Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona

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Plaça Catalunya (or Plaça de Catalunya, both being the official Catalan language names; Plaza de Cataluña in Spanish) is a large square in central Barcelona that is 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 in 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. It has 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 impressive flocks of pigeons that gather in the centre

Contents 1 History 2 Art 2.1 Sculpture 2.2 Decorative arts 3 Culture 3.1 Theatre 3.2 Cafés and restaurants 4 Other services 4.1 Shopping centres 4.2 Hotels 4.3 Financial institutions 4.4 Foreign relations 5 Transport 5.1 Metro 5.2 Bus lines 5.2.1 Day bus 5.2.2 Nitbus 5.2.3 Guided tours 5.3 Train 6 See also 7 References and external links

[edit] History

After the medieval city walls were demolished in the 19th century, a significant reform of the city took place, under the guide of a number of notable urban planners. Plaça Catalunya in particular 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, with further reforms in 1929, on the occasion of the 1929 Universal Exposition, that also included the construction of a metro line. Francisco Nebot directed the reforms.

[edit] Art

[edit] Sculpture

Plaça Catalunya hosts quite a few interesting sculptures representative of Noucentisme, Neo-Classicism and different avantgarde movements.

• Deessa, by Josep Clarà.
• Pastor de Pau, by Pablo Gargallo.
• Francesc Macià monument. It reads: "Catalunya a Francesc Macià".
• Josep Llimona's sculptures.

[edit] Decorative arts

The mosaics that decorate the walls of the underground part of Plaça Catalunya were designed by pupils of Escola Massana.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Theatre

A few theatres have been established in Plaça Catalunya since its construction, none of which is still in existence.

• Teatre del Bon Retir (1876-1885)
• Circ Eqüestre Alegria (1879-1895)
• Eldorado Conert (1887)
• Teatre Barcelona (1923)

There still are, however, other theatres in the nearby area, located in other streets or squares.

[edit] Cafés and restaurants

Similarly, 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:

• Maison Dorée
• Café Colón
• La Lluna
• Cafè Suís

[edit] Other services

[edit] Shopping centres

• El Corte Inglés
• El Triangle, containing a three-story fnac shop.

[edit] Hotels

• H10 Catalunya Plaza
• Hotel Monegal
• Olivia Plaza Hotel

[edit] Financial institutions

• Banco Español de Crédito (Banesto).
• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA).
• Banco de España
• Caja Madrid

[edit] Foreign relations

• Canadian consulate. - A protest was held there on April 2007 against the country's largest seal hunt in the last 50 years.

[edit] Transport

The square is also one of Barcelona's most important transport hubs, both above and under ground.

[edit] Metro

The original Barcelona metro line in Barcelona, known as Gran Metro, had Plaça Catalunya as one of its termini. It went to become the current green line, L3, operated by TMB. It's also served by two FGC lines.

• Catalunya (L1, L3, L6, L7)
• Passeig de Gràcia (L2, L3, L4).

[edit] Bus lines

[edit] Day bus

• Bus 9 Pl. Catalunya - Pg. Zona Franca
• Bus 14 Vil·la Olímpica - Pg. Bonanova
• Bus 16 Urquinaona - Pg. Manuel Girona
• Bus 17 Barceloneta - Av. Jordà
• Bus 24 Av. Paral·lel - Carmel
• Bus 28 Pl. Catalunya - Carmel
• Bus 41 Pl. Francesc Macià - Diagonal Mar
• Bus 42 Pl. Catalunya - Santa Coloma
• Bus 55 Parc de Montjuïc - Plaça Catalana
• Bus 58 Pl. Catalunya - Av. Tibidabo
• Bus 59 Pg. Marítim - Plaça Reina Maria Cristina
• Bus 66 Pl. Catalunya - Sarrià
• Bus 67 Pl. Catalunya - Cornellà
• Bus 68 Pl. Catalunya - Cornellà
• Bus 141 Av. Mistral - Barri del Besòs
• Aerobus

[edit] Nitbus

Barcelona's night bus is known as Nitbus and most of its lines serve Plaça Catalunya:

• N1 Zona Franca (Mercabarna) - Pl. Catalunya - Roquetes (Aiguablava)
• N2 Av. Carrilet - Pl. Catalunya - Badalona (Montigalà)
• N3 Collblanc - Montcada i Reixac
• N4 Via Favència - Pl. Catalunya - Gran Vista
• N5 Pl. Catalunya - Gran Vista
• N6 Barcelona (Roquetes) - Santa Coloma (Oliveres)
• N7 Pl. Pedralbes - Pl. Llevant (Fòrum)
• N8 Can Caralleu - Santa Coloma (Can Franquesa)
• N9 Pl. Portal de la Pau - Tiana (Edith Llaurador)
• N11 Barcelona (Pl. Catalunya) - H. Can Ruti

[edit] Guided tours

• Tombbus T1
• Tombbus T2

[edit] Train

• RENFE Plaça Catalunya train station.
• Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya

[edit] See also

• Avinguda de la Llum
• Font de Canaletes
• History of Barcelona
• List of streets and squares in Eixample

[edit] References and external links

• ALBAREDA, Joaquim, GUÀRDIA, Manel i altres.Enciclopèdia de Barcelona, Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana, Barcelona, 2006.
• City map at Bcn.es

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Museums:	Archaeology Museum of Catalonia · Caixafòrum · CCCB · Cosmocaixa · Fundació Antoni Tàpies · Institut Botànic de Barcelona · Jardí Botànic · MACBA · Museu de les Arts Decoratives · Museu Castell de Montjuïc & Museu Militar · Museu de Cera de Barcelona · Museu de Ceràmica · Museu de la Ciència · Museu Egipci de Barcelona · Museu de l'Eròtica de Barcelona · Museu Etnològic · Museu Frederic Marès · Museu d'Història de Catalunya · Museu d'Història de la Ciutat · Museu Marítim de Barcelona · Museu de la Música · Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya · Museu del Perfum de Barcelona · Museu Picasso · Museu Tèxtil i d'Indumentària · Museu de la Xocolata
Sports:	Camp Municipal Narcís Sala · Camp Nou · Camp de Les Corts · Estadi de Sarrià · Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys · Mini Estadi · Palau dels Esports · Palau Blaugrana · Palau Sant Jordi
Performing arts:	Gran Teatre del Liceu · L'Auditori · Palau de la Música Catalana · Teatre Apolo · Teatre Grec · Teatre Lliure · Teatre Poliorama · Teatre Romea
Parks:	Laberint d'Horta · Parc de les Aigües
Zoos:	Aquarium Barcelona · Parc Zoològic de Barcelona
Beaches:	Barceloneta beach · Bogatell beach · Mar Bella beach · Nova Icària beach · Nova Mar Bella beach · Sant Sebastià beach

Coordinates: 41°23′12″N 2°10′12″E / 41.38667, 2.17ca:Plaça de Catalunya de:Plaça de Catalunya es:Plaza de Cataluña it:Plaça Catalunya nl:Plaça de Catalunya no:Plaça de Catalunya