Spain, Montjuic (mountain in Barcelona): how to get, description, attractions and reviews

Beauty Barcelona is the most visited city in Spain, and it's not surprising. There is so much life, fun and attractions in it, that there will be enough impressions for a long time. One of the most favorite places for recreation for both the local population and for many tourists is Montjuic - mountain, or rather hill, 177 meters high, located in the southern part of the city, very close to the commercial port.

Here entertainment is enough for the whole day and night, and if the Catalans prefer to wander along the paths of the park stretching on it, then visitors are waiting for museums, and numerous attractions.

History of the mountain

So it turned out that the location of the hill is such that it was always of strategic importance in the olden days, therefore its history is more connected with the protection or protection of the city. Today, Montjuic (mountain) has lost its functions as a watchpoint and has become a place of "pilgrimage" for travelers who are hungry for new experiences.

Once there were settlements of Iberians, who were watching the sea and land from its height, but only in 1640 there was built a real bastion. Unfortunately, it did not survive, since in the XVIII century it was destroyed by the decree of Tsar Philip V. However, in 50 years it was decided to restore it, expand and strengthen it. For a long time after that the fortress was a prison.

Also Montjuic mountain in Barcelona is known for its Jewish cemetery, thanks to which it received its new name. In ancient times it was called the mountain of Jupiter (Mons Jovis), but with the advent of the cemetery it became known as Mont juïc, which in translation from ancient Catalan meant "the Jewish mountain".

Today, many guests and residents of the city are entertained here.

Montjuic Fountain

Built for the World Exhibition in 1929, the magic fountain at the foot of Montjuïc completely changed in 1992 to another significant event - the Summer Olympics. If earlier it was an ellipse erected by the project of the engineer Carlos Buigosa, around which and in the center jets of water of different heights were thrown out, in the modern form it is a real work of art.

At night, an amazing show begins here, for which 2.5 million tourists come to Barcelona every year. A year before the Olympics, 3,000 specialists equipped him with lighting and musical accompaniment. What is interesting, music is constantly changing, and with it the fluctuations and height of the jets and their color.

Since then, Montjuic is a mountain that became the site of festivals held by residents of the city in late September, with fireworks and dances. You can see the magic of the fountain:

• Every week from Thursday to Sunday, from April to September;
• And also on Saturday and Sunday from October to the end of March.

This is a favorite place of recreation for the local population - the fountain specially comes here to listen to the fountain after a week of work. Not less praise it in their reviews and tourists.

Fortress of Montjuic

The first observation post on the Montjuic hill was built in the 10th century, but this structure more often united a lighthouse and an observation deck, and only in 1640 a fortress appeared there, which served the Catalans well during a popular uprising.

Spain during this period led a tiring thirty-year war with France, in which the Catalans stubbornly did not want to take part. In response, Madrid began to strangle them with unfair laws and taxes. The last straw was the murder of the reaper during the great church festival. What led to a real revolution. The result was the alliance of Barcelona with France and 12 years of independence.

For the reapers who oppose the royal court, he became the refuge of Montjuic. The mountain was fortified by a fortress built in just 30 days, which, nevertheless, withstood the attacks of the Castilians.

The Spaniards are very proud of their history, so the fortress, after several reconstructions, has been perfectly preserved to the present day, and now there is a museum of military history. As the travelers note, it is from here that the most spectacular view of Barcelona opens.

City of Crafts

Ethno-museum in the open air is also loved by local residents and travelers. "Spanish Village" takes the 4th place in the list of attractions in Catalonia.

Here you can get acquainted with different architectural styles of the country. Surprisingly, regardless of whether the buildings are completed in full size or in miniature, they are all built from the same material and the same technology that was used at the time they represent.

Spain, the Montjuic mountain in which is not the only landmark, has become the first country to embody its way of life, architecture and culture in one place. Later such mini-cities and villages appeared in other countries.

For example, the restored area of the Plaza Mayor combined the buildings of different eras from Castile, Catalonia, Navarre, Aragon, Burgos. In the "Spanish village" are working craftsmen of different directions: potters, tanners, glass blowers, weavers and many others. Here students and schoolchildren are taught ancient crafts, if desired, tourists can join them (as they write in their enthusiastic reviews).

At night, the village is completely transformed, as there are numerous pubs and cafes, nightclubs and restaurants, where you can see both the cancan and the famous flamenco. As guests of the city say, the night life of the mountain is no less interesting than the daytime.

The Catalan Museum of Art

This museum is recognized as the best and complete in its collection of paintings of the Romantic era, there is preserved a wall painting of the 12th-13th centuries, a large number of paintings by El Greco and Velasquez.

As his guests correctly say, 236,000 works by Spanish and European artists open their eyes to the development of art over the last thousand years.

Thanks to the restorers of the museum, the world can observe unique frescos transferred from dilapidated churches, which can be found in the film, which I show in one of the halls. To study all the works, and even cover the storages, you will have to visit it many times.

Cemetery on the mountain

The attitude of the Spaniards to the death of the philosophical, so here no one is surprised when they lead excursions to the cemetery. In this city of the dead, travelers get acquainted with real people who once lived in this city who loved, suffered, were happy, rich or poor, they all now have a place of rest, decorated with an interesting gravestone. It is for their sake that they drive excursions here.

Guides offer 3 programs to visit the cemetery - that's how the mountain Montjuic can unexpectedly appear before a tourist. How to get here, everyone decides for himself: at the disposal of tourists there is a bus, a funicular and a cable car. Any type of transport will take you to the very top, from where the delighted gaze opens Barcelona from a bird's eye view.

For sure, Montjuic mountain, whose sights we described in the article, will surprise and please everyone who decides to visit Spain.