Barcelona City Guide: The Arc de Triomf (Arco de Triunfo) 🇪🇸 Spain Best City

Barcelona's history, tradition and cultural influences make it an unmistakably Mediterranean city. Culture and the arts flourish in Barcelona and in all of Catalonia. The splendor achieved by Catalonia modernism is one of its most patent displays. This triumphal arch was built as the main gate to the Universal Exhibition of 1888. It contains various pieces of sculpture like the one in the front, titled Barcelona Welcomes the Nations, as well as the coats of arms of the other 49 Spanish provinces. The design is distinguished from other well-known arches by its colourful brickwork in Modéjar style, a style with origins in Moorish architecture. Before the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Port Vell, the city's abandoned harbour, was a run-down area with empty warehouses, industrial buildings, refuse dumps and railroad yards. In a dramatic urban renewal project, the area was transformed into a yacht marina and entertainment centre, opening the city up onto the sea.