Plaça de Catalunya

Barcelona's two most famous streets, the Rambla (a wide promenade in the old city) and the Passeig de Gracia (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.

The Plaça de Catalunya also 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. Many of the city's buses, as well as airport express and tourist buses stop here at the square.

Until the middle of the 19th 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.

The first place was awarded to a design by Rovira i Trias, which consisted of plan with streets radiating from the historic Barri Gotic district. The central government however chose for a more modern design with a grid plan by Ildefons Cerdà.
The central government prevailed and the new Eixample district was designed according to Cerdà's design. Barcelona's government however opposed what they perceived as a lack of integration between the new and old districts. They supported Rovira i Trias's plan of a wide esplanade leading to a plaza. Cerdà's plan consisted of an extension of the Rambla towards a large square to be created on the Passeig de Gracia.

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, created between 1925 and 1927.
ça de Catalunya is not integrated with any of the surrounding neighborhoods, but for a square this size it is surprisingly pleasant.

The benches at the circular center of the square are ideal for people-watching. Around this centrally paved area a couple of fountains and a large number of sculptures are planted, seemingly at random.
A recent addition to the square's collection of sculptures 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 Familia.