Ciutat Vella

Barcelona lived within its walls until the middle of the 19th century. For this reason, its historical nucleus, the district of Ciutat Vella, accumulates 2,000 years of history, from the Roman Barcino to the multicultural Barcelona of the 21th century. The Barri Gòtic is the oldest part of the city and Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and La Ribera are its medieval extension and they are now separated by Via Laietana, opened during the first half of the 20th century to link the Eixample with the Port. El Raval, on the other side of the Rambla, was born from country roads, while Barceloneta was built beside the sea in the 18th century to rehome neighbours of the Ribera when the neighbourhood was demolished to build the Ciutadella, a military fortress.