Catalonia square (Plaça Catalunya) – one of the most popular places and an important landmark of Barcelona. It is located on the border of two areas of the city - the old town and Eixample (a modern, highly developed area). The most famous streets of the Catalan capital begin from here: Passage Gracia and Rambler Street, as well as seven more streets. Plaza Catalunya is the true beauty of Barcelona. This is a green oasis in the city center, where wonderful architectural creations are collected. There are several fountains and granite sculptures. Despite its size, the square is always crowded. Most tourist routes start from here.
Due to its location and proximity to the attractions of Barcelona, Plaza Catalunya has become an iconic place where many interesting events take place, sometimes rallies and protests take place here. Various holidays and festivals are held here (September 23), for example, the feast of the city's patroness, Our Lady of Mercy, which is one of the most important holidays for Barcelona residents. In winter, the square hosts one of Europe's largest ice and fairy Christmas markets, and in summer - exhibitions and Catalan Book Week.
There used to be a village here and it was located outside the territory of Barcelona. In the second half of the 19th century, the city walls were demolished and construction began outside of Barcelona. The authorities held a competition for the best architectural design of the area, and the modern project of Ildefons Serdi was chosen, but the first place went to another project, according to which all the streets were to start from the Gothic quarter and continue in rays. The architects had to compromise, and today we see a fusion of these two ideas.
In 1888, before the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona, the Plaça de Catalunya was significantly expanded, and certain changes were made before the Barcelona International Exhibition of 1929. At the same time, a metro station appeared. The total area of the area is about 50 thousand square meters. In the XX century, statues were installed on the square to decorate the city.
There are 28 statues in Plaza Catalunya. We will highlight some of them. “Goddess” (same as “Riddle”):
"Motherhood":
"Tarragona":
"Youth":
"Barcelona":
"Inverted Staircase" (dedicated to Francesc Massia, national hero of Catalonia, fighter for its independence):
There is also “Wisdom”, “Woman with an Angel”, “Girona”, “Hercules”, “Woman in the Image of the Virgin Mary” and others.
You will also see the twin fountains in Plaza Catalunya:
And not only them:
According to legend, if you drink water from one of the drinking fountains in Plaza Catalunya, you will definitely come back here.
Under the square there is a huge world, including a car park, a train station, a metro station, shops, cafes, a Catalan police station and the largest tourist information center in Barcelona.
Around the square there are hotels, apartments, banks, telephone operator offices, bars, restaurants, shops and shopping centers. Let's highlight the Apple store:
Shopping center El Corte Inglés (near the airport bus stop):
Neoclassical building with the Spanish Credit Bank to the left of the tower, the house of Pich i Pon to the right:
House of Antonio Rocamora (Casa Rocamora):
House Casa Pascual i Pons:
How to get to Plaza Catalunya:
- red L1 and green L3 metro lines, stop Plaça Catalunya; Purple L2, green L3 and yellow L4 lines, stop Passeig de Gracia; Red L1 and yellow L4 lines, stop Urquinaona.
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