Discovering Barcelona and Catalonia

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and is the second largest city in Spain. It has a population of 1,600,000. The city's origins can be traced back to the first century before Christ and the Roman colony of Barcino. Its two thousand years of history have left their mark on the city's architectural, artistic and cultural heritage. Its excellent location in terms of international communication, its Mediterranean climate and its cosmopolitan character make it a particularly privileged city.

You can find further information on Barcelona and Catalonia by visiting:

• http://www.bcn.es/ (Barcelona City Council)
• http://www.gencat.es/ (Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan Goverment)

Did you know that in Catalonia we also speak Catalan?

Catalan is the language of Catalonia. It is a Romance language derived from Latin and is more than 1,000 years old. The first written texts in Catalan date from the 12th century.

The language has survived difficult periods of history, especially the forty years of Franco's dictatorship, during which its use in public was banned. Nowadays, 93.8% of Catalonia's inhabitants understand the language and 68.3% and 67.6% can speak and write it, respectively.

UPF's statutes recognise Catalan as the University's language and as its normal vehicle for communication. In Catalonia it is an official language, along with Spanish. While the percentage of teaching carried out through Catalan varies from area to area, in general around 70% of classes are in this language. Before registering, you can check the language of instruction for a given subject at our web page (Exchange students or Visiting students; Course choices). Students can take their exams and complete their coursework in either Catalan or Spanish, irrespective of the language in which the subject is taught.

Catalan is not a difficult language, and if you already know another Romance language, you should be able to learn it relatively quickly. We would recommend you take one of the Catalan courses offered by PEI. You can also use the Internet-based Catalan Self-learning System (SALC) and participate in the Language Voluntariate or send an e-mail: voluntariat.linguistic@upf.edu.