Barcelona History

Recent Barcelona history has cemented the city firmly in its position as a top tourist attraction in Spain, but let's go a few years back and start from the beginning. The history of Barcelona itself is quite colourful and full of interesting facts.

Amazingly enough, the History of Barcelona can be traced back to 218 BC, during which the city went through one of its many occupations. The goings on before this time can't be confirmed with any accuracy. Even details after this year can be very sketchy, but that can be expected for something dating so far back.

The area was occupied at the start of the Second Punic War by the Carthaginian troops but what happened in the years after that is unclear and you may hear conflicting stories. One popular theory is that the city was founded by Hercules in search of a lost ship and crew.

The ship was found wrecked on the beautiful shores and it is said that the crew and Hercules dubbed the land as Barca Nona, which is very close to the name used currently. Barca Nona actually means "Ninth Ship" when translated into English and refers to the ship that was found wrecked.

The Romans were the first aggressors in line to take over the city in their quest to become a world super power. Dating is unclear, but it is believed that the Romans staked their claim in Barcelona history around the year 20 BC.

The next 200 or so years were quite uneventful as the city changed leadership all under rule of the Roman Empire. The city was given the name "Barcino", a name that would stick around for a few hundred years as the Romans defended and retained ownership of their land.

An era of religious uprisings and battles took place from around 250 AD onwards. This included a Christian uprising and then persecution, but eventually peace was regained until control of the city was taken by the Visigoths in the early fifth century.

It was not until the eighth century that Barcino was peacefully handed over to the Muslim (Moorish) forces after they had taken control of the rest of the region. Barcelona was run by the Muslims for about a century until final power was seized by the Spanish in 801 AD after some fierce fighting.

The story of Barcelona history continues as the city manages to survive more attacks and even a civil war in 1938. A city with such character and history behind it will certainly have the strength to survive for many more years to come.