{{Infoboks by
|navn = Barcelona
|indfødtnavn =
|mindrebillede1type = Byflag
|mindrebillede2type = Byvåben
|mindrebillede1 = Flag of Barcelona.svg
|mindrebillede2 = Escut de Barcelona.svg
|billede = Sagradafamilia-overview.jpg
|billedetekst = Sagrada Família
|motto =
|land = Spanien
|ledertype = Borgmester
|leder = Jordi Hereu i Boher
|adminenhedtype1 = Region
|adminenhed1 = Catalonien
|adminenhedtype2 = Provins
|adminenhed2 = Barcelona
|adminenhedtype3 = Comarca
|adminenhed3 = Barcelonès
|år = 415
|postnr = 08001–08080
|indbygtype1 = Centrum
|indbyg1= 1,605,602
|indbyg1år = 2006
|indbyg1areal = 100.4
|indbyg1tæthed = 15,969
|tidszone = +1
|højde = 12
|webside = http://www.bcn.cat/
 |landkort=Spanien
 |label=Barcelona
 |billedtekst = Barcelonas beliggenhed
 |bredde_grad=41|bredde_min=24
 |længde_grad=2|længde_min=10
 |position=left
 |marksize=5
 |width=300
}}

'''Barcelona''' er hovedstad i den spanske region Catalonien, der ligger i det nordøstlige Spanien ud mod Middelhavet.
Byen er landets næststørste med 1,6 mio. (4,6 mio. med forstæder) indbyggere kun overgået af hovedstaden Madrid. 

I Sommer-OL. 

Byen har to fodboldhold i den bedste spanske division La Liga, nemlig FC Barcelona og Espanyol. 

Endvidere har byen også internationalt succesrige klubber indenfor basketball og håndbold.

Kategori:Byer i Spanien
 
Kategori:Fønikien

als:Barcelona

bi:Barcelona

cv:Барселона

eo:Barcelono
es:Barcelona

fo:Barcelona

frp:Barcelona
ga:Barcelona

hy:Բարսելոնա
ia:Barcelona

ie:Barcelona

{{Infobox City Spain
| native_name = Barcelona
| native_language = Catalan
| spanish_name = Barcelona
| nickname = Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts), <br />Barna
| image_skyline = BCN01.JPG
| image_skyline_size = 250px
| image_skyline_caption = Barcelona from the air
| image_flag = Flag of Barcelona.svg
| image_flag_size = 150px
| image_coat_of_arms = Escut de Barcelona.svg
| image_coat_of_arms_size = 80px
| city_motto = 
| city_motto_means =  
| image_city_map = Localització de Barcelona.png
| image_city_map_size = 250px
| lat_long = 
| time_zone = CET (GMT +1)
| time_zone_summer = CEST (GMT +2)
| founded = 
| postal_code = 08001&ndash;08080
| area_code = 93
| website = [http://www.bcn.cat www.bcn.cat]
| community = Catalonia
| community_link = Catalonia
| province = Barcelona
| province_link = Barcelona (province)
| comarca = Barcelonès
| comarca_link = Barcelonès
| divisions = 10
| neighborhoods = 45
| mayor = Jordi Hereu i Boher
| political_party = PSC
| political_party_link = Socialists' Party of Catalonia
| area = 100.4
| altitude = 12
| population = 1,605,602
| date-population = 2006
| population-ranking = 2
| density = 15,969
| date-density = 2006
}}

'''Barcelona ''' (Catalan , Spanish ) is the capital and most populous city of Mediterranean coast () between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs and is limited to the west by the Serra de Collserola ridge (). 

Barcelona is a major economic centre with one of Europe's principal Mediterranean Counts of Barcelona and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is well known in recent times for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics.

As the capital of executive branch, the parliament, and the ''comarca'') of the Barcelonès.

==Names==
The name ''Barcelona'' comes from the ancient Iberian Barkeno in Levantine Iberian script for the moment: -KE- is missing-->; Greek: '''';<ref>Itin. Ant.</ref>

During the Middle Ages, the city was variously known as ''Barchinona, Barçalona, Barchelona'', and ''Barchenona''.

==History==

The foundation of Barcelona is the subject of two different legends.  The first attributes the founding of the city to Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city ''Barcino'' after his family, in the 3rd century BC. The second legend attributes the foundation directly to Hamilcar Barca.<ref>Oros. vii. 143; Miñano, ''Diccion.'' vol.&nbsp;i. p.&nbsp;391; Auson. ''Epist.'' xxiv. 68, 69, ''Punica Barcino''.</ref> 

About 15&nbsp;BC, the Romans redrew the town as a ''castrum'' (Roman military camp) centred on the "''Mons Taber''", a little hill near the contemporary city hall (Plin. iii. 3. s.&nbsp;4</ref> or, in full, ''Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino''<ref>Inscr. ap. Gruter, p. 426, nos. 5, 6.</ref> or ''Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino''. Mela<ref>ii. 6</ref> mentions it among the small towns of the district, probably as it was eclipsed by its neighbour ''Tarraco'' (modern Tarragona); but it may be gathered from later writers that it gradually grew in wealth and consequence, favoured as it was with a beautiful situation and an excellent harbour.<ref>Avien. ''Or. Mar.'' 520: "Et Barcilonum amoena sedes ditium."</ref> It enjoyed immunity from imperial burdens.<ref>Paul. Dig. 1. tit. 15, de Cens.</ref> The city minted its own coins; some from the era of Galba survive. 

Some important Roman ruins are exposed under the Louis who made Barcelona the seat of Carolingian "Al-Mansur in 985.

The Counts of Barcelona became increasingly independent and expanded their territory to include all of Catalonia, later the Athens in the thirteenth century. The forging of a dynastic link between the Crowns of Aragon and Castile marked the beginning of Barcelona's decline.

==Geography==
thumb|250px|right|Barcelona as seen from space
Barcelona is located on the northeast coast of the Collserola, the sq&nbsp;mi)<ref name="guies_estadistiques">[http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/inf/guies/bcn.pdf Guies Estadístiques. Barcelona en Xifres. Novembre 2006.]</ref> are occupied by the city itself. It is 160&nbsp;km (100&nbsp;mi) south of the Pyrenees and the Catalonian border with France.

Collserola, part of the coastal mountain range, shelters the city to the north-west. Its highest point, the peak  of Tibidabo,  high, offers striking views over the city<ref>[http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen/fullscreen33.html Barcelona Spain Tibidabo Sagrat Cor Church. Full Screen QTVR panoramic image<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and is topped by the  Torre de Collserola, a telecommunications tower that is visible from most of the city. Barcelona is peppered with small hills, most of them urbanized and that gave their name to the neighbourhoods built upon them, such as Carmel (267&nbsp;m), Putxet (181&nbsp;m) and Rovira (261&nbsp;m). The escarpment of Montjuïc (173&nbsp;m), situated to the southeast, overlooks the harbour and is topped by Montjuïc castle, a fortress built in the 17&ndash;18th centuries to control the city as a replacement for the Ciutadella. Today, the fortress is a museum and Montjuïc is home to several sporting and cultural venues, as well as Barcelona's biggest park and gardens.

The city borders are the municipalities of Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià de Besòs to the north; L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat to the south; the Mediterranean Sea to the east; and Montcada i Reixac and Sant Cugat del Vallès to the west.

===Climate===
{{climate chart|Barcelona
|5|13|32.1
|6|14|23.2
|8|16|21.9
|9|18|27.7
|13|21|34.7
|17|25|24.0
|19|28|11.8
|20|28|39.5
|17|26|62.0
|14|22|57.9
|9|17|39.5
|6|14|32.1
|float=left
|clear=left
|source=[http://weather.msn.com/monthly_averages.aspx?wealocations=wc:SPXX0015 MSN Weather]
}}
Barcelona has a °C (50&nbsp;°F). Snowfalls are so rare that they are remembered as special events. July and August are the hottest months, averaging temperatures of 30&nbsp;°C (86&nbsp;°F) . The highest recorded maximum temperature in the city itself is 38.6&nbsp;°C.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/jgiro2002/estiu2003.html Grup dels Sis: 2003: Un Estiu Infernal]</ref> At the Fabra Observatory, situated on the Tibidabo hill, the record summer temperature is 39.8&nbsp;°C (103.6&nbsp;°F).<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/jgiro2002/clima.html Grup dels Sis: Climatologia de Catalunya]</ref> However, it should be noted that the observatory is situated in the hills above the city near Collserola park - an area where the impact of the "heat island" effect is likely to be diminished.<ref>[http://geographyfieldwork.com/BarcelonaHeatIsland.htm Barcelona's heat island]</ref>

===Cityscape===
thumb|250px|The entrance to Gaudí's "Park Güell" 
====Parks====
Barcelona contains 68 municipal parks, divided into 12&nbsp;historic parks, 5&nbsp;thematic (botanical) parks, 45&nbsp;urban parks and 6&nbsp;forest parks.<ref>[http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_mapa.htm Parcs i Jardins > Els Parcs > Els Parcs de Barcelona]</ref> They range from vest-pocket parks to large recreation areas. The parks cover 10% of the city (),<ref name="guies_estadistiques" /> growing about  per year,<ref>[http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_ciu.htm Parcs i Jardins > Els Parcs > Història > La ciutat i el verd]</ref> with a proportion of  of park area per inhabitant.<ref>[http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins/cat/parcs/pa_his_demo.htm Parcs i Jardins > Els Parcs > Història > La democràcia]</ref> 

Of Barcelona's parks, ha located on the mountain of the same name.<ref name="guies_estadistiques" /> It is followed by Parliament building, the zoo and several museums;  including the zoo), the Guinardó Park (), Park Güell (designed by Antoni Gaudí; ), Oreneta Castle Park (also ), Diagonal Mar Park (, inaugurated in 2002), Nou Barris Central Park (), Can Dragó Sports Park and Poblenou Park (both ) and the Labyrinth Park (), named after the garden maze it contains.<ref name="guies_estadistiques" /> A part of the Collserolla Park is also within the city limits.

====Beaches====
250px|right|thumb|Barceloneta beach
Barcelona has seven beaches, totalling 4.5&nbsp;km (2.8&nbsp;mi) of coastline. Sant Sebastià and Barceloneta beaches, both  in length,<ref name="guies_estadistiques" /> are the largest, oldest and the most frequented beaches in Barcelona. The Olympic port separates them from the other city beaches: Nova Icària, Bogatell, Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant. These beaches (ranging from 400 to 640&nbsp;m/1,300 to 2,100&nbsp;ft) were opened as a result of the city restructuring to host the 1992 Summer Olympics, when a great number of industrial buildings were demolished. At present, the beach sand is replenished from quarries given that storms regularly remove large quantities of material. Greenpeace has criticized the beaches as environmentally unsustainable and as prejudicial to sea bed flora and fauna. The 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures left the city a large concrete bathing zone sited near the municipal incinerator and a sewage treatment plant.

====Other====
The area around the Glòries in the place of the same name and the Maremagnum by the port.

Barcelona has several skyscrapers, the highest being the Hotel Arts and its twin the Torre Mapfre, both  high, followed by the newest Torre Agbar  high.

==Demographics==
250px|right|thumb|Demographic evolution, 1900&ndash;2005, according to the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística
According to Barcelona's City Council, Barcelona's population as of 2006-06-01 was 
1,673,075&nbsp;people,<ref>[http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/anuari/cap02/C0203010.htm Ajuntament de Barcelona: Estadística: Indicadors demogràfics. 2005]</ref> while the population of the Metropolitan Area was 3,161,081. It is the central nucleus of the Urban Region of Barcelona, which relies on a population of 4,856,579.<ref>[http://www.idescat.net/territ/BasicTerr?TC=5&V0=4&V3=863&V4=435&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=1&CTX=B&V1=1&VOK=Confirmar Àmbit Metropolità. Sèrie temporal] (catalan)</ref>

The population density of Barcelona was ,<ref>[http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/anuari/cap02/C0201040.htm Ajuntament de Barcelona: Estadística: Densitat de població. 2005]</ref> with Eixample being the most populated district. 62% of the inhabitants were born in Catalonia, with a 23.5% coming from the rest of Spain. Of the 13.9% from other countries, a proportion which has more than tripled since 2001 when it was 3.9%,<ref name="guies_estadistiques" /> the majority come from (in order) Ecuador, Peru, Morocco, Colombia, Argentina, Italy, Pakistan and China.<ref>[http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/anuari/cap02/C0201090.htm Ajuntament de Barcelona: Estadística: Nacionalitat per sexe. 2005]</ref>

95% of the population understand Catalonia's native Evangelical (71&nbsp;locations, mostly professed by Roma), Buddhists (13&nbsp;locations)<ref>[http://w3.bcn.es/ab/asia/equipament/controller/0,2317,1653_71890_3,00.html?accio=llista_eq&primera_busqueda=true&temaOriginal=&tema=0040101011_Religion&que=&opcio2=&opcio=districte&districte=&zona=&carrer=&numero=&al= Barcelona: Directory: Theme: Religion]</ref>, and a growing number of Muslims due to immigration. 

In 1900, Barcelona had a population of 533,000 people<ref name="gec_3" />, which grew steadily but slowly until 1950, when it started absorbing an height number of people from other less-industrialized parts of Spain. Barcelona's population peaked in 1979 with 1,906,998 people, and fell throughout the 1980s and 1990s as more people sought a higher quality of life in outlying cities in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. After bottoming out in 2000 with 1,496,266 people, the city's population began to rise again as younger people started to return, causing a great increase in housing prices.<ref>[http://www.bcn.es/estadistica/catala/dades/anuari/cap02/C0201010.htm Ajuntament de Barcelona: Estadística: Evolució de la població. 1900-2005]</ref>

== Economy ==
thumb|200px|International Convention Centrethumb|200px|Barcelona's old harbour 

Barcelona has a long-standing mercantile tradition. Less well known is that it was one of the earliest regions in continental Europe to begin industrialization, beginning with textile related works at the end of the eighteenth century but really gathering momentum in the mid nineteenth century, when it became a major center for the production of textiles and machinery. Since then, manufacturing has played a large role in its history. The traditional importance in textiles is still reflected in Barcelona's importance as a major fashion center. In summer 2006, Barcelona became an host for the prestigious Bread & Butter urban fashion fair. The fair was so successful that, starting in 2007, Barcelona became the only host for Bread & Butter, that closed its original Berlin location.

As in other modern cities, the manufacturing sector has long since been overtaken by the services sector, though it remains important. The most important industries today are textile, chemistry, pharmaceutical, motor, electronic and printing. In the services sector, the most important are the logistics, publishing, telecommunications and computer sectors.

Drawing upon its tradition of creative art and craftsmanship, Barcelona is nowadays also known for its award-winning industrial design. Barcelona also has several congress halls, notably Fira de Barcelona (Trade Fair), that host a quickly growing number of national and international events each year, which had also meant the opening of new hotels each year. The Port of Barcelona is an important Mediterranean port, both for general containers cargo and for cruise ships.

Barcelona has one of the highest costs of living in Spain, and occupying the 31st position in the world rank according to a report by Mercer Human Resource.

==Government and administrative divisions==

Barcelona is governed by a city council formed by 41 city councilors, elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage. As one of the two biggest cities in Spain, Barcelona is subject to a special law articulated through the ''Carta Municipal'' (Municipal Law). A first version of this law was passed in 1960 and amended later, but the current version was approved in March 2006.<ref name="ley 1/2006">[http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos/doc.php?coleccion=iberlex&id=2006/04583 BOE - LEY 1/2006, de 13 de marzo, por la que se regula el Régimen Especial del municipio de Barcelona.]</ref> According to this law, Barcelona's city council is organized in two levels: a political one, with elected city councilors, and one executive, which administrates the programs and executes the decisions taken on the political level.<ref>[http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,2687,200713899_200720868_1,00.html Ajuntament de Barcelona > Ajuntament > El Govern de la Ciutat]</ref> This law also gives the local government a special relationship with the central government and it also gives the mayor wider prerogatives by the means of municipal executive commissions.<ref>[http://www.bcn.cat/catala/laciutat/barcelona/organitzacio.htm Ajuntament de Barcelona: Organització política]</ref> It expands the powers of the city council in areas like telecommunications, city traffic, road safety and public safety. It also gives a special economic regime to the city's treasury and  it gives the council a veto in matters that will be decided by the central government, but that will need a favourable report from the council.<ref name="ley 1/2006" />

The ''Comissió de Govern'' (Government Commission) is the executive branch, formed by 24 councilors, led by the Mayor, with 5 lieutenant-mayors and 17 city councilors, each in charge of an area of government, and 5 non-elected councilors.<ref>[http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200720894_3,00.html Ajuntament de Barcelona > Council>  The city government>  Council Executive]</ref> The plenary, formed by the 41 city councilors, has advisory, planning, regulatory, and fiscal executive functions.<ref>[http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200720876_3,00.html Ajuntament de Barcelona > Council>  The city government>  Plenary]</ref> The six ''Commissions del Consell Municipal'' (City council commissions) have executive and controlling functions in the field of their jurisdiction. They are composed by a number of councilors proportional to the number of councilors each political party has in the plenary.<ref>[http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200720890_3,00.html Ajuntament de Barcelona > Council>  The city government>  Committees of the Municipal Council]</ref> The city council has jurisdiction in the fields of Spanish government. 

The executive branch is led by a Chief Municipal Executive Officer which answers to the Mayor. It is made up of departments which are legally part of the city council and by separate legal entities of two tipes: autonomous public departments and public enterprises.<ref>[http://w3.bcn.es/V61/Home/V61HomeLinkPl/0,4358,200713899_200722250_3,00.html Ajuntament de Barcelona > Council>  The municipal administration]</ref>

The seat of the city council is on the Plaça Sant Jaume, opposite the seat of Generalitat de Catalunya. Since the coming of the Spanish democracy, Barcelona has been governed by the PSC, first with an absolute majority and later in coalition with ERC and ICV. Since the May 2007 elections, PSC is governing in minority only with IC, since ERC decided against a renewal of the previous coalition. The second most voted party in Barcelona is CiU, followed by PP, both currently in the opposition.

===Districts===
Since 1997, the city has been divided into 10&nbsp;administrative districts (''districtes'' in Catalan, ''distritos'' in Spanish), each one with its own council led by a city councillor. The composition of each district council depends on the number of votes each political party had in that district, so a district can be led by a councillor from a different party than the executive council. 

The districts are based mostly on historical divisions. Several of the city's districts are former towns annexed by the city of Barcelona in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that still maintain their own distinct character. The official names of these districts are in the Catalan language. 

====Neighbourhoods====
250px|right|thumb|Districts

*''Barri de la Ribera''.
*Eixample: Sant Antoni, ''Esquerra de l'Eixample'' ("the left side of the Eixample" facing away from the sea), ''Dreta de l'Eixample'' ("the right side of the Eixample"), ''Barri de la Sagrada Família'', Fort Pienc, ''Sant Antoni''
*Sants&ndash;Montjuïc: Poble Sec, La Marina, La Font de La Guatlla, La Bordeta, Hostafrancs, Sants, Badal.
*Les Corts: Les Corts, La Maternitat, Pedralbes.
*Sarrià-Sant Gervasi: Tres Torres, Sarrià, Vallvidrera, Bonanova, Sant Gervasi, Putxet-Farró, Galvany.
*Gràcia: Vallcarca, El Coll, La Salut, Gràcia, El Camp d'en Grassot
*Horta-Guinardó: Horta, El Carmel, La Teixonera, El Guinardó (Alt i Baix), La Clota, La Vall D'Hebron, Montbau
*Nou Barris: Can Peguera, Porta, Canyelles, Ciutat Meridiana, Guineueta, Prosperitat, Vallbona, Verdum, Vilapicina, Roquetes, Trinitat Vella, Trinitat Nova, Torre Baró, Torre Llobeta and Turó de la Peira.
*Sant Andreu: La Sagrera, Congrés, Trinitat Vella, Bon Pastor, Sant Andreu, Navas, Baró de Viver
*Sant Martí: Diagonal Mar, Fort Pius, San Martí de Provençals, Poble Nou, La Verneda, El Clot, Vila Olímpica del Poblenou.

==Education==

Barcelona has a well-developed public universities. Most prominent among these is the Metropolitan Area.

The city has a network of public schools, from nurseries to high schools, under the responsibility of the city council (though the student subjects are the responsibility of the Generalitat de Catalunya). There are also many private schools, some of them Roman Catholic. Like other cities in Spain, Barcelona now faces the integration of a large number of immigrant children from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

==Culture==

thumb|150px|The façade of the Liceu, as viewed from La Rambla
Barcelona's cultural roots go back 2000 years. To a greater extent than the rest of Catalonia, where Catalonia's native Catalan is more dominant, Barcelona is a bilingual city: Catalan and Spanish are both official languages and widely spoken. The Catalan spoken in Barcelona, arrival of democracy, the Catalan culture (very much repressed during the dictatorship) has been promoted, both by recovering works from the past and by stimulating the creation of new works. Barcelona is designated as a world-class city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.<ref></ref>

===Entertainment and performing arts===

Barcelona has many venues for live music and theatre, including the world-renowned Gran Teatre del Liceu opera theatre, the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, the Teatre Lliure and the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall. Barcelona also is home to the Sónar Music Festival<ref>[http://www.sonar.es Sónar Music Festival]</ref> which takes place around June every year, and to the Barcelona and Catalonia National Symphonic Orchestra (Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, usually known as OBC) is the largest symphonic orchestra in Catalonia. In 1999, the OBC inaugurated its new venue in the brand-new Auditorium (''l'Auditori''). It performs around 75 concerts per season and its current director is Eiji Oue.<ref>[http://www.auditori.org/seccions/auditori/oferta_musical/auditori_obc/index.aspx L'Auditori: OBC]</ref> It has a thriving alternative music scene, with groups such as The Pinker Tones receiving international attention.<ref>http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/arts/music/06rob.html</ref>

===Museums===

200px|thumb|right|Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA)	 

Barcelona houses a great number of museums, which cover different areas and eras. The National Museum of Art of Catalonia possesses a well-known collection of Picasso Museum and Fundació Antoni Tàpies hold important collections of these world-renowned artists. 

Several museums cover the fields of history and archeology, like the City History Museum, the Museum of the History of Catalonia, the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, the Barcelona Maritime Museum and the private-owned Egiptian Museum. The Erotic museum of Barcelona is among the most peculiar ones, while Cosmocaixa is a science museum that received the European Museum of the Year Award in 2006.

===Architecture===
thumb|200px|The Sagrada Família church, Gaudi's masterpiece
The ''Barri Gòtic'' ("Gothic Quarter" in Catalan) is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. Many of the buildings date from medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Catalan ''modernisme'' architecture (often known as Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe), developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. A great number of these buildings are World Heritage Sites. Especially remarkable is the work of architect Antoni Gaudí, which can be seen throughout the city. His best known work is the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882, and is still financed by private donations. As of 2007, completion is planned for 2026. 

Barcelona won the 1999 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for its architecture,<ref>[http://www.architecture.com/fileLibrary/pdf/Royal_Gold_Medallists_at_09112006.pdf RIBA Royal Gold Medallists]</ref> the first (and as of 2007, only) time that the winner has been a city, and not an individual architect.