Anthem Catalonia - Barcelona

National Anthem of Catalonia

Play The National Anthem of Catalonia ( Lyrics )

Catalonia is a region of Spain; like several other Spanish regions, it has its own language, culture, and anthem.

Els Segadors has been the national anthem of Catalonia since the end of the 19th century. The current lyrics were written in 1899. It uses elements which have their origin in the oral tradition, and which had been previously collected by the writer and philologist Manuel Milà i Fontanals in 1882. The music was composed in 1892, adapting the melody of a previously existing song. This hymn is thus a reflection of an original song which has its origin in the historical events of 1639 and 1640: the War of the Catalans against King Philip IV, a war in which the peasants played a key role; the war was known as the “Reapers’ War”. The hymn has the characteristics of a passionate call in favour of the defence of the freedom of the Catalan soil.

Els Segadors was declared the Catalan national anthem by an Act of the Catalan Parliament dated 25 February 1993.Barcelona (/bɑrsəˈloʊnə/, Catalan: [bəɾsəˈlonə], Spanish: [barθeˈlona]) is the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain and the country's second largest city, with a population of 1.6 million[2] within its administrative limits. Its urban area extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of around 4.5 million people, being the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Madrid, the Ruhr area and Milan. About five million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area.[3][4][5][6][7] It is the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea, located on the coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, and bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range, the tallest peak of which is 512 metres (1,680 ft) high.

Founded as a Roman city, in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona continued to be an important city in the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean is located in Barcelona. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions and also many international sport tournaments.

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