Catalonia

Catalonia (Catalunya) is an autonomous community in north-eastern Spain, between the Pyrenees, France, Aragon, the Valencian Community and the Mediterranean. With over eight million people it is the second most populous community and one of the richest and most industrialised in the country. For many Catalans it is a true nation within the Spanish state, with its own language, history and institutions: the autonomous government is called the Generalitat de Catalunya.

History and identity

Catalonia was born from the counties of the Hispanic March, created by the Franks against the Muslims, and from 1137, united with Aragon, became part of the Crown of Aragon, a Mediterranean power with possessions in Sicily, Sardinia and Naples. On 11 September 1714 Barcelona fell after a long siege in the War of the Spanish Succession, and King Philip V abolished Catalan institutions: that date is now the Diada, Catalonia's national day. In the nineteenth century Catalonia was Spain's first industrial region, and saw the Renaixença, the cultural and linguistic revival, and the Catalanist movement. The Second Republic granted autonomy in 1932, suppressed by Franco, who banned public use of Catalan. After the return of democracy the Generalitat was restored, and nationalist Jordi Pujol led it from 1980 to 2003.

In the 2010s the independence movement grew, leading to the referendum declared illegal on 1 October 2017 and a declaration of independence, to which the Spanish government responded by suspending autonomy. After years of tension, trials and exile, the amnesty passed in 2024 and the return to power of Salvador Illa's Catalan Socialists have opened a calmer phase (see politics in Spain).

The language

Catalan is a Romance language spoken by about ten million people in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearics, Andorra, where it is the only official language, southern France and Alghero in Sardinia. In Catalonia it is the main language of schools and administration, alongside Castilian; in the Val d'Aran, Aranese is also official (see the Spanish language).

What to see

• Barcelona, one of Europe's best-loved cities, with the Sagrada Família and the works of Gaudí and Modernisme, the Gothic Quarter and the sea.
• Girona, with its Jewish quarter and colourful houses on the Onyar river.
• Tarragona, Roman Tarraco, a UNESCO site; Lleida, with its Seu Vella cathedral.
• The Costa Brava, with coves, villages and cliffs: Cadaqués, Roses, Empúries, Begur, Calella de Palafrugell, Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar; and the Dalí triangle of Figueres, Púbol and Portlligat (see Salvador Dalí).
• The Costa Daurada, with Salou, PortAventura and Sitges; the Ebro delta.
• The monastery of Montserrat, on its strangely shaped mountain, with the Moreneta, and the Cistercian monasteries of Poblet and Santes Creus.
• The Pyrenees, with the Val d'Aran and Vielha, the UNESCO-listed Romanesque churches of the Vall de Boí and Aigüestortes park.

Traditions

Catalan festivals are unique: castells, human towers up to ten storeys high, inscribed by UNESCO; correfocs, with devils dancing with fireworks; the sardana, the circle dance; Sant Jordi on 23 April, when people give each other roses and books. At the table: pa amb tomàquet, crema catalana, chargrilled calçots with romesco sauce, and the wines of Penedès, Priorat and cava, the sparkling wine made mainly in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia. Below you will find a map of our guides and the municipalities by province.

Destinations on the map

Guides to the community

Municipalities, province by province

• Municipalities of the province of Barcelona (134)
• Municipalities of the province of Girona (35)
• Municipalities of the province of Lleida (16)
• Municipalities of the province of Tarragona (33)

All the main municipalities of Spain