Barcelona Facts

1: Fun Fact: On average, everyday, seven days a week, 150,000 people walk along La Rambla.

2: FC Barcelona is the biggest privately owned stadium in the world (seating 100,000 people) and is also one of Barcelona's most visited tourist attractions.

3: Interesting Fact: Barcelona and Spanish drivers in general, are some of the worst in the world. According to recent statistics, an accident occurs on average, every nineteen seconds during weekdays between Monday to Thursday and rises to one accident every sixteen seconds, on Fridays. It's safer to walk or take public transport.

4: Weird Fact: When Gaudí was creating the sculptures of the Nativity Facade on the Sagrada Familia, he used corpses of dead babies, only 2-3 days old, in order to prepare the scene of the soldier and the innocents. The soldier in the scene has six toes on one of his feet and this is because the man who was modelling for Gaudi, also had six toes.

5: Random Fact: The most walked on street in Spain, is Portal de L'Angel. Approximately 3,500 people walk down this shopping street every hour.

6: Interesting Fact: There are two Spanish legends concerning the founding of Barcelona. One legend says that it was founded by Hercules, 400 years before the building of Rome. According to the other legend, the city was founded by the Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, in the 3rd century BC and that it got its name from the great Barca family of Carthage.

7: Antoni Gaudi was not the first architect to work on the Sagrada Familia. Architect, Francesc del Villar, was actually the first one who was commissioned to design the church on that site. A year into the project he resigned and Gaudi took over and completely revamped the design.

8: Fun Fact: Barcelona is to thank for World Book Day. La Diada de San Jordi is one of the biggest, most widely celebrated festival days in Barcelona which takes place on April 23rd and is a celebration of love and literacy.

9: Random Fact: Flamenco is not traditional or well known in Barcelona or Catalunya. Catalans prefer rock and roll and the 'rock catala' scene has become famous during the last 20 years.

10: Weird Fact: When Gaudí graduated in 1878 from Barcelona's School of Architecture, the director said: "Gentlemen, we are here today in the presence of either a genius or a madman."

11: It is said that Catalans are not very generous and they are always counting money, so much so, that their traditional dance, Sardana, also involves counting the steps.

12: Fun Fact: If 'spanglish' is the mix of english and spanish, 'catanyol' is the mix of catalan and spanish and is often widely used in Barcelona.