Some say what makes a city beautiful is its people, but Barcelona is defined by its architcture – buildings the city's people live alongside without even being aware of their importance. So that locals and visitors alike can interact with these buildings and feel like they're part of them and their history, from Saturday May 20 to Friday May 26, Architecture Week is on, with a full programme of fun and educational activities that feature participation and debate. Pay attention, because you'll find architectural touches in the most unlikely places, from the lobby of a theatre to a city market or in shop windows in the neighbourhoods of Sant Antoni and El Born.
You can also take advantage of Architecture Week to discover the Puig i Cadafalch work that is the Victòria Eugènia Palace – celebrating its tenth anniversary this year – in the
Montjuïc trade fair area, where you'll find models, photos and videos of projects that have been presented to the EU Mies Award, which awards the best architecture in Europe in the last two years.
Also related to architecture of the Old Continent is the exhibition 'Made in Europe', which you can see distributed among 11 shipping containers throughout Barcelona's districts, plus another one in Plaça d’Europa in Hospitalet. If you're more into walking than looking at exhibitions, there are options for you too, like guided itineraries where you can discover new and alternative aspects of the city.
There will also be talks and presentations, but we're mostly drawn to the relationship between architecture and cinema you'll find via the film cycles Arqu[in] FILM and Barcelona, de Pel·lícula. The first (Fri 19 to Sun 21) at the Filmoteca, pays homage to women in architecture and urban planning, public and anonymous figures who have helped to make Barcelona more habitable. The other series, Barcelona, de Pel·lícula, shows off urban spaces around the city via movie stills. It starts on Friday 19 with 'En construcción' at the La Sagrera civic centre. On Thursday 2 you can also see 'El reportero', by Antonioni, at the Xavier Berenguel library.