Room Barcelona – Shared Apartments

The 11th of September will see the entire Catalan population celebrating its national day. There will be a range of demonstrations, concerts, celebratory events and native people will wave or display senyeras (Catalan flags) to show their pride and dedication.

The day, with a sad undertone, commemorates the 1714 Siege of Barcelona which saw Archduke Charles of Austria, along with allies Britain and the Netherlands lay siege on Catalonia and the Spanish Empire, then backed by France. In 1705, Archduke Charles docked his war fleet on the Barcelona harbour and surrounded the city, capturing the fort of Montjuïc and bombarding the city unrelentingly.

The freshly defeated Franco-Spanish forces were not powerful enough to regain the city and thus waited until 1713, building up power and resources. On that year in July, the army was finally strong enough to recapture the city, and with the awaited 20 thousand man Bourbon reinforcement, 1714 saw the unified Franco-Spanish army  take the city back, finally succeeding on the day of September 11th. Many heroic warriors died in the battle and in the after math of the War of Spanish Succession, the Catalan autonomy was supressed for a further two whole centuries. In 1980, the Catalan Autonomous Government proclaimed this day to be La Diada, the national day of Catalonia.

Thousands of people crowd into the Plaça Fossar de les Moreres, an almost holy place built over the cemetary of the brave Catalan soldiers who lost their lives in the Siege of Barcelona. If you are in Barcelona on this day, spend some time at a demonstration, visit one of the concerts or just stand in the famous plaça to offer a bit of respect to a proud community, with such an ancient history of war and flourishment.

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1. leez says:

   August 25, 2009 at 4:19 pm

   just read, such a nice post. long live the catalan culture
2. melloe says:

   August 25, 2009 at 5:22 pm

   i like blog, i go to catalania this yaer on september of 12 so will miss event just)
3. steven ray says:

   August 25, 2009 at 5:27 pm

   catalonia is a special place. your writing skills are good my friend…
4. leslie says:

   August 25, 2009 at 5:51 pm

   it is good!!
5. Helena says:

   August 26, 2009 at 1:31 pm

   molt be! la diada, cada any

   Helena
6. marc says:

   August 26, 2009 at 2:42 pm

   it is a good time for catalan people