Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Catalan Culture
The fortunes of Catalunya have risen and fallen over the years, as Barcelona has gone from
wealthy mercantile capital to a city of repression under the Franco regime, followed by the
boom and bust of more recent years. Despite today's economic challenges, Catalan culture
continues to flourish, with a lively festival calendar and abundant civic pride: manifested in
everything from the language spoken on the streets to Barcelona's much-loved football team.
Festes de la Mercè
Juergen Richter / Getty IMAGES ©
Language
In Barcelona, born and bred locals proudly speak Catalan, a Romance language related to
French, Spanish (Castilian) and Italian. It was only relatively recently, however, that Catalan
was deemed 'legitimate'. Since Barcelona was crushed in the War of the Spanish Succession
in 1714, the use of Catalan has been repeatedly banned or at least frowned upon. Franco was
the last of Spain's rulers to clamp down on its public use. All that changed in 1980, when the
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