Barcelona Jewish Quarters

Our second field study was both educational and fascinating.  I think one of the most intriguing things about the area that we studied is how long some of the architecture has lasted.  It is truly a travesty to know that there are other buildings that could still be standing had they not been knocked down in more modern times.  At one point towards the end of the trip, we were standing on a corner on which three buildings were set, all from different decades.  While it was amazing to see the range of architecture among the three different buildings, I couldn’t help but wonder how amazing it would have been had all of the buildings been the originals.  On another field study, I learned that the museum that houses the original Roman pillars and the remnants of the Roman town that lives underground was originally a building that stood a small distance away from its current location.  However, years ago, when old buildings were being torn down, the building that is now the museum was given some kind of protection from being knocked down.  But because the building needed to be moved for new construction in its place, all of the bricks of the entire building were numbered and taken apart one by one, and then reassembled in their contemporary site.  Coincidentally, this happened to be above some amazing historical information, turning the building into a museum henceforward.  If only all of the old buildings that were still standing could have been preserved like this.  Another part of the field study that I found so incredible was when we were standing in a small cobblestone court that fell between the walls of four buildings, one of which was absolutely covered with gunshot markings.  This is the site that prisoners of the Spanish Civil War were shot, in order to be out of sight and earshot of anyone.  Reading about these events is upsetting, but seeing them firsthand really made me able to feel a sense of connection to the history that I’ve been learning so much about.