The District of City Council is very important to the success of a city. It includes the mayor, the council executive, plenary and municipal political groups. They provide information to citizens about any sort of topic. They also talk about job vacancies, they are in charge of building permits, subsidies and grants, youth affairs and so on. This building and administrative office is comparable to a city hall in The United States. They make sure everything is kept up to par and running smoothly. The building was very pretty when we went to visit and the people were all very helpful in answering our questions for the Barcelona Past and Present presentation.
The Hospital in my neighborhood adds a very historical aspect to the Sagrada Familia neighborhood as well. The hospital within my neighborhood is Hospital de Santa Creu I Sant Pau, which means the Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul. It was built between 1901 and 1930 by Lluis Domenech I Montaner. The hospital was in full function until june of 2009. Now, it is under construction to be used as a museum and a center to celebrate Catalan culture. The location of the new hospital was places strategically right behind the historical old one because the space was there and it was best for the people in the neighborhoods. Some parts of the historical one is still used but most facilities are in the adjacent new buildings. This is the location where Antoni Gaudi died in 1926. This particular hospital in Barcelona has won many of awards and given much recognition. In 1997, it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO for its artistic value and beauty.
In my neighborhood, the library and the market are in one building called the Civic Center. The library are on the top floors and the market is below. It is very convenient if you need to go to both locations!
Another major part of my neighborhood that I thoroughly enjoy is the market. I could live here for hours on end. Ideally I did wish it had a regular grocery story attached to it, but I cannot complain. At least once a week I head over to Provenca to get the freshest food around town. They have everything ranging from fruits to vegetables to meat. These producers are often local vendors who produce their own goods they are selling. This market was opened in 1973 to provide the vendors with an opportunity to sell their products to the Sagrada Familia portion of the Eixample neighborhood. Sometimes it is fun to try and speak with the vendors because they truly do know what they are saying about their products. Markets are not only part of just my individual life in Barcelona, but they are part of Catalan culture. It is mostly locals that are shopping within the markets, which I think is great! One of the most famous markets in Barcelona is off of Las Ramblas. It is called La Boqueria. If you ever travel to Barcelona it is a MUST see. Words can not explain it. You are able to go in and buy food at the local vendors or there are little bars you can sit at and enjoy some delicious food!
Right above the neighborhood market is the public library. It is huge in size and has any type of book you may be looking for. It is four levels and has journals, biographies, kids sections, books on art, history, anything imaginable. The people in the library are also very helpful. I have been here a few times, particularly recently, to help with recent projects. They have a great database that helps you find those books, which may be hard to find. For our Barcelona Past and Present class we were asked to go there and learn more about it. We also had to get a library card. By getting that library card I have made many new choices in helping myself interact with people of the Catalan culture. At first I was nervous because I was not sureif people would be able to help me, whether they were the librarian or just a regular citizen. But they all were very, very kind and helpful.
I am fortunately to live in a flat that is perfectly located in Barcelona-in my eyes! I live onAvenida Gaudi, right next toGaudi’s masterpiece SagradaFamilia! This unbelievable church has been under construction since 1882. The church is not estimated to be done until 2026, which isGaudi’s 100th anniversary of death.
Originally Sagrada Familia was conceived by Josep Bocabella, a Catalan publisher, whom wanted to explore the revolutionary ideas further. The first architect of SagradaFamilia took the project into his own hands. That architect wasFrancesc de Paula Villar. After some major arguments beforeBocabella and Villar, Gaudiagreed to be the main architect. Once Gaudi’s Park Guell was done in 1911, he began to devote one hundred percent of his time to Sagrada Familia.Unfortunatly in 1926, Gaudiwas hit by a tram and died two days later in a hospital. But the work still continued until the Spanish Civil War in 1935. When the Spanish War occurred, there was abit of damage to the church but nothing unbelievably awful. In 1956 once the war was over, construction began again. The current director is Jordi BonetArmegol. He uses computers for the construction process tobeable to visually see the hopeful final product. SagradaFamilia is the prime example ofGaudi’s Art Nouveau. The most vibrant part of the church are the 18 towers, which represent in order of height the twelve apostles, four evangelists, and the Virgin Mary (tallest of all Jesus Christ). One of the most amazing parts of this church is the aspect of funding. Private preachers were the funders of the beginning stages. Now, the church relies on the tickets bought by tourists and private donations. In 2009, in total, the construction budget is 18 million euros. It is quite aprivilege to be able to wake up every day and see the most amazing church Gaudidesigned.
