A world-renowned international tourist city with immense popularity, one of the top in Europe
Barcelona, the second-largest city in Spain after Madrid, is located on the Mediterranean coast in a plain on the northeastern edge of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of the Catalonia region, with a population of around 1.6 million, and the total population including the surrounding metropolitan area reaches approximately 5.5 million.
Barcelona’s history is long, with its origins dating back to Roman times. In the basement of the Barcelona History Museum, located in the old town, you can still find preserved ruins from the Roman era, offering a glimpse into the past. By the 12th century, it had transformed into a vibrant port city and one of the key forces in the formation of the kingdom. However, it later experienced numerous conflicts and invasions, going through cycles of devastation and development. After the collapse of the dictatorship in the 1970s, Barcelona has prospered as a cultural city.
The city hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics, which served as a catalyst for the development of the city’s infrastructure. Today, Barcelona is Spain’s leading tourist destination, attracting 32 million visitors annually. It is also a hub for fashion, art, and design, and with famous football clubs like FC Barcelona, it is one of the most recognized and popular tourist spots for Japanese people as well.
Tourism plays a major role in Barcelona’s GDP, and the influx of tourists continues to boost the city’s economy. However, recently, there have been side effects such as rising land prices and the presence of unruly tourists. This has led to local resentment and dissatisfaction toward tourists, prompting the city to implement measures like charging fees at tourist sites and passing regulations to limit new entrants. As a result, Barcelona now faces the difficult challenge of managing a reduction in tourism.
Of course, Barcelona is not just about tourism. Thanks to its geographical location on the Mediterranean coast, fishing has also been a long-standing activity. The markets are filled with a wide variety of seafood and agricultural products, and their vibrant colors are sure to capture the attention of passersby.
Interestingly, in shops selling cured ham, special lighting fixtures are used to enhance the red color of the meat, making it appear fresher. This kind of lighting can sometimes be seen in Japanese supermarkets as well, although I personally don’t prefer it since it tints everything around it in pink. Nonetheless, this type of lighting is commonly seen in Spain.
Gaudí’s architecture, inspired by the shapes found in nature
One of the main attractions in Barcelona is the architectural heritage left behind by Antoni Gaudí. The still unfinished Sagrada Família attracts a staggering 3.2 million visitors annually. It was once said that its completion would take over 100 years, and I personally thought I would never see it finished in my lifetime. However, with advancements in modern technology, rapid construction is ongoing, and it is now expected to be completed in 2026.
Although still incomplete, it is possible to enter the chapel. Tickets must be purchased in advance through the internet or at ticket sales points, and entry is only allowed at the designated time.
As you proceed through the entrance gate, the organic shape of the Sagrada Família building and the meticulously detailed decorations on the main facade come into view. The intricacy and scale of the details are overwhelming, and visitors are then guided into the interior of the chapel.
Upon entering, you are greeted by a breathtakingly vast space, with towering heights and a multitude of intricate decorations. It feels as though you’ve wandered into a forest covered in tall trees, and the unique atmosphere is unlike any other church building you’ve seen before.
What stands out, in particular, is the overwhelming and beautiful natural light that fills the space, creating intricate shadows and patterns.
While there are artificial lights, similar to downlights, in the ceiling, they serve only as supplementary lighting. During the day, natural light pouring in from the sides dominates the entire space.
The surrounding space is bright, filled with light pouring in from the windows, while the altar, placed at the center, is not illuminated by any strong direct light. Instead, the brightness gradually diminishes towards the center. It feels as if the outer shell is enveloped in light, with the core—the central altar—being protected by it. Moreover, the view from the altar easily extends outward, creating a sense of visual spatial expansion.
This composition is reminiscent of entering a forest where sunlight is difficult to penetrate. In a forest covered by tree leaves, the light is blocked, making the interior darker, while the outside of the forest appears brighter in contrast. As a result, the gaze of a person inside the forest tends to naturally move outward. This is known as the “Savanna effect,” and it may be one of the reasons why I felt as though I had entered a forest.
The light that passes through the stained glass windows placed on the east and west walls of the chapel colors the entire space with its hues. Reds, oranges, yellows, yellow-greens, greens, and blues fill the organic-shaped columns and ceilings with vibrant tones. While using stained glass in church architecture is not uncommon, what sets Sagrada Família apart is that the color schemes on the east side are dominated by shades of “green and blue,” while the west side features “green and red,” with the tones subtly changing as you move through the space.
If we speculate on why the east side has blue and the west side red, it might relate to the natural progression of light throughout the day. In the morning, as the sun rises and light comes from the east, the color temperature of natural light is higher (white or blue light). In contrast, in the afternoon, when the sun sets from the west, the color temperature of the light is lower (orange or red). Gaudí might have been sensitive to the changing color of the light and intuitively designed the stained glass colors to complement how the light would interact with the space. This thoughtful integration of natural elements showcases Gaudí’s characteristic approach, constantly drawing inspiration from nature and creating a meticulously planned architectural effect.
Gaudí’s architectural legacy is not limited to Sagrada Família. The city of Barcelona is home to several of his other works, including the residential buildings Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, and Casa Güell, as well as Casa Vicens.
Each of these buildings reflects Gaudí’s belief that there is always a reason behind the shapes found in nature, such as plant vines, flowers, seashells, and animal skeletons. The architectural forms are inspired by these natural elements, resulting in unique motifs that completely revolutionized the conventional understanding of architecture. I was truly amazed by his ability to transform everyday architectural concepts into something so innovative and astonishing.
There are many interesting mechanisms and designs I found in Gaudí’s architecture, but what left the deepest impression on me was the indirect lighting in the corridor of Casa Milà. When I first entered this corridor, I thought the indirect lighting was simply illuminating the space. However, I was surprised to discover that the source of the light was actually just a slit leading to the outside! Seeing this natural light used as indirect lighting, taking advantage of the contrast between light and shadow in the space, was a moment that made me reconsider my own perception of light. Gaudí truly is something extraordinary.
Nearly a century after Gaudí’s passing, technology has advanced, and the social context and people’s values have changed significantly. Nevertheless, Gaudí’s architecture continues to captivate people around the world. It may not be an overstatement to say that it is one of the key aspects of Barcelona’s identity of light.
The city lights illuminating the rapidly developing urban landscape of Barcelona
Barcelona’s urban development has been ongoing since the 19th century, with much of the city laid out in a grid-like pattern resembling a chessboard. In contrast, the old town, which serves as the heart of Barcelona’s tourism, features narrow and winding streets, where efforts have been made to preserve the historical streetscapes while blending them with modern developments.
As dusk falls, streetlights begin to illuminate various parts of the city.
When entering the narrow alleys of the old town, the lighting is primarily in the form of decorative bracket lights directly attached to the building facades. The continuous placement of lights along the narrow, linear streets accentuates the perspective, casting enough light to change the somewhat somber atmosphere of the old town while still illuminating the surroundings. Given that Barcelona’s crime rate is not particularly low, the ample lighting provides a sense of reassurance for tourists walking through the streets, making it something to be grateful for.
The iconic Sagrada Família is also lit up, standing out prominently against the night skyline. In a grid-like city where much of the scenery is similar, such landmarks play an important role when walking through the streets of Barcelona, especially at night, helping to orient visitors.
Across the street, in the park opposite, several floodlights are installed to highlight the architecture. By skillfully blending light sources of different color temperatures, they create contrast and bring the building to life. While simple in technique, the view of the architectural form emerging against the dark night sky from a distance was quite striking.
On La Rambla, the main street of the city, there were many tourists and locals even at night, making it a lively scene. As expected for a main street, it appeared much brighter compared to other streets. At both ends of the street, there are organically designed, robust streetlights with a sense of liveliness, brightly illuminating the area near the roadway. Complementing these, modern, slender, linear pole lights are also installed, providing controlled light downward to effectively illuminate the walking surface of the street where people move.
Although the mix of different streetlight styles was somewhat confusing at first, it might be a reflection of Barcelona’s characteristic approach to progress—where things are not bogged down by small details, but rather driven forward with creative freedom.
Along La Rambla, there were many outdoor bars. A “bar” in Spanish refers to a place like a tavern, pub, or casual café where people gather to chat and have a drink, serving as a social space for communication.
Many of these outdoor bars were brightly illuminated by LED lights, almost as if they were competing with each other. Personally, I felt that this bright lighting somewhat disrupted the overall atmosphere of the street, which left me feeling a bit disappointed. However, regardless of whether the lighting is considered aesthetically pleasing or not, it is likely that these kinds of scenes, shaped by the lives and cultures of the people, gradually become the “light identity” of the city over time.
It’s not just Gaudí! Barcelona’s architecture and art
Of course, the city of Barcelona is not defined by Gaudí’s architecture alone.
For example, Barcelona boasts the impressive Barcelona Cathedral (Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia), which rivals other cities in terms of scale, despite its long history. It used to be free to enter, but it seems that now, to control the number of tourists, there is an entrance fee.
The interior of the church was built in the mid-15th century, and today, it is beautifully illuminated by lighting. The color temperature of the lighting is also contrasted; the sides and lower parts are lit with a lower color temperature, while the central ceiling area leading to the altar is illuminated with a slightly higher color temperature. Compared to other cathedrals we’ve seen, the amount of natural light entering the interior seemed surprisingly limited, but perhaps this is a conscious decision to control the light intensity, considering the lighting design.
By the way, when visiting cathedrals and churches like these, it’s common to see people lighting candles as a form of donation, often around 1 euro. However, in this cathedral, the candles were actually LED lights!
While it might be a safer option, considering the risk of fire, traditionally, the flicker of real flames evokes a sense of the fragility and movement of life. The purely electronic lighting can feel a bit lacking in atmosphere. Still, this could be one of the changes brought about by the passage of time.
In contrast to these traditional buildings, there are also pieces of art incorporating modern technology scattered throughout the city.
One example is the light installation at the DHUB Museum Plaza (Barcelona Design Museum), located further east from the Sagrada Familia. Installed in 2013 as a work by David Torrents and Artec3 Studio, this installation reacts to sound, changing the color and brightness of the floor’s light to create patterns in an interactive manner.
【BruumRuum! A project by David Torrents and Artec3】
https://vimeo.com/68599586
The visuals are such that voices are transformed into light and appear to travel far away, so it was very impressive to see both children and adults shouting together, stepping on the light on the floor, jumping, and having fun.
Also nearby is the Mercat dels Encants de Barcelona (Els Encants Market), a flea market that has been operating since the 14th century and was renovated in 2013. The entire ceiling is made of mirrors, and when visited at night, the brightness of the illuminated floor is reflected on the ceiling, changing its appearance depending on the viewing angle, creating the sensation that the ceiling itself is emitting light.
The city is filled with unique buildings and art scattered throughout, and simply taking a leisurely stroll at night allows you to make various discoveries, from traditional to modern. Barcelona, continuously evolving as a tourist city, is gradually changing its appearance, preserving the history and culture of the city while also incorporating modern technology and design.