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Location Information:
Barcelona is the home of the Plaça
de Catalunya, generally considered
to be both its city centre and the
place where the old city (see Barri
Gòtic and Raval, in Ciutat Vella)
and the 19th century-built Eixample
meet. Some of the city's most
important streets and avenues meet
at Plaça Catalunya: Passeig de
Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya, La
Rambla or Portal de l'Àngel, in
addition to Ronda de Sant Pere,
Carrer de Vergara or Carrer de Pelai.
The plaza occupies an area of about
50,000 square metres. It is
especially known for its fountains
and statues, its proximity to some
of Barcelona's most popular
attractions, and for the flocks of
pigeons that gather there.
After
the medieval city walls were
demolished in the 19th century,
ambitious designs for the city's
public spaces were conceived under
the guidance of notable urban
planners. Plaça Catalunya was
conceived as part of pla Rovira in
1859, but no official permission
from the government was given until
the 1888 Universal Exposition. It
was urbanised for the first time in
1902 and was further modified in
1929, on the occasion of the 1929
Barcelona International Exposition,
which also included the construction
of a metro station. Architect
Francisco Nebot designed the changes
made in 1929.
In May
Plaça Catalunya was the main
location where anti-government
protests and sit ins were held in
Barcelona, mirroring the events in
other Spanish cities. The mosaics
that decorate the walls of the
underground part of Plaça Catalunya
were designed by pupils of Escola
Massana. Plaça Catalunya hosts quite
a few interesting sculptures
representative of Noucentisme,
Neo-Classicism and different
avantgarde movements. Most of the
cafés and restaurants where writers
and artists would meet in the city
haven't survived, with the notable
exception of Café Zurich, where
Fabiola of Belgium's brother worked
as a pianist. The following ones
disappeared with the Spanish Civil
War. The square is also one of
Barcelona's most important transport
hubs, both above and under ground.
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