Discover the brilliance of Barcelona's Sephardic Heritage carved into the very stones of its Jewish Quarter
The Jewish Heritage Experience
2 or 4 hours
BARCELONA
Jonathan's tour of Barcelona's Jewish Quarter is fascinating."
Richard Eilers, Travel Writer
Discover the brilliance of Barcelona's
captivating Jewish past & present
With a mystique all its own, the history of Barcelona's El Call, or medieval Jewish Quarter, can be found carved into its very stones - you just have to know where to look. Once pious, dense and bustling, the quarter's quiet backstreets are testament to a glorious past.
What to expect?
A fascinating street by street exploration of El Call illuminates everyday life in medieval Barcelona at a time the Jewish population accounted for 10% of the city. Who they were, where they came from, where they went and what legacy they left Sephardic Jewry and Spain at large are a few of the questions we address. Our discovery reveals how the medieval Jewish community lived, the professions they practiced, the contributions made to medieval Catalan society and their relationship to the non-Jewish world. A story, like so many others, of exile, faith and belonging.
The Golden Age of Jewish culture in medieval Barcelona directly coincided with the expansion of the Catalan crown throughout the Mediterranean resulting in as many sites of Jewish significance located outside the medieval Jewish Quarter as within.
What's included?
Visit "La Sinagoga Mayor" medieval synagogue, unique in all of Europe, marvel at storybook plazas Felip Neri and Plaza del Rey and gain insight into what life was like leading up to the community's fateful expulsion as well as what a budding Jewish cultural life looks like in contemporary Barcelona after 500 years of silence.