Theme Week Catalonia

22 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  6 minutes

Aigua Blava Bay © PaddyBriggs

Aigua Blava Bay © PaddyBriggs

Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, and designated a “historical nationality” by its Statute of Autonomy. The capital and largest city is Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain, and the centre of one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. The official languages are Catalan, Spanish and Aranese (an Occitan dialect). Castells are one of the main manifestations of Catalan popular culture. The activity consists in constructing human towers by competing colles castelleres (teams). This practice originated in the southern part of Catalonia during the 18th century. The tradition of els Castells i els Castellers was declared Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. There are several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Catalonia.   read more…

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