Plaça de Catalunya

The Plaça de Catalunya, a large plaza surrounded by monumental buildings, is Barcelona's busiest square. Two of Barcelona's most famous streets, the Rambla (a wide promenade in the old city) and the Passeig de Gràcia (a grand showcase of modernist architecture in Eixample) start at the Plaça de Catalunya. Even though the square is enormous in size, it is constantly crowded with people walking to and from one of the nine streets emanating from the square. (map)
Forvo

1915

Until the middle of the nineteenth century the Plaça de Catalunya was a rural area just outside the city walls. In 1858 the central government in Madrid finally allowed the defensive walls to be demolished. It also approved construction outside the walls so a public competition was organized for the design of a new district. For the Eixample master plan, a very modern design with a grid plan by Ildefons Cerdà was adopted but the Catalans rejected his design for the plaza, preferring a design by Rovira i Trias, which consisted of a plan with streets radiating from the historic Barri Gòtic district.
Eventually the local and central government agreed to another plan as a compromise. The new design by the architect Puig i Cadafalch (better known for his modernist building 'Casa de les Punxes') resulted in the current enormous square, but nonetheless surprisingly pleasant for a square this size. The plaza was opened by King Alfonso XIII in 1927.

The benches at the oval shaped center of the square are ideal for people-watching. A single row of trees surrounds this area, shielding it from the traffic heavy streets. To the north are a couple of large circular fountains that are illuminated at night. There are six sculptural groups around the plaza: they represent the four Catalan capital cities, wisdom and labour.A large number of sculptures are planted around the central paved area, seemingly at random.
 
 



The most prominent of these is the Monument a Francesc Macià, honoring the former president of the Generalitat (the Catalan government). The sculpture was created in 1991 by Josep Subirachs, the architect in charge of the construction of the Sagrada Família.

Another notable sculpture is an iconic statue of a female figure by Josep Clara. The statue, entitled "La Deessa o l'Enigma" (The Goddess or the Enigma) is set at the center of a pool. The white marble sculpture is a 1982 replica. 

When the city was preparing for the 1929 International Exhibition, some of new Barcelona’s most luxurious hotels, bars and theatres were built around the plaza. Almost none of them survive, except for the memory of names such as the Maison Dorée, the Colón and the Suís. 

To the east the Plaça de Catalunya is bordered by an imposing white building home to El Corte Inglés, a famous department store with branches all over Spain. The store has a wide assortment of articles ranging from food to gardening tools and electronics. The cafetaria on the ninth floor offers amazing views over the square.

El Corte Inglès

The Plaça de Catalunya functions as a hub for the city's public transportation. Below the square is the main subway junction (three metro lines and a city railway line meet here), as well as the Tourist Information Office of Barcelona and one of the three Modernisme Centres of Barcelona. The adjacent shop sells products related to this artistic movement. Many of the city's buses, as well as airport express and tourist buses stop here at the square.

Back : Quadrat d'Or Tour

Pedra de Montjuic

2001 Maternitat

2002 La Navegació

2003 Pastor del flabiol.Le Berger à la flûte

2004 Noia

2005 Joventut

2006 Figura femenina.Estàtua

2007 Dona amb nen i flabiol.Maternitat

2008 El Forjador

           Marbre Blanc

2013 La Deessa o l'Enigma

           Bronce

2009 Girona

2010 Dona/Montseny

2011 Pescador/Emporion

2012 Treball

2014 Saviesa

2015 Pomona/Pastor de l'àliga

2016 L'Esperit popular/Dona amb imatge de la Mare de Déu

2017 Lleida

2018 Tarragona

2019 Hèrcules/Dona amb àngel

2020 Montserrat/Figura femenina

2021 Barcelona

           Fonts

2801 Font dels Sis Putti

2821 Fonts ornamentals de la Plaça Catalunya 1959

2048 Catalunya a Francesc Macià 1991