Gran Vía (Madrid Metro)
Encyclopedia
Gran Vía is a station on Lines 1
and 5
of the Madrid Metro
located underneath the Gran Vía
, in the Centro
neighborhood underneath the Red de San Luis plaza. It is located in fare zone A.
in 1919, under the name Red de San Luis. The Gran Vía was still under construction at that time, but a year later the station adopted that name. During the dictatorship of Franco
, the name was changed again to José Antonio. This reflected the renaming of the Gran Vía to José Antonio Avenue by Franco, in honor of José Antonio
, founder of the fascist
party Falange
.
In 1970, the Line 5 platforms opened under the name José Antonio. Fourteen years later, in 1984, the station returned to its previous name of Gran Vía.
For many years, the station was known for the elaborate edifice that housed the elevators, built by the architect Antonio Palacios
. It was constructed of polished granite with a iron and glass canopy. To use the elevator, customers had to pay a small fee. The original vestibule, also done by Palacios, was decorated with glazed tiles. When the edifice was dismantled in 1972, it was returned to O Porriño
, the architect's hometown. There is currently a project underway to install a replica.
Line 1 (Madrid Metro)
Line 1 of the Madrid Metro was opened on 17 September 1919 between Cuatro Caminos and Sol. It was extended from Sol to Atocha in 1921, Atocha to Puente de Vallecas in 1923, Cuatro Caminos to Tetuán in 1929, Tetuán to Plaza De Castilla in 1961 and Puente de Vallecas to Portazgo in 1962.Between 1964...
and 5
Line 5 (Madrid Metro)
Line 5 of the Madrid Metro originally opened between Callao and Carabanchel on 5 June 1968, the latter sharing station platforms with then called Line S On 2 March 1970, the line was extended from Callao to Ciudad Lineal, however the section between Ventas and Ciudad Lineal was opened as part of...
of the Madrid Metro
Madrid Metro
The Madrid Metro is a metro system serving the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. The system is the sixth longest metro in the world though Madrid is approximately the fiftieth most populous metropolitan area in the world...
located underneath the Gran Vía
Gran Vía
Gran Vía is an ornate and upscale shopping street located in central Madrid. It leads from Calle de Alcalá, close to Plaza de Cibeles, to Plaza de España....
, in the Centro
Centro (Madrid)
Centro is the central district of the city of Madrid, Spain. It is approximately 5,23 km² in size. It has a population of 148,714 and a population density of 28434,8/km².-Subdivision:The district is administratively divided into 6 wards :...
neighborhood underneath the Red de San Luis plaza. It is located in fare zone A.
History
The Line 1 platforms were opened to the public when Metro service was inaugurated in MadridMadrid
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...
in 1919, under the name Red de San Luis. The Gran Vía was still under construction at that time, but a year later the station adopted that name. During the dictatorship of Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco 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...
, the name was changed again to José Antonio. This reflected the renaming of the Gran Vía to José Antonio Avenue by Franco, in honor of José Antonio
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquis of Estella , was a Spanish lawyer, nobleman, politician, and founder of the Falange Española...
, founder of the fascist
Fascism
Fascism 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...
party Falange
Falange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
.
In 1970, the Line 5 platforms opened under the name José Antonio. Fourteen years later, in 1984, the station returned to its previous name of Gran Vía.
For many years, the station was known for the elaborate edifice that housed the elevators, built by the architect Antonio Palacios
Antonio Palacios
Antonio Palacios Ramilo was a Spanish architect, born in O Porriño, Galicia. A prolific architect, he is known for his design of the Palacio de Comunicaciones and Hotel Floridain Madrid, the Garcia Barbon Theatre in Vigo and many other works in those cities and places like Mondariz, Baiona or...
. It was constructed of polished granite with a iron and glass canopy. To use the elevator, customers had to pay a small fee. The original vestibule, also done by Palacios, was decorated with glazed tiles. When the edifice was dismantled in 1972, it was returned to O Porriño
O Porriño
O Porriño is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra.It is an industrial town, in the metropolitan area of Vigo, of which it is an important economic dependency. One of its main industries is granite production...
, the architect's hometown. There is currently a project underway to install a replica.
Future
There are plans to connect this station with the nearby Sol station, located underneath Montera Street.Further reading
- Zozaya, María; Barrena, Clemente y Medrano, José Miguel, La Gran Vía, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, 2002, Madrid. (ISBN 84-87181-83-x).