Plaça d'Espanya (Barcelona)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the square in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. For other similarly named squares, see Plaza de España.
Image:Montjuic Placa Espanya Barcelona.jpg
Night view of Plaça d'Espanya and some parts of the Sants-Montjuïc district seen from MNAC.
Image:Standbeeld Plaça d'Espanya.JPG
Statue in the roundabout of Plaça d'Espanya
Image:Catalonia-Barcelona-QuatreColumnesMontjuich.jpg
Quatre Columnes, pulled down in 1928 by orders of dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera.

Plaça d'Espanya is one of Barcelona's most important squares, built on the occasion of the 1929 International Exhibition located at the foot of Montjuïc, in the Sants-Montjuïc district.

Contents

[edit] Features

One of the city's biggest squares, it's crossed by some major thoroughfares such as Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes or Avinguda del Paral·lel, as well as Carrer de la Creu Coberta or Carrer de Tarragona, and leads to the Palau Nacional, which hosts one of Catalonia's finest museums, MNAC. It was designed by Josep Amargós. The fountain at the centre of the square was designed by Josep Maria Pujol, a collaborator of Antoni Gaudí, while Miquel Blay designed the statues. The buildings were designed by Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí

  • Venetian Towers - they are 47 m. (154 ft.) tall and lead the way to MNAC through Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, an avenue commonly used to host trade fairs.
  • Fira de Barcelona
  • Parc de Joan Miró - previously known as Parc de l'Escorxador (Abbatoir Park), it's nowadays named after the Catalan painter Joan Miró, whose 22 m. tall statue Dona i Ocell can be seen on one of its corners.
  • Arenas de Barcelona, a bullring - It was built in 1900 in the Moorish Revival Style and is being converted into a shopping center.

[edit] History

The square was built on a site that had been previously used for public hangings, until the creation of the now dismantled Ciutadella fortress in 1715, where the gallows were moved. It was designed in 1915 and built in 1929 so it could be ready to host the 1929 Universal Exposition. In 1928, the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera who lead the Spanish government at the time, ordered the pulling down of the four Ionic statues known as Les quatre columnes built ten years before by Puig i Cadafalch that symbolised the four bars of the Catalan flag as part of his banning of all Catalan symbols. The square has been in public use since then.

[edit] Transport

Plaça Espanya is also a major transport hub that serves most parts of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.

[edit] Metro

[edit] Bus

  • Line 9 Pl. Catalunya - Pg. Zona Franca
  • Line 13 Mercat de St. Antoni - Can Clos
  • Line 23 Pl. Espanya - Parc Logístic
  • Line 27 Pl. Espanya - Roquetes
  • Line 30 Pl. Espanya - Sarrià
  • Line 37 Hospital Cínic - Zona Franca
  • Line 46 Pl. Espanya - Aeroport
  • Line 50 Montjuïc - Trinitat Nova
  • Line 56 Collblanc - Besòs / Verneda
  • Line 57 Barcelona (Pg. Marítim) - Cornellà (Estació busos)
  • Line 61 Poble Sec - Parc de Montjuïc
  • Line 68 Poble Sec - Parc de Montjuïc
  • Line 79 Pl. Espanya - Av. Carrilet
  • Line 80 Barcelona (Pl. Espanya) - Gavà (Av. Joan Carles II)
  • Line 81 Barcelona (Pl. Espanya) - Gavà (Av. Joan Carles II)
  • Line 91 Rambles - Bordeta
  • Line 153 Barcelona - Cornellà
  • Line 157 Pg. Marítm - Sant Joan Despí
  • Line 193 Pl. Espanya - C. Montjuïc

[edit] Night bus

  • Line N0 Pl. Portal de la Pau - Pl. Portal de la Pau
  • Line N1 Zona Franca (Mercabarna) - Pl. Catalunya - Roquetes (Aiguablava)
  • Line N2 Hospitalet (Av. Carrilet) - Badalona (Via Augusta)
  • Line N14 Barcelona (Rda. Universitat) - Castelldefels (Centre Vila)
  • Line N15 Barcelona (Pl. Portal de la Pau) - Sant Joan Despí (Rbla. Josep Maria Jujol)
  • Line N16 Barcelona (Rda. Universitat) - Castelldefels (Bellamar)
  • Line N17 Pl. Catalunya - Aeroport

[edit] Train

[edit] Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya

  • R5 Manresa-Baixador
  • R6 Igualada
  • S33 Can Ros
  • S4 Olesa de Montserrat
  • S7 El Palau
  • S8 Martorell-Enllaç

[edit] See also

[edit] External links and references

es:Plaza de España (Barcelona)

nl:Plaça d'Espanya no:Plaça Espanya

Views
Personal tools

Toolbox