Urban landscapes are composed of signs and symbols which are written into their buildings, monuments, and streetscapes, which we read, consciously and unconsciously, as we pass through the city. Over the last three centuries different groups have ‘written’ this semiotic landscape in Barcelona, starting after the Spanish siege in 1714, and continuing up to the present day. Theories of semiotics and architectural syntax suggest ways in which this communication operates, and the academic framework of critical urban studies offers a way to interpret the city, so as to understand how this process is used by different social groups, who has written the city, and to with what purpose.