The Barcelona Gothic Quarter. From national symbol to theme park.

Abstract

The Barcelona Gothic Quarter was built in the twentieth century. Although theoretically, the historic monuments reference past epochs, in many cases they were constructed recently. The beginning of the monumentalisation of the historic city was a local bourgeoisie project to promote national Catalan architecture, but the redevelopment was self-financing from increased income generated from urban tourism with its appreciation of buildings with an ancient appearance, irrespective of whether they are original. This article analyses the political use of the past and its subsequent commoditisation alongside city marketing, whose aim is to create a distinctive brand for the city in the international tourism market so that it successfully competes for tourism and inward investment.