All Barcelona [antikvár]

THE IBÉRIÁN LAYE > j a VIjnTsssa^S V"^g r 3 Ű jjjn Hl * í s íj Vjlringi básl ?Im i S-fif^lÉliSB i m - ^Present-day Barcelona, the city resting on the maternal lap of mount Tibidabo and Montjuich and extending as far as the sea, affectionately fondled by the arms of the rivers Besós and Llobregat, according to somé historical sources is supposed to have been the Ibérián city of Laye somé two thousand years ago. Tradition has it that of the primitive townshipa of the tribes of Laye the Carthaginian generál Hamilcar Barca laid the first stone of Barcelona as it is known today. This first stone was to be followed by many others for the very city of Romé susequentely granted Barcelona its recognition and citizenship. On his part, Athaulf made the city the capital of the Visigothic monarchy. But Barcelona, already won over to Christendom, was subsequentely occupied by the Arabs and later by the Franks. This gave rise to the Hispanic March which was immediately fractioned into a large number of counties destroying the unity which William the Villous took upon himself to restore. And after unification, independence came, and with it the promotion to the status of capital of the kingdom of Catalonia-Aragón. This was an era of expansion and splendour. It was under the reigns of Jaime II and Peter III that Barcelona acquired her outstanding personality which Cervantes had in mind when he dedicated to the city the words which open this book.