Culture and traditions

Entering the club of properties inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List is a highly restricted privilege, since the criteria of its selection committee are incredibly strict. That’s what makes it so impressive that the regions of Barcelona boast a total of 9 World Heritage buildings. They’re all must-see attractions for architecture enthusiasts!

Strength, balance, courage and common sense, the four key concepts of human tower building, repeated like a mantra by its practitioners. For spectators, the most appropriate words might be thrills, nerves, suspense and joy. Without a doubt, to experience a human tower building event is to navigate a sea of sensations. So it’s no wonder that UNESCO inscribed this Catalan tradition par excellence on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

With over 100 kilometres of blue Mediterranean coastline, it is easy to understand why the municipalities of Costa Barcelona have such a close relationship with the sea. The origins of many villages, towns and cities in Maresme, Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat and Garraf, lie in fishing, maritime trade and shipbuilding – origins that for many of these places are by no means a distant memory. Along this stretch of coastline, fishing remains one of the main industries – a fact that you can see for yourself, if you visit any of the seafood auctions that take place on the region's quaysides every day.