Poble Espanyol

For all of Catalonia's efforts to set itself apart from the rest of Spain, it's ironic that nestled in the capital's generous bosom of Montjuïc lies a little walled mini-Spain. Not only is it there, but every so often it lurches back into fashion.

One of the favourite exhibitions of the 1929 International Exhibition, the Poble Espanyol was an idea promoted by the architect Puig i Cadafalch devoted to Spanish handicrafts, in a setting designed as an anthology of the country's architecture: ‘Get to Know Spain in an Hour!' was the slogan.

Replicas of 117 famous and not so famous buildings were cunningly arranged with Disneyland deftness, a bit of Andalucía here, a bit of Basque there. It was supposed to last six months, but it was too popular to destroy. During the Civil War, the fact that it was walled made it a convenient internment camp.