Until 1860, the year in which Barcelona finally broke
out from behind its city walls, the city extended no
further than the hexagon of the 15th century enclosure
( the present-day Casc Antic) that lies between these
streets: the Rondes de Sant Pau, de Sant Antoni, d'Universitat,
and de Sant Pere, the Passeig de Lluís Companys,
the Avinguda Marquès de l'Argentera, which continues
as the Passeig Colom, and the Avinguda del Paral.lel.
The only wide street at the heart of the city was La
Rambla, an old stream whose name derives from the Arabic
"ramla" meaning "sandy ground".
Until the beginning of the 18th century La Rambla consisted
merely of a path beside a stream running between convents
on one side and the old city walls on the other. It
was in 1704 that the first houses were put up at the
Boqueria on the site of the old city walls and the first
trees were planted. In 1775 the old city walls by the
Drassanes medieval shipyards were demolished, and toward
the end of the 18th century the street began to be systematically
developed: la Rambla became a kind of tree-lined avenue.
From upper end, which runs into the Plaça
Catalunya, to the lower end below the monument
to Columbus, this unique street in fact bears five different
names, each describing a section of the street: first,
there is La Rambla de Canaletes, a name used by the
people of Barcelona because of the Font de les Canaletes
fountain, found there since ancient times. Folk tradition
has it that anyone who drinks from this fountain will
subsequently keep returning to Barcelona. The next section
of La Rambla is known as La Rambla dels Estudis, after
the mid-15th century building of that name, the Estudi
General or Universitat. This university in Barcelona
was suppressed by Philip V and the building used as
a barracks. In 1843 it was demolished. If you continue
down toward the sea you will enter the stretch known
as La Rambla de les Flors, the only place in 19th-century
Barcelona that flowers were sold and which even today
preserves its that old special charm. Next comes La
Rambla del Centre, also known as La Rambla dels Caputxins,
because of the old house of Capuchin friars there. And
finally, there is the stretch of La Rambla called La
Rambla de Santa Mònica, giving access to the
port, called after the parish church there which previously
had been the religious house of the Agustins Descalços
(Barefoot Augustinian order).
Rambla de Canaletes
The top part of the Rambla running into Plaça
Catalunya is generally referred to as the Rambla de
la Font de Canaletes, because of the fountain to be
found there. This street is well-known and much loved
by the people of Barcelona. The old fountain in the
studi General, the forerunner of today's University,
had small pipes that threw water out into a kind of
trough. After the demolition of the old city walls a
more modern fountain was made and its water acquired
quite a reputation for purity because it came from the
Montcada mine. They say that whoever drinks water at
this fountain will forever keep coming back to Barcelona.
Rambla dels Estudis
Ever since the 14th century the old city walls
had closed off the upper section of this part of the
Rambla, which is named after the 16th-century Estudi
General or University sited here. In the 18th century
Philip V, King of Spain, abolished the University and
had the building converted into barracks. In 1843 the
building was demolished to make way for the Isabel II
Gateway in the city walls.
Rambla de les flors
In the words of Cirici Pellicer, the Rambla
of the Flowers is the "quintessence of Barcelona,
its ever-changing beauty that follows the seasons of
the year". In the 19th century this was the only
place in Barcelona that flowers were sold. From among
the groups of people that congregated around the beautiful
flower sellers the painter Ramon Casas, a pioneer of
Impressionism in Catalonia, selected his favourite model,
later to become his wife.
Rambla dels Caputxins
The Rambla dels Caputxins, also known as the
Rambla del Centre, stretches from the area called the
Pla de la Boqueria -between the Carrer de l'Hospital,
the Liceu opera house, and the Carrer de la Boqueria-
to the Plaça del Teatre. This section of the
Rambla was the first to be converted into a promenade
where people used to come out to meet friends in the
morning. On opera nights the street would be transformed
by elegant middle-class Catalans coming out of the Liceu.
Rambla de Santa Mònica
In 1774 the old city walls running from the
Plaça del Teatre down to the sea were demolished.
In 1817 a fountain dedicated to Hercules, the mythical
founder of the city, was built in this square, but was
later removed at the end of the 19th century. The name
Plaça del Teatre comes from the fact that opposite
is the Teatre Principal, one of the oldest theatres
in the city. Now the square is occupied by a monument
to the memory of Frederic Soler, also known as Serafí
Pitarra, considered the founder of modern Catalan theatre.
This monument was designed by the architect Falqués;
the sculpture is by Querol.
Rambla de Mar
At the bottom the Rambla de Santa Mònica
is the square known as the Plaça Portal de la
Pau. Near the Drassanes (old shipyards) rises the monument
built in memory of Cristopher Columbus and the fact
that the port of arrival after his first return voyage
from America and the site of his first audience with
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella was Barcelona. The
monument, built in 1886 by the architect Gaietà
Buigas Monravà, consists of a great iron column
on a stone base topped by a statue of the navigator.
Inside the monument there is a lift that takes you up
to the crown beneath the statue, from where you can
enjoy a good view of the port, Montjuïc, the Drassanes
and the city as a whole.
|
