19th century to present day

During the nineteenth century, Barcelona grew with the industrial revolution and the introduction of many new industries. During a period of weaker control by the Madrid authorities, the medieval walls were torn down and the citadel of La Ribera was converted into an urban park: the modern Parc de la Ciutadella, site of the 1888 Universal Exposition. The exposition also left behind the Arc de Triomf and the Museu de Zoologia (a building originally used during the fair as a cafe-restaurant). The fields that had surrounded the artificially constricted city became the Eixample ("extension"), a bustling modern city surrounding the old.

The beginning of the twentieth century marked Barcelona's resurgence, while Catalan nationalists clamoured for political autonomy and greater freedom of cultural expression.

Barcelona was a stronghold for the anarchist cause—anarchist opposition to the call-up of reservists to fight in Morocco was one of the factors that led to the city's "tragic Week" in 1909. Barcelona sided with the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). Finally, on 1939-04-01 the last reducts of republican forces in the Spanish Maquis were overrun by nationalist forces, which ushered in a reign of cultural and political repression that lasted more than three decades.

The protest movement of the 1970s and the death of Franco in 1975 turned Barcelona into a centre of cultural vitality. A decline in the inner city population and displacement towards the outskirts and beyond currently raises the threat of urban sprawl.

Barcelona underwent a massive and lasting transformation as a result of hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics. As well as proving a major catalyst to a stalling urban regeneration scheme[11] the Games led directly to the construction of the Palau Sant Jordi (by architect Arata Isozaki), the Torre de Collserola communication tower (Norman Foster), Torre de Montjuic (Santiago Calatrava) and ultimately a large-scale remodeling of the El Prat Airport (Ricardo Bofill). Entire beaches were created from nothing, the sewage system overhauled and the transport network updated. According to the city's chief architect, Jose Antonio Acebillo, "twenty-five years' worth of infrastructure upgrades were crammed into five years."[12] It sparked an economic boom in the city which has barely abated since, with tourist industry alone now five times bigger than it was prior to 1992.[13] To date, the largest event held in the city since has been the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures, held between May and September and lasting a marathon 141 days.