How it was made
Each page combines official cartography, municipal data, archives, scholarship and neighbourhood sources. Administrative boundaries organise the atlas; neighbourhood life often spills across them.
Figures always show their year. Historical claims link to the sources that support them. Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated. Where the evidence is insufficient, the gap is left open.
Historical cartography in this atlas
Panoramic view of Barcelona drawn by Anton van den Wyngaerde, 1563.
Wikimedia Commons · public domain · source
Plan of Barcelona shortly before Cerdà’s Eixample (1858).
Wikimedia Commons · Miquel Garriga i Roca · CC BY 4.0 · source
Plan by Miquel Garriga i Roca (1862), detailed cartography of the consolidated city.
Wikimedia Commons · public domain · source
Plan of Barcelona and its surroundings around 1890, with the Eixample expanding.
Wikimedia Commons · public domain · source
Map of Barcelona published in 1920, when the urban fabric was already much larger.
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Boundaries
The atlas uses Barcelona's 73 official neighbourhood units (2006) and CartoBCN cartography. Administrative lines organise the map; lived neighbourhoods often cross them.
Historical evidence
We prioritise municipal archives, MUHBA publications, historical cartography and scholarly work. Where sources disagree, the page says so.
Figures
Population and nationality from the municipal register (2026). Density with 2021 surfaces. Income is the 2023 mean of census sections. Every figure shows its year.
Translations
Published in Catalan, Spanish, English and Romanian. Official Catalan names are preserved. Versions agree on facts and dates.
Images and rights
Images appear only with documented source and licence.
Corrections
Send sourced corrections to barcelona@mariuscomper.uk. Last global review: 17 July 2026.