Plaza de Catalunya

Plaza Catalunya is one of the most popular attractions of Barcelona. It is located between the Old Town and the Eixample district. Here begin two of the most famous streets of Barcelona: Rambla and Peseo de Grazia.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, the area on which the Plaza Catalunya stretched was an ordinary countryside outside the city walls. In 1858, permission was obtained to demolish the barrier walls from the central government in Madrid. Thanks to this, it became possible to begin active construction on the adjacent lands. By 1888, the architectural ensemble of the square had almost developed, after which it was repeatedly modernized. The most significant changes were made to the appearance of Plaza Catalunya in 1929, when the city was preparing for the International Exhibition, and a metro station was built.

The square is paved with stone, and around it are scattered several small fountains and many sculptures. Relatively recently, in 1991, the collection of monuments of this square was replenished with a monument dedicated to the former president of the government of Catalonia Francesco Macia. Its author is the architect Josep Subirax, who took part in the construction of the monumental Sagrada Familia Cathedral.