Universitat de Barcelona

The most important building in Plaça de la Universitat is, clearly, the historic building of Barcelona University. It became a centre for education in 1871 and for an entire century housed Barcelona's main faculties and departments, divided into an Arts quadrangle and a Science quadrangle. It now houses the maths and philology departments. If you want to visit you don't need to be a student – there are group guided tours of the most impressive areas of the building: the main lobby, the staircase of honour, the cloisters and the assembly hall.