Plaça de Catalunya (pronounced[ˈplasəðəkətəˈluɲə], meaning in English "Catalonia Square"; sometimes referred to as Plaza de Cataluña, its Spanish name) 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.
After the medieval city walls were demolished in the 19th century, ambitious designs for the city's public spaces were conceived under the guidance of notable urban planners. Plaça Catalunya 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 and was further modified in 1929, on the occasion of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, which also included the construction of a metro station. Architect Francesc de Paula Nebot designed the changes made in 1929.
In May 2011 Plaça Catalunya was the main location where anti-government protests and sit ins were held in Barcelona, mirroring the events in other Spanish cities.
Plaça Catalunya is the site of several notable public sculptures and monuments representative of Noucentisme, Neo-Classicism and different avant-garde movements.
The Barcelona Telephone Exchange (Edificio Telefónica) has four stained glass windows, designed in 1991, installed in the tower lantern. Commissioned from the artist Brian Clarke to commemorate the 1992 Olympic Games hosted by the city, the artworks were fabricated by the local Fundació Centre del Vidre, and conceived to function as a coloured beacon overlooking the square.
The mosaics that decorate the walls of the underground part of Plaça Catalunya were designed by pupils of Escola Massana.
Culture
Theatre
A few theatres have been established in Plaça Catalunya since its construction, none of which are extant.
Teatre del Bon Retir (1876-1885)
Circ Eqüestre Alegria (1879-1895)
Eldorado Concert (1887-1929)
Teatre Barcelona (1923-198-)
There still are, however, other theatres in the nearby area, located in other streets or squares.
Cafés and restaurants
The square in August 2014
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:
The square is also one of Barcelona's most important transport hubs, both above and under ground.
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.
