located in the highlands of the Pyrenees. This is a magnificent architectural landmark of Catalonia and all of Spain. Each church is surrounded by a small mountain village, all of which are listed by UNESCO.
The churches, built in the 11th and 12th centuries in the Romanesque style, stand away from the mountain trails against a backdrop of magnificent mountain scenery. They are the oldest in Catalonia, and were built by architects from Lombardy. The frescoes now on display in a museum in Barcelona have been preserved.
Castle Vilafortuna
This castle is located in the Catalan municipality of Cambrils. Many years ago it was itself the center of the municipality of Vilafortuna. And today it is one of the most favorite places for Catalans to celebrate weddings, celebrations and festivities.
The castle was built at the end of the 11th century on a high hill, on the site of a pre-existing ancient Iberian settlement. The oldest document of the Kingdom of Aragon concerning Vilafortun dates from the second half of the 12th century.
Tarragona Amphitheater
This amphitheater was built in the 2nd century AD. in the time of the Roman Empire in the ancient regional capital of Tarraco, next to its forum. The amphitheater could hold up to 15,000 spectators at one time, was about 51 m in radius, and was built overlooking the sea. In the 3rd century AD. The Roman emperor Valerian brutally persecuted Christians. The Bishop of Tarragona and his two deacons were burned alive in this amphitheater in front of the gathered people.
When Christianity became the state religion in Catalonia, the amphitheater became a pagan remnant and lost its significance. The tombs of the three martyrs were dug up in the arena and moved to the Christian church erected nearby.
This mansion is located in the Catalan city of Reus, it was designed and built by a famous Catalan architect in the Art Nouveau style. For its exquisite beauty, it is now called a stone garden. Casa Navas is the best mansion in this style in Europe. It was built as an apartment building and office of a commercial enterprise. Construction took seven years at the very beginning of the 20th century. During the Spanish Civil War, Casa Navas suffered greatly as. was partially destroyed in the bombing of Reus.
Inside the mansion there is a lot of light, marble sculptures and exquisite decor, paintings by avant-garde artists and magnificent ceramics. Casa Navas is a unique sight, we recommend to see it in Catalonia.
