View source for Ciutat Vella

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Ciutat Vella
| native_name             =
| native_name_lang        = 
| settlement_type         = [[Districts of Barcelona|District of Barcelona]]
| image_skyline           = 
| image_alt               =
| image_caption           = 
| image_flag              =
| flag_alt                =
| image_seal              =
| seal_alt                =
| image_shield            =
| shield_alt              =
| nickname                =
| motto                   =
| mottoeng                =
| image_map               = Barcelona_districte_I.svg
| map_alt                 =
| map_caption             = Location of Ciutat Vella within Barcelona
| pushpin_map             =
| pushpin_label_position  =
| pushpin_map_alt         =
| pushpin_map_caption     =
| coordinates             = {{coord|41|22|51|N|2|10|23|E|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           =
| coordinates_footnotes   =
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = {{Flag|Spain}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous Community]]
| subdivision_name1       = {{Flag|Catalonia}} 
| subdivision_type2       = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Province of Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Comarques of Catalonia|Comarca]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[Barcelonès]]
| subdivision_type4       = [[Municipalities of Spain|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name4       = [[Barcelona]]
| established_title       =
| established_date        =
| parts_type              = [[Districts of Barcelona|Neighbourhoods]]
| parts_style             = para
| parts                   =
| p1                      = [[El Raval]]
| p2                      = [[El Gòtic]]
| p3                      = [[La Barceloneta]]
| p4                      = [[Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera]]
| founder                 =
| seat_type               =
| seat                    =
| government_footnotes    =
| leader_party            =
| leader_title            =
| leader_name             =
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes          =
| area_total_km2          = 4.37
| area_land_km2           =
| area_water_km2          =
| area_water_percent      =
| area_note               =
| elevation_footnotes     =
| elevation_m             =
| population_footnotes    =
| population_total        = 107,426
| population_as_of        = 2009
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      =
| population_note         =
| timezone1               =
| utc_offset1             =
| timezone1_DST           =
| utc_offset1_DST         =
|postal_code_type       =  <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
|postal_code            =
|area_code              =
| website                 = [http://www.bcn.cat/ciutatvella bcn.cat/ciutatvella]
| footnotes               =
| module = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=shape|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|zoom=12}}
}}

[[Image:Barcelona - planol ciutat vella 1860.jpg|thumb|right|1860 map.]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:RamblasPete.JPG|thumb|La Rambla near the waterfront]] -->

'''Ciutat Vella''' ({{IPA|ca|siwˈtad ˈbeʎə}}, meaning in [[English language|English]] "Old City")  is a [[districts of Barcelona|district of Barcelona]], numbered '''District 1'''. The name means "old city" in [[Catalan language|Catalan]] and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of [[Barcelona]], [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]]. ''Ciutat Vella'' is nestled between the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the neighborhood called ''l'[[Eixample]]'' ("the Extension"). 

There are four administrative neighborhoods (some of them include former or traditional neighborhoods):
*[[La Barceloneta, Barcelona|La Barceloneta]]
*[[El Gòtic]]
*[[El Raval]]
*[[Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera]]:
**[[Sant Pere, Barcelona|Sant Pere]]
**[[Santa Caterina, Barcelona|Santa Caterina]]
**[[La Ribera, Barcelona|La Ribera]]

==Les Rambles==
{{Main|La Rambla, Barcelona}}
Running down the center of the ''Ciutat Vella'' (dividing the [[El Raval|''Raval'']] and [[Gothic Quarter, Barcelona|''Barri Gòtic'']]) are the boulevards ''Les Rambles'', popularly known as ''[[La Rambla, Barcelona|La Rambla]]'' (in singular) since they are continuous, like a single street. ''Les Rambles'' stretches from ''[[Plaça Catalunya]]'' to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and, since the 1990s, now extends out over the sea into one of Barcelona's newest centers of entertainment, ''[[Maremàgnum]]''. Each of ''Les Rambles'' has its own specialty.  ''La Rambla de les Flors'' (The Flowers ''Rambla'') is devoted to flower stands, another ''Rambla'' to animal vendors (selling mainly birds), and the lowest ''Rambla'' hosts temporary art fairs. ''El Mercat de Sant Josep'' (more commonly known as ''[[La Boqueria]]'') and [[Liceu|''Gran Teatre del Liceu'']] (Barcelona's Opera House) are both located here. ''Les Rambles'' are among the most frequently travelled streets by pedestrians in Barcelona.

At the bottom, there is the [[Maritime Museum of Barcelona|''Museu Marítim'']] (naval museum), which chronicles the history of life on the Mediterranean, including a full-scale model of a [[galley]]. The museum is housed in the medieval [[Barcelona Royal Shipyard|''Drassanes'']] (shipyards), where the ships that made [[Catalonia]] a great [[Thalassocracy|sea power]] in the Mediterranean were built.<ref>[https://www.routeyou.com/en-es/location/view/51240113/ciutat-vella?toptext=7602923 La Rambla] Retrieved 2023-12-15.</ref>

==Raval==
{{Main|El Raval}}
This portion of the city is often referred to as ''el Barri Xinès'', or ''[[Chinatown]]''. The ''[[Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona]]'' (Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona), the ''Rambla del Raval'' (a walkway to the sea) and the ''[[Filmoteca de Catalunya]]'' are in this neighborhood.<ref>[https://barcelonanavigator.com/raval/ El Raval Neighborhood Guide] Retrieved 2023-12-15.</ref>

==Gothic Quarter==
{{Main|Gothic Quarter, Barcelona}}
On the other side of [[La Rambla, Barcelona|La Rambla]], is the Gothic Quarter. This neighborhood houses the [[Barcelona Cathedral]], the [[Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya]], and the [[Barcelona City Hall]]. Tourists visit this neighborhood to see [[Royal Square (Barcelona)|Royal Square]] (a Spanish-style plaza) and to shop in one of the tourist shops along Ferran street. The [[Museu Picasso]] can be found in the area known as ''el Born'', within the Barri Gótic, in addition to the historic restaurant ''[[Els Quatre Gats]]'' (The Four Cats), which was a popular hang-out for artists, including [[Pablo Picasso]].

To the north of the Gothic Quarter lie the ''Jardins de Fonseré i Mestre'' which contain modernist buildings housing zoological and geological collections. The adjacent ''{{lang|ca|[[Parc de la Ciutadella]]}}'' includes both the [[Parliament of Catalonia]] and the [[Barcelona Zoo]] whose most famous resident was an [[albino]] [[gorilla]], [[Snowflake (gorilla)|Snowflake]], who died in 2003 of [[skin cancer]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Gothic Quarter |url=http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/376/barri-gotic.html|website=Visit Barcelona|publisher=BarcelonaTurisme|access-date=22 July 2017}}</ref>

==La Ribera and El Born==
{{Main|La Ribera}}

==La Barceloneta==
{{Main|Barceloneta, Barcelona}}

==See also==
*[[Districts of Barcelona]]
* [[Street names in Barcelona]]
* [[Urban planning of Barcelona]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ciutat Vella, Barcelona}}
{{Wikivoyage|Barcelona/Ciutat Vella|Ciutat Vella}}
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170619052440/http://www.fomentciutatvella.net/ Foment Ciutat Vella]}}
*[http://www.barceloca.com/data/details.aspx?ID=3441 Information at Barceloca.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040209021026/http://www.barcelona-on-line.es/ Barcelona]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081020025000/http://www.barcelona-on-line.es/mapa/viewBarriBCN.asp?i=ang&t=2&m=9 Barri Gòtic and Raval map]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081020024954/http://www.barcelona-on-line.es/mapa/viewBarriBCN.asp?i=ang&t=2&m=10 La Ribera and Barceloneta map]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110717080157/http://www.tourist-barcelona.com/default2b.asp?view=barcelona-neighborhoods%2Fguide-to-ciutat-vella-gotic Barri Gotic info from tourist-barcelona.com]

{{Barcelona}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ciutat Vella| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Barcelona]]
[[Category:History of Barcelona]]