Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and is the capital of the autonomous region (Comunidad) Catalonia, as well as the capital if the province of Barcelona. It is one of the most important cultural centres of Europe. The inhabitants also call the city "Barna" which should not be confused with "Barça", which is used for football club; FC Barcelona. Barcelona lies near the Mediterranean Sea, the so-called Costa del Maresme. The north of Barcelona borders on the Costa Brava, which is considered to be the most beautiful coast of Spain. The south borders on the Costa Daurada. The city of Barna is also only 160 kilometres away from the Pyrenees.
Barcelona has organised various events which have contributed to its current image. The most famous of these were the World Exhibitions of 1888 and 1929, and more recently the Olympic Summer Games in 1992 and the Fórum (Universal Cultural Event) in 2004. Because of the large number of architectural masterpieces in the Gothic Quarter and the modernist houses of the Eixample, Barcelona is frequently described as one colossal open air museum. It has 9 buildings that are on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
One of the unique attractions of Barcelona is the beach. This beach, which has been constructed by men, lies next to the centre and borders of course the Mediterranean Sea. At the early 90s, during the big city transformation for the Olympic Games, the entire coastline was renewed and practically re-built. Ever since, Barcelona has a beach of more than four kilometres wide, which is equipped with showers, beach guards, bars and restaurants. According to the town statistics, over 7 million people enjoy playing volleyball and swimming every year.
