One of the most nerve tickling Catalonian traditions is the building of human towers. This tradition stems from the 18th century and was first developed in the Tarragona region. In the 20thcentury, especially since democratisation in the 80s, the castells spread over all of Catalonia and became a symbol of the own Catalan culture.
Nowadays they are an important feature at every town’s annual festivities, and the best teams manage to create towers of up to 10 storeys based on an impressive organisation and supporting base that often comprises of around 200 people. In 2010, the tradition of human towers was inscribed on the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.