Presentation of the activities for the city’s tercentenary celebrations

The Barcelona City Council, in conjunction with the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, has presented the programme of activities for the commemoration of the tercentenary of the defeat of the Hapsburgs troops, a programme which will continue for a period of one year.
 

Under the slogan “Viure lliure” (Live in freedom), a slogan chanted by the Cardona resistance at the time, the objective of the organisers is to commemorate the defence of democracy, human rights, social justice, identity, freedom and dialog in an attempt to retrace history by establishing dialog between Barcelona’s past and present and its inhabitants by highlighting the effort, creativity and resurgent nature that has always characterised the population of both Catalonia and the city of Barcelona.
 

“But, above all”, says Toni Soler, the commissioner of the activities, “the tercentenary is an opportunity for us to show the world the best, most creative aspects of our city’s inhabitants”.
 

The programme, while still open to incorporations, already includes over 80 activities, of which we should highlight the inaugural event titled Auca del Born, directed by Jordi Casanovas, to mark the reopening of the refurbished Born market with a performance that includes a total of 48 scenes enacted by 30 different actors. 
 

Oriol Broggi will also direct a theatrical version of Casanova with Xavier Boada in the principle role and which will be shown in a number of civic centres.
 

The Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MHCB) will host an exhibition relating to the world as it stood in 1714. Joan Fontcuberta will construct a giant mosaic consisting of photographic prints. Ai Weiwei will present an exhibition in La Virreina and architects Benedetta Tagliabue and Àlex Ollé of the La Fura dels Baus will be staging an itinerant circuit of ephemeral street architectures.
 

The activities will also include the first conference on the historical novel which, presided over by Enric Calpena, has been programmed by readers clubs and organised by Barcelona’s libraries, as well as the presentation of the first Barcino International Award for the Historical Novel.
 

Other events include a conference by worldwide experts on the Treaty of Utrecht and the Catalan resistance, a series of debates with current experts and intellectuals relating to “DO Europa” (Designation of Origin Europe), directed by Mònica Terribas, a concert by Jordi Savall and an orchestrated cooking performance with Ferran Adrià, Carme Ruscalleda and Joan Roca.
 

In addition, during the local Mercè festival, the Parc de la Ciutadella will be travelling back in time with street theatre performances and period music and characters and a tavern where visitors may sample food and drinks from the 1700s and an encampment of soldiers who will be re-enacting the defence of the city against the Borbón siege.