Monthly Archives: October 2010
Futbol Club Barcelona (F.C Barcelona) |
Futbol Club Barcelona is a premier Spanish professional football club, located in Barcelona, Spain. The club was founded as Foot-Ball Club Barcelona in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English, and Spanish footballers in leadership of Joan Gamper. Soon the club became a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism. The official Barça anthem is the “Cant del Barça” which was written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs. The club is owned and operates by supporters. It is the world’s second richest football club in terms of revenue, and had an annual turnover of around 366 million euro. The FC Barcelona club is the staunch rival of Real Madrid, and matches played between them are being referred as “El Clásico”. FC Barcelona is rated as the most successful Spanish football club in terms of trophies won by it. It has won around twenty La Liga titles, a record twenty-five Spanish Cups, nine Spanish Super Cups, and two League Cups. And in European Football it has won about around ten UEFA competitions.
Crest and Shirt of FC Barcelona
Diamond shaped crest bordered by laurels and topped with a crown and a bat is the first crest worn by Barcelona. The club crest is originated from the St George’s Cross, the Catalan flag, and the colours of Barcelona. Since its start the club has always played with a crest. The first was a quartered diamond-shaped crest topped by the Crown of Aragon and the bat of King James, and surrounded by two branches, one of a laurel tree and the other a palm. In 1910, the club organized a competition among its members to create a new design of the crest and the winner was the Carles Comamala, who at the time played for the club. Comamala’s suggestion finally became the crest that the club members and players still wear today. The crest is formed of the St George Cross in the upper-left corner with the Catalan flag beside it, and the colours of Barcelona at its bottom. Since its start, Barcelona has never had wore corporate advertisements on their shirt. It is on 14 July 2006, the club announced a five year agreement with UNICEF that even includes a UNICEF logo on their shirts. The agreement has the club donate €1.5 million per year to UNICEF.
Stadium of FC Barcelona
Barcelona, in the start played at the Camp de la Indústria. The capacity of the stadium was about 10,000, and club officials considered the facilities to be insufficient for a club with increasing membership. In 1922, to accommodate more fans the larger Camp de Les Corts, was constructed with an initial capacity of 20,000 spectators. After the Spanish Civil War the club started attracting more members and a larger number of spectators at matches. And there a need was felt for further expansion projects: the grandstand in 1944, the southern stand in 1946, and finally the northern stand in 1950. After the last expansion, Les Corts could hold 60,000 spectators. Bur the supporters were even increasing, therefore, the Stadium Camp Nou started to be constructing in March 1954. Presently, it has capacity of around 98, 787 spectators, thus making it as the largest stadium in Europe.
La Sagrada Família, yet incomplete basilica in Barcelona |
La Sagrada Família is yet an incomplete and unfinished Catholic basilica in Barcelona as designed by the celebrated Art Nouveau architect Antoni Gaudi. The basilica was initially presumed by the Catalan publisher Josep Bocabella as a work of compensation and praise for the city’s increasing and heading revolutionary ideas and thoughts. The construction for Basilica resumed in 1882 by public subscription on a design made by architect Francesc de Paula Villar, in a simple style in traditional neo-Gothic style.
After some issues between Bocabella and Villar, Antoni Gaudí took there over as lead architect in 1884. Gaudí, after taking the control changed the project completely and seized the opportunity to showcase the strong religious and nationalist feelings. After completing the Parc Guell in 1911, Gaudí abandoned other sort of secular arts and devoted himself entirely for the Sagrada Familia. He worked over there relentlessly for about 40 years, living as a virtual hermit in a workshop on the site. The construction remained unfinished after the untimely death of Gaudi in 1926, when he was run over there by tram on the Gran Via. He is buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia. After Gaudí’s death the work restarted under the direction of Domènech Sugranyes but was later interrupted by the sudden outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1935. The building still remained unused during the war, though in 1936 many of its models and plans were destroyed by Catalan anarchists, who don’t see any place for an old conservative religion in new Barcelona. In 1950, the construction work once again started and is continuing yet till now.
La Sagrada Familia is a live example of Gaudi’s unique Art Nouveau architecture and is therefore filled with religious symbolism and meaning. Presently, it has about 8 towers of about 18 towers that rose up to even 100 meters. The towers showcase the Twelve Apostles and each one holds the name and statue of its apostle. Gaudi also had a plan to add one 180 meter tower in center having great cross symbolizing Jesus. And there are about four shorter towers representing the Four Evangelists, topped with their animal symbols. And a much shorter tower is presumed to showcase the Virgin Mary. The height of the tallest tower is let to be lesser than the nearby hill, Montjuic. The peak of the towers is decorated with colorful mosaics and some are fixed with the words “Excelsis” and “Hosanna.”
The basilica has entirely three facades, that also have there different notion and taste for symbolism: Passion Façade, Nativity Facade and the Glory Facade on the south. Each facade has three portals showing the virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. Inside the Sagrada Familia, there are areas dedicated to religious concepts like as saints, virtues and sins, and secular concepts like as the regions of Spain. There you can steps to the top of the inside of the Nativity Facade and Passion Façade after climbing 400 steps.
Nightlife in Barcelona, for complete fun and party hangout |
Barcelona is said to be the best city for parties and nightlife in Europe. There things start a bit slowly but with a food and a few drinks. From 6 pm activity starts occurring for citizens and by 1 am things get at there best with respect to nigh entertainment and jazz and pop music. Here are mentioned some of the best and popular spots for music and nightlife in Barcelona.
• El Quatre Gats: It is one of the best artist hangouts in Barcelona that has a modern bar with good beer and live music from 2100. Its original menu is designed by Picasso and is on exhibition in the Museu Picasso.
• Jamboree / Los Tarantos: This is the spot that every night organizes, the jazz, Latin and blues gigs. More it is big fun nightclub that plays Latin or funk sounds.
• Palau Sant Jordi: It is the spot in city of Barcelona for large scale rock and pop concerts by international stars. There are also many other spots in the city for loud music like the Estadi Olímpic, Montjuïc, and Camp Nou football stadium, Avinguda Aristides Maillol.
• Bikini: This is a down to the earth crowd catching trendy club in the city and has two rooms, one showing hip pop and other playing sexier Latin rhythms.
• Moog: This club despite being in city’s Chinese Quarter, provides the best of European techno and electro music and too hosts the big international DJs. If you go upstairs, will be amazed to look out the rooms specialising in indie retro pop numbers. And above all it is ideally situated at straight center of Barcelona.
• Razzmatazz: This is a very popular and crazy nightspot in Barcelona and is a huge complex is made up of five nightclubs where each one plays a different sort of music. . There’s indie rock in Razz Club, tech-house in The Loft, techno and electro pop in Lolita, 1960s pop in the Pop Bar, and techno and electro rock in the Rex Room. A common admission fee gives entrance and access to all the five rooms.
• Centre Artesà Tradicionarius: This is a noted concert hall which organizes traditional folk music from Catalonia, Spain and the rest of Europe and organizes the on a variety of evenings.
• Gran Teatre del Liceu: It is Barcelona’s opera house that renovated in 1999. It organizes a good number of in-house productions and co-productions along with one of the best international opera houses.
• Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (TNC): It is a very vibrant program of drama, dance and music and is offered at the spectacular Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. The theatre is designed by Ricardo Bofill, has three dias for shwing up performance that is a good mixture of contemporary as well as classical pieces of contemporary dances.
Annual events in Barcelona, to enjoy festivity at its peak |
Barcelona city is filled with culture, harmony and style making, and is a fabulous spot to pay a visit around there. The city meets out the entire requirement for modern city as well on the same time has successfully preserved its ancient culture as one can better understand the city through its events and festive activities.
• Primavera Sound Festival: It is Spain’s biggest music festivals and one can enjoy world’s principal pop and rock stars as graced under the stages for a fiesta of fun and music at the glorious sunshine.
• Spanish F1 Grand Prix: The fifth race of the Formula One season, the crowds gather to watch the thrills, spills and speed that accompany a spectacle of this nature. Formula One is the king of motor sports and attracts the best drivers from around the world.
• Carnival: Lent is conventional period for fasting and denial in Spain and Carnival is the period before Lent to enjoy, celebrate pleasures, extravagance and indulge in feasting as well as dancing. Street parades float processions, and parties fills out there every street and plaza in the city and revellers as dressed in rich costumes.
• Barcelona Summer Festival: It is also named as the Grec Festival, and highlights the summer calendar, and one of the most important arts festivals around the Globe. In every summer the city gets filled with some of the best national and international theatre, dance and music performances directed towards promoting different sort of contemporary music and performance arts, as well as classical and ancient music and traditional acts.
• St John’s Eve (Sant Joan): Around the Midsummer in Barcelona, this festival is celebrated with the uttermost enthusiasm and bang of fireworks as it fills the entire sky on the Feast of John the Baptist. According to mythic it is observed as the most important event of the solar year and is celebrated as the symbol of abundance, purity and fertility. There dances and celebrations are being organized at the squares, street parties, music and entertainment throughout the city.
• European Balloon Festival: On this event around thousand of spectators gather at Barcelona to view the colorful sky filled with hot air balloons from around the world. There market stalls are set up as to compete in festive atmosphere of the biggest balloon events of Europe.
• Barcelona International Jazz Festival: It is organized in Barcelona after the downfall of sizzling summer heat and the entire city gets chilled down Barcelona International Jazz Festival. Concerts from world-class jazz musicians take happen at different venues across the city involving the Palau de la Música Catalana and L’Auditori.