THE CAPITAL OF CATALONIA, A PROVINCE OF SPAIN, BARCELONA WAS FOUNDED BY THE ROMANS BETWEEN THE TWO RIVERS LLOBREGAT AND BESÒS AND FURTHER BOUND BY THE SERRA DE COLLSEROLA MOUNTAIN RANGE TO THE WEST AND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA TO THE EAST. THE CITY HAS A RICH HISTORY OF CHANGING HANDS BETWEEN THE SPANISH, THE BOURBONS, AND THE FRENCH. THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR AND THE AFTERMATH REPRESSED CATALAN CULTURE SIGNIFICANTLY AND ITS EFFECTS STILL INFLUENCE POLITICS TODAY. BUT IN TRUTH, THERE WAS BARCELONA BEFORE 1992 AND THEN AFTER THE SUMMER OLYMPICS. THE CITY WAS PUT ON SHOW AND IT HAS NOT LOOKED BACK SINCE. READ ABOUT ALL OF THIS IN ROBERT HUGHES’ EXCELLENT EPONYMOUS READ.

THE 19TH CENTURY URBAN PLANNER, ILDEFONS CERDÀ AND HIS URBAN GRID FOR THE CITY SEEM TO INFLUENCE THREE OF THE FOUR SELECTED COVERS. THE BENITO COVER FEATURES A DIAGRAMMATIC CATALAN FLAG WITH AN ADDED NOD TO GAUDI’S FLOWER IN ITS CENTER. SIMILARLY, ANOTHER NOD TO GAUDI, WHO IS THE ARCHITECT OF LA SAGRADA FAMILIA, OCCUPIES THE CENTER OF THE ASTER COVER. THAT FLUTED SHAPE AT THE COVER’S PICKPOINT IS BORROWED FROM A PENDANT HANGING IN GAUDI’S CASA BATLLÓ. LOVE GAUDI? READ THE BIOGRAPHY BY GIJS VAN HENSBERGEN.

THE THIRD GRIDDED COVER FOUND IN LA RIBERA HAS AN ABSTRACTED CATALAN FLAG WITH THE UPDATED CATALAN WORD FOR WATERS. THE COVER WITH THE MEANDER FROM THE GAS COMPANY CGE (CATALANA DE GAS Y ELECTRICIDAD, S.A.) HAS THE DATE OF THE COMPANY’S FOUNDING 1843 (NOW PART OF NATURGY). THIS COVER DESIGN CAN BE FOUND NEAR THE EXPOSITION GROUNDS AND WAS ISSUED IN 1943 AND HAS AN ADDED NOD TO 1714 WHEN BARCELONA LOST TO THE BOURBONS, THEREBY LOSING ITS INDEPENDÈNCIA.