Avinguda Diagonal, Barcelona
Encyclopedia
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
's broadest and most important avenues. It cuts the city in two, diagonally from west to east (by Barcelona's compass), hence the name.
It was originally projected by engineer and urban planner
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
Ildefons Cerdà
Ildefons Cerdà
Ildefons Cerdà i Sunyer was the progressive Catalan Spanish urban planner who designed the 19th-century "extension" of Barcelona called the Eixample.-Biography:...
as one of the city's wide avenues, which along with Avinguda Meridiana
Avinguda Meridiana, Barcelona
Avinguda Meridiana is a major avenue in Barcelona, Spain, spanning parts of the Sant Andreu, Nou Barris and Sant Martí northern districts of the city...
would cut the rationalist grid he designed for l'Eixample (Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
for extension). Both would meet at Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, which Cerdà envisioned as the new city centre. However, Plaça Catalunya, equally a new addition to the city of Barcelona, and connecting Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella is a district of Barcelona, numbered District 1. The name means "old city" in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, Spain. Ciutat Vella is nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the neighborhood called l'Eixample...
and Eixample
Eixample
The Eixample is a district of Barcelona between the old city and what were once surrounding small towns , constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries....
, and therefore occupying a more privileged position in the urban area, would finally become the centre. Avinguda Diagonal remains to this day a much-transited avenue and many companies and hotels use it as a privileged location, as can be seen in its architecture.
The avenue starts in the Sant Martí
Sant Martí
Sant Martí , is a district of Barcelona located on its eastern side, usually numbered 10 out of the ten districts of the city.It borders the Mediterranean sea, Sant Adrià del Besòs and four other districts of the city: Ciutat Vella, l'Eixample, Horta-Guinardó and Sant Andreu.It did not become an...
district, next to Ronda del Litoral, bordering Sant Adrià de Besòs
Sant Adrià de Besòs
Sant Adrià de Besòs is a city in the comarca of the Barcelonès in Catalonia, northern Spain. It is situated at the mouth of the river Besòs, extending to both sides of the estuary. The original settlement with the parish church is on the left bank of the river, in the north of the municipal...
, and crosses the city, finally meeting the Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
-Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
highway and Ronda de Dalt, by Esplugues de Llobregat
Esplugues de Llobregat
Esplugues de Llobregat is a municipality of the Barcelona metropolitan area. It belongs to the comarca of Baix Llobregat, Barcelona province, Catalonia, Spain. It has some schools, such as the German School of Barcelona and American School of Barcelona, which attract rich families, thus increasing...
, in Les Corts
Les Corts
Les Corts may refer to:*Camp de Les Corts - the former home ground of FC Barcelona.*District of Les Corts - a district of Barcelona....
. It is consistently 50 meters wide and about 11 kilometers long.
Name
The different regimes that held power in CataloniaCatalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during the 20th century sought to change the city's street names. Avinguda Diagonal was no exception to that. It has been known under the following names:
- Gran Via Diagonal – original name which Ildefons CerdàIldefons CerdàIldefons Cerdà i Sunyer was the progressive Catalan Spanish urban planner who designed the 19th-century "extension" of Barcelona called the Eixample.-Biography:...
and Víctor BalaguerVictor BalaguerVíctor Balaguer , Catalan Spanish politician and author, was born at Barcelona on 11 December 1824, and was educated at the university of his native city....
intended to call the avenue. - Avinguda d'Argüelles – 1891. Named after Agustín ArgüellesAgustín ArgüellesAgustín Argüelles was a Spanish liberal politician.He studied Law at the University of Oviedo and worked as secretary of the bishop of Barcelona. In 1809 he was appointed secretary of the patriotic Royal Junta of the Treasury and Legislation...
(1776–1844). - Avinguda de la Nacionalitat Catalana – 1922. Mancomunitat de Catalunya, (in English, Commonwealth of Catalonia).
- Avenida de Alfonso XIII −1924. During Miguel Primo de RiveraMiguel Primo de RiveraMiguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, 22nd Count of Sobremonte, Knight of Calatrava was a Spanish dictator, aristocrat, and a military official who was appointed Prime Minister by the King and who for seven years was a dictator, ending the turno system of alternating...
's dictatorship, named after King Alfonso XIIIAlfonso XIII of SpainAlfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
. - Avinguda del Catorze d'Abril – 1931. Second Spanish RepublicSecond Spanish RepublicThe Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
(1931–1939). - Gran Vía Diagonal – 1939, provisional name imposed the day after the FascistFascismFascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
capture of BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
as an attempt to eliminate references to the Republic. - Avenida del Generalísimo Francisco Franco – 1939. During the authoritarian regime of Francisco FrancoFrancisco FrancoFrancisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. - Avinguda Diagonal – Its current name, adopted following the restoration of democracySpanish transition to democracyThe Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
in 1979.
It should be noted, though, that in popular usage the name "Diagonal" has always prevailed.
Early history
Ildefons Cerdà's so-called Pla Cerdà was not totally successful in transforming Barcelona's urban reality, as only parts of it were finally approved. The construction of Avinguda Diagonal is one of the projects it entailed that became reality, when a Royal Decree from Queen Isabella II of SpainIsabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
and Leopoldo O'Donnell
Leopoldo O'Donnell, 1st Duke of Tetuan
Don Leopoldo O'Donnell y Jorris, 1st Duke of Tetuan, 1st Count of Lucena, 1st Viscount of Aliaga, Grandee of Spain, , was a Spanish general and statesman...
's Spanish government
Spanish Government
Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
allowed him to start the construction of the avenue in 1859. The city council of Barcelona had previously requested the approval of Antoni Rovira i Trias
Antoni Rovira i Trias
Antoni Rovira i Trias was a Catalan architect, urban planner and founder of several associations, among them Societat Filomàtica de Barcelona. He's known as the architect of several buildings in Barcelona, among them the markets of Barceloneta , La Concepció , El Born and Sant Antoni...
's alternative project instead, which had been rejected.
After the completion of its central section, from the current Plaça de Francesc Macià towards Glòries
Glories
Glories may refer to:* The plural of the English word glory*Glòries, a usual shortened form of Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, a major square in Barcelona....
, it soon became one of Barcelona's most popular avenues and an ideal place for the Catalan aristocrats
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
and bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
to exhibit their carriages. Francesc Cambó
Francesc Cambó
Francesc Cambó i Batlle was a conservative Catalan politician, founder and leader of the autonomist party Lliga Regionalista. He was minister in several Spanish governments...
, leader of Lliga Regionalista
Regionalist League
Regionalist League was a political party of Catalonia, Spain, that appeared thanks to the triumph of the candidacy of the "four presidents" in 1901...
proposed the construction of a new palace for the then monarch Alfonso XIII in 1919 (the royal palace in Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella is a district of Barcelona, numbered District 1. The name means "old city" in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, Spain. Ciutat Vella is nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the neighborhood called l'Eixample...
had been destroyed in the fire of 1875).
Recent history
Avinguda Diagonal suffered several attacks by the Basque separatistBasque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
organisation ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
in 2000. On November 2, a car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
exploded injuring a security officer and a municipal officer. A few days later, on November 21, a car used by the killers of Enerst Lluch exploded in the middle of the avenue. On December 20 a municipal officer was shot dead.
Four venues in the area hosted competitions for the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
.
During 2010, Diagonal reform proposals were on the headlines, as the Barcelona city council had plans to make the tram cross the whole avenue. A popular consultation (the word referendum being banned by Spanish law) was scheduled for May 2010 between two reform proposals, the so called rambla or boulevard. It resulted in a big political failure for the city mayor, Jordi Hereu
Jordi Hereu i Boher
Jordi Hereu i Boher is a politician, member of the PSC. He was the Mayor of Barcelona from 2006 to 2011...
. There was a bare participation of 12% of potential voters, and about 80% voted for the third option none of the former two, that is, against any change.
Buildings and places of interest
Architecture
- Casa del Baró de Quadras (Museu de la Música) – designed by Josep Puig i CadafalchJosep Puig i CadafalchJosep Puig i Cadafalch was a Spanish Catalan Modernista architect who designed many significant buildings in Barcelona...
(1904–1906) - Casa Comalat – designed by Salvador Valeri i PupurullSalvador Valeri i PupurullSalvador Valeri i Pupurull was a Catalan architect. Valeri studied in the Polytechnical School of Madrid and the School of Architecture of Barcelona, where he obtained the degree of architect in 1899.- External links:*...
(1906–1911) - Església del Carme – designed by Josep Domènech i EstapàJosep Domènech i EstapàJosep Domènech i Estapà was a Catalan architect.He graduated in 1881, and became professor of geodesy and descriptive geometry at the University of Barcelona, and member of the Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts , of which he subsequently became president.His works in Barcelona include the church of...
, neo-Byzantine style (1909) - Casa Serra – also designed by Josep Puig i CadafalchJosep Puig i CadafalchJosep Puig i Cadafalch was a Spanish Catalan Modernista architect who designed many significant buildings in Barcelona...
, became a school. - Casa de Terrades, also known as Casa de les Punxes – Eixample's widest building, designed by Puig i Cadafalch (1903–1905)
- ME Barcelona hotel, designed by Dominique PerraultDominique PerraultDominique Perrault is a French architect. He became world known for the design of the French National Library, distinguished with the Mies van der Rohe Prize in 1996....
(2007). - Palau Pérez Samanillo
- Casa Sayrach – (1918)
- Palau Reial de PedralbesPalau reial de pedralbesThe Palau Reial de Pedralbes is a building placed in the middle of an ample garden in the district of Les Corts, in Barcelona. From 1919 until 1931 it was the residence for the Spanish Royal Family when they visited the city...
(1921), built for Alfonso XIII of SpainAlfonso XIII of SpainAlfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
and its gardens. (1924). - Torre AgbarTorre AgbarThe Torre Agbar is a 38-storey tower located between Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer Badajoz, near Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, which marks the gateway to the new technological district of Barcelona, Spain. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel in association with the Spanish firm B720...
– designed by Jean NouvelJean NouvelJean Nouvel is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of Mars 1976 and Syndicat de l'Architecture...
, next to Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes (2005). - La Caixa Headquarters
Shopping centres
- L'Illa.
- El Corte Inglés Avinguda Diagonal
- El Corte Inglés Francesc Macià
- Diagonal Mar
- GlòriesGloriesGlories may refer to:* The plural of the English word glory*Glòries, a usual shortened form of Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, a major square in Barcelona....
- Pedralbes Centre
Education
Avinguda Diagonal is also home to several schools of both Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, in the area that is commonly known as Zona Universitària.The following UB faculties and schools are located on the avenue:
- Biology (Av. Diagonal, 645)
- Business school (Av. Diagonal, 696)
- Economics (Av. Diagonal, 690)
- Law (Av. Diagonal, 684)
- Physics (Av. Diagonal, 647)
Metro
The avenue is served by a number of metro stations:- Zona Universitària (L3Barcelona Metro line 3— Line 3, currently known as Zona Universitària - Trinitat Nova, coloured green and often simply referred to as Línia verda , is a metro line in Barcelona operated by TMB, and therefore part of the fare-integrated ATM transport network of the urban region...
) - Palau Reial (L3Barcelona Metro line 3— Line 3, currently known as Zona Universitària - Trinitat Nova, coloured green and often simply referred to as Línia verda , is a metro line in Barcelona operated by TMB, and therefore part of the fare-integrated ATM transport network of the urban region...
) - Maria Cristina (L3Barcelona Metro line 3— Line 3, currently known as Zona Universitària - Trinitat Nova, coloured green and often simply referred to as Línia verda , is a metro line in Barcelona operated by TMB, and therefore part of the fare-integrated ATM transport network of the urban region...
) - Diagonal (L3Barcelona Metro line 3— Line 3, currently known as Zona Universitària - Trinitat Nova, coloured green and often simply referred to as Línia verda , is a metro line in Barcelona operated by TMB, and therefore part of the fare-integrated ATM transport network of the urban region...
, L5Barcelona Metro line 5— Line 5, currently known as Cornellà Centre - Vall d'Hebron, its termini, and often simply called "Línia Blava" is line belonging to the Barcelona Metro network operated by TMB, and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport network....
) – In and around Passeig de Gràcia. - Provença (L6Barcelona Metro line 6— Line 6, coloured navy blue, is the name of a metro-like commuter train service in Barcelona operated by FGC, and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport system. It links Plaça Catalunya, the city centre, with Sarrià-Sant Gervasi...
, L7Barcelona Metro line 7— Line 7, coloured brown , is a metro-like commuter train line in the Barcelona Metro network operated by FGC, and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport system. Also known as Línia de Balmes, as it climbs Carrer de Balmes uphill into Tibidabo, it shares three stations with FGC L6...
) – In Carrer Provença, linked with Diagonal station. - Verdaguer (L4Barcelona Metro line 4— Line 4, currently known as Trinitat Nova – La Pau, usually called "línia groga" , is a line in the Barcelona Metro network operated by TMB, and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport network...
, L5Barcelona Metro line 5— Line 5, currently known as Cornellà Centre - Vall d'Hebron, its termini, and often simply called "Línia Blava" is line belonging to the Barcelona Metro network operated by TMB, and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport network....
) – In Plaça Verdaguer - Glòries (L1Barcelona Metro line 1— Line 1, shortened to L1 and known as "Hospital de Bellvitge - Fondo", coloured red and often simply called Línia vermella , is the second oldest metro line in Barcelona, after L3. It is operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona . It appeared as a means to join the rail stations the city...
) – in Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes. - Selva de Mar (L4Barcelona Metro line 4— Line 4, currently known as Trinitat Nova – La Pau, usually called "línia groga" , is a line in the Barcelona Metro network operated by TMB, and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport network...
). - El Maresme Fòrum (L4Barcelona Metro line 4— Line 4, currently known as Trinitat Nova – La Pau, usually called "línia groga" , is a line in the Barcelona Metro network operated by TMB, and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport network...
).
Tram
Trambaix
The Trambaix is a light rail system operated by TRAMMET connecting the Baix Llobregat area with the city of Barcelona, Catalonia. It opened to the public on April 5, 2004 after a weekend when the tram could be used free of charge....
- Zona Universitària (T1, T2, T3)
- Palau Reial (T1, T2, T3)
- Maria Cristina (T1, T2, T3)
- Numància (T1, T2, T3)
- L'Illa (T1, T2, T3)
- Francesc Macià (T1, T2, T3)
Trambesòs
Trambesòs
The Trambesòs is a light rail system operated by TRAMMET connecting Sant Adrià de Besòs and Badalona with the city of Barcelona in Catalonia. The original line, known as T4, opened on May 8, 2004 and runs from Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica in Barcelona to the east of the city and extends roughly...
- Glòries (T4, T5)
- Ca L'Aranyó (T4)
- Pere IV (T4)
- Fluvià (T4)
- Selva de Mar (T4)
- El Maresme (T4)
- Fòrum (T4)
See also
- Diagonal metro station
- EixampleEixampleThe Eixample is a district of Barcelona between the old city and what were once surrounding small towns , constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries....
, List of streets in Eixample - ModernismeModernismeModernisme was a cultural movement associated with the search for Catalan national identity. It is often understood as an equivalent to a number of fin-de-siècle art movements, such as Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Secessionism, and Liberty style, and was active from roughly 1888 to 1911 Modernisme ...
, NoucentismeNoucentismeNoucentisme was a Catalan cultural movement of the early 20th century that originated largely as a reaction against Modernisme, both in art and ideology, and was, simultaneously, a perception of art almost opposite to that of avantgardists...
, Art NouveauArt NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
. - Ildefons CerdàIldefons CerdàIldefons Cerdà i Sunyer was the progressive Catalan Spanish urban planner who designed the 19th-century "extension" of Barcelona called the Eixample.-Biography:...
and his Pla Cerdà, influenced by utopian socialismUtopian socialismUtopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and Robert Owen which inspired Karl Marx and other early socialists and were looked on favorably... - History of BarcelonaHistory of BarcelonaThe history of Barcelona stretches back well over 2000 years to its origins as an Iberian village, named Barkeno. Its easily defensible location on the coastal plain between the Collserola ridge and the Mediterranean sea, on the coastal route between central Europe and the rest of the Iberian...
- History of CataloniaHistory of CataloniaThe territory that now constitutes the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain, and the adjoining Catalan region of France, was first settled during the Middle Palaeolithic...
- History of SpainHistory of SpainThe history of Spain involves all the other peoples and nations within the Iberian peninsula formerly known as Hispania, and includes still today the nations of Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain...
- 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures2004 Universal Forum of CulturesThe 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures - was a 141-day international event that took place in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain from May 9 to September 26, 2004.-History:...
Sources
- ALBAREDA, Joaquim, GUÀRDIA, Manel i altres.Enciclopèdia de Barcelona, Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana, Barcelona, 2006.