| Barcelona, Spain: Barcelona, Spain, occupies a low plateau
along the Mediterranean coastal plain. The city is the second largest
in Spain (after the capital, Madrid), and it hosts the country’s
largest seaport, portions of which are visible in the lower right of
the image. This detailed astronaut photograph captures several
notable features of the Barcelona urban landscape. (A regional view
of the city is available in a previously published astronaut
photograph.) The architectural design of the Eixample district
(image center) displays a grid pattern distinctive for Barcelona.
Built during the 19th and 20th centuries, the
district was built with octagonal city blocks—rectangular blocks with
the corners cut off. (At the level of detail of this photograph, the
blocks appear to be squares.) The original intention was for
buildings to occupy only two or three sides of the octagonal blocks,
surrounding gardens and open space. While the original street grid
pattern remains, today many of the octagonal blocks are completely
built up. The adjacent Cuitat Vella, or “old city,”
presents a much denser building pattern, which dates from Roman
times. Also visible at image lower right is the 173-meter-high
Montjuïc mountain—historically, the location of fortresses due to its
strategic position overlooking the city’s harbor. Light tan and
orange structures visible at the crest of the mountain include the
stadium and other buildings used in the 1992 Summer Olympic
Games. |
