This book chronicles the social, political, cultural and urban development of a city that has played an important role in the history of Europe. From the footsteps of the first man on the Catalan coast it reveals Roman Barcelona, Islamic Barcelona, the citys historic defeat in 1714, the age of steam, the hardships of the Civil War and the subsequent transition to democracy after Francos dictatorship. Always a symbol of liberty and a mosaic of cultures, the city exists as it does today thanks to the tireless efforts of its citizens, throughout the centuries, to make it ever bigger and better.