Barcelona 100 Souvenirs by Barcelona City Council

We’ve all strolled down the Rambla, touched the Canaletes Fountain, visited Parc Güell and other sites in the city known in every guide book. And yet, even the most famous of these have stories few of us know about. Fancy discovering them?

One of these is “Barcelona 100 Souvenirs“, published by Barcelona City Council. It pays tribue to the our city’s souvenirs and icons, through a route that puts the emphasis on curiosities. For example, did you know that the tradition of celebrating Barça’s titles at the Canaletes Fountain dates back to the 1930′s? As radios were not yet commonly used in those days, a newspaper would announce the results on a board next to the fountain.

You will also discover that Gaudí, the master of wrought iron technique, made the “Margallons“, iron gates decorated with palmetto-leaf designs, at the Casa Vicens, in the heart of Gràcia, part of which was moved to the entrance gate at Parc Güell; or that the origin of the current City Hall building goes back to the “Saló de Cent“, a 14th-century Gothic structure where the city’s hundred representatives would meet.

Solidarity Event in support of Children with Heart Disease

If you’d like to give a helping hand to children with heart disease, why not go to Tibidabo this Saturday?

For the eighth consecutive year, the amusement park will be playing host to an event entitled: ‘El cor ens demana festa’ [Hearts call out for a party] in support of children with heart problems. It is organised by the Catalan Aid for Children with Heart Disease Association (AACIC) in collaboration with Barcelona City Council.

From noon on there will be games and workshops organised at various points in the park, with performances and surprises planned for the main event.

So visitors can collaborate with the association, a scarf has been designed that can be purchased for 6€ at the different park entrances on the day. Scarves will give free admission to Tibidabo for every child under the age of 16.

Children over the age of 16 who present the scarf at the ticket offices can buy entrance tickets for every attraction and show in the park for 18.20€. Without the discount admission is 25.20€.

Parc d’Atraccions del Tibidabo -> Pl Tibidabo, 3 | Sarrià-Sant Gervasi

Barcelona Electric Mopeds

The company Honda has given Barcelona City Council, for free, seventeen electric mopeds intended for various areas’ municipal services, including mobility and environment.

That means Barcelona is to become the first and only city in Europe to act as a testing ground for such vehicles, before they go on sale in the continent.

For his part, the Chairman of the company Montesa Honda SA, Yukitoshi Fujisaka, explained they chose our city because “motorbikes in Barcelona are an essential feature for transport and mobility“, and pointed out that it was “an important step towards extending zero-emission motorbikes to Europe“.

The tests, which are to be supervised by the RACC, who have also received a free moped, will be used for bringing about the appropriate adaptations to the model, designed for use at work, such as delivery and messaging services.

Aspects will be assessed such as its range, technical incidents and opportunities for improvement.

These mopeds, free of CO2 emissions, have seating for one person and a range of 34 km. Their batteries can be charged with a normal charger within three and a half hours, or with a fast charger within 30 minutes.

New fast chargers have also been provided, as well as eighteen portable charger and eighteen current transformers. Source: www.bcn.es

Renovated Can Cottet Thermometer

The enormous thermometer on the Can Cottet facade (Avinguda Portal de l’Àngel, 40), which weighs two tonnes and is 22 metres long, started working again last Wednesday.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias & Jorge Cottet, the Chairman of Cottet Òptics, presided over the inauguration ceremony to mark the renovation of this unique urban feature, which was carried out by the Barcelona City Council Institute of Urban Landscape and Quality of Life in collaboration with Cottet Òptics.

During the ceremony the thermometer, which has recorded temperatures in the city since 1956, was awarded as “Petit paisatge de Barcelona” plaque. The plaque, which is round and embedded in the pavement, is the first such Barcelona mini-landscape plaque to be laid in the city.

Rolando Cottet, the grandfather of the current chief executive of the brand, had the idea for the thermometer, which was installed on the facade of the first Cottet store in December in 1955 and inaugurated on 25 February 1956, a year remembered to the biggest cold wave in the 20th century.

Given its emblematic value the Municipal Institute of Urban Landscape and Cottet Òptics signed a collaborative agreement for the repair and conservation of the thermometer as we know it.

Source: www.bcn.es

Barcelona exhibits the World Cup at the Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch

The World Cup, which Spain won last July, will go on display at the Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport – Joan Antoni Samaranch from 12 to 15 January.

The arrival of the Cup at the Olympic Museum has been made possible thanks to the joint efforts of Barcelona City Council and the Fundació Barcelona Olímpica.

You can see the trophy for free at the museum from 12 to 15 January, from 10 am to 6 pm. It will be on display in the Main Hall (Avinguda de l’Estadi, 60), next to the Olympic Stadium.

The Cup was designed in 1974 and takes its inspiration from two human figures holding up the Earth. The trophy is 36.8 cm high and is made from 5 kg of an 18-carat solid piece of gold.

Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch -> Av Estadi, 60 | Sants-Montjuïc

If you’re not infected, you’re not affected. AIDS Barcelona

Barcelona is joining forces with the anti-AIDS foundation: Fundació Lluita contra la Sida. Adopting the slogan “If you’re not infected, you’re not affected“, the foundation and City Council are launching an awareness and money-raising campaign.

Highlights include a Gala against AIDS on 1 December. This is the first time one of the most important charity events in the country is being held. Featuring many famous Spanish and international figures, it will aim to collect money to fund research and help projects for AIDS sufferers, activities the foundation has been carrying out for over fifteen years.

The gala merely signals the start to the campaign, under which the City Council will be expressing its support for taking on the illness and raising awareness of it among city residents and publicising the foundation’s solidarity work.

All money received from donations, bracelet sales and attending the gala dinner will go to Fundació Lluita contra la Sida research projects.

Music in the Parks of Barcelona

Last wednesday, 2nd June, started the inaugural concert in the latest “Music in the Parks” cycle, organised by the Barcelona City Council Environment Area, with a performance by the Sant Andreu Jazz Band – the youngest big band in Europe – in the Teatre Grec Gardens.

The concert has opened new “Music in the Parks” programme. Now a traditional event, this year it aims to reach more people by raising the number of city parks holding the concerts to eight, doubling last year’s total.

It includes three parallel programmes, classical music, jazz and sessions by the Banda Municipal de Música of Barcelona, and these run from 2 June until 25 August.

There are 28 concerts in this year’s cycle. The Municipal Band’s concerts will take place in the Creueta del Coll, Diagonal Mar, Barceloneta and Guineueta parks. Turó Parc, the Príncep de Girona Gardens and the Hivernacle (Winter Garden) in Parc de la Ciutadella will hold the classical music concerts, while the Drets Humans (Human Rights) Gardens and the Hivernacle will hold the jazz sessions. The Municipal Band concerts start at 8 pm and the classical music and jazz concerts begin at 10 pm. All concerts are free and in the open air and you don’t need to book in advance.

The summer park concert programme came about fifteen years ago. The aim is top bring quality music to every kind of audience and to encourage performers by young musicians, while promoting the possibilities offered by parks as meeting places and recreational areas on summer nights and evenings.

Sponsored by DAMM Free, the event is being collaborated on by Cespa, UME Unión Musical, El Periódico, Time Out, Aigües Veri, the Conservatori del Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC).