The church has been the focus of much controversy since architect Antoni Gaudi took over the project in 1883, one year after construction began.

FORBES: Daily Travel Flashback: The Construction and Attempted Destruction of La Sagrada Familia

Still unfinished over 130 years since construction started, Antoni Gaudi's designs have been given a boost through advanced software more typically used in aeronautical projects.

ENGADGET

The Catalan capital is still a city best enjoyed from outside the city center, thanks to some of its whimsical architecture, courtesy of Antoni Gaudi .

FORBES: Overview

It was tycoons, not politicians, who built Barcelona into Spain's first industrial city, as they built the eccentric Antoni Gaudi mansions that today help to draw its ever-multiplying tourists.

ECONOMIST: A survey of Spain