8 spots in Gràcia to enjoy 365 days a year
Of all the neighborhoods in Barcelona, Gràcia is undoubtedly the one with the most unique, genuine, and distinct personality. We could write at length about its enormous commercial dynamism and its excellent cultural life. Indeed, Gràcia has cinemas, theaters, bars of all styles, restaurants of a thousand different varieties, boutiques and designer shops that we would hardly find in any other area of the city... and squares, many squares.
They are the soul of the neighborhood, the main remnant of a glorious past. Most of them were built throughout the 19th century, as this former independent village was urbanized. Seemingly disconnected from each other and scattered across the map, the squares of Gràcia are easily accessible from Diagonal, Joanic, Fontana, or Lesseps, and are ideal for rediscovering and enjoying on an entertaining walk through the old town. On your own, with a partner, family, or friends, Gràcia has squares for everyone. Let's review them!
Diamond Square
Like so many other squares in the neighborhood, the Diamant square is an ideal place to enjoy an afterwork at the end of the workday or to visit on the weekend, with family or friends. Its origin dates back to the 1860s, when a councilor from Gràcia, a jeweler by trade, bought the land. In his honor, they named his properties with different jewelry elements, and the place was christened as the Diamond Square. Years later, the place would gain international fame for giving its name to the homonymous novel written by Mercè Rodoreda from her French exile. A faithful chronicle of postwar Barcelona and how hard life could be for a woman during that terrible time in our history, explained through the eyes of Natalia, nicknamed the Dove.In tribute to this novel, the sculptor Xavier Medina-Campeny designed a statue that represents the Dove and her pigeons, which currently presides over the place.
Another essential element to understand that historical period is the air-raid shelter that was built beneath the square due to the relentless bombings suffered during the Civil War. Maintenance work in 1992 brought this underground labyrinth, which could hide more than 200 people at a time, back from oblivion. After being restored, it is one of the few shelters, out of the more than 1,300 that were constructed in Barcelona, that can be visited.
Sun Square
Plaza del Sol is one of the oldest squares in the town of Gràcia, having been built during the first half of the 19th century. Architecturally, it is one of the most beautiful squares in the district, with houses from that era and some modernist buildings. Perhaps for this reason, it is also one of the favorite spots for the neighborhood's residents, who enjoy its terraces and restaurants with family or friends. One of these is the Cafè del Sol, a place where time stands still. Another legendary venue on the square is Sol Soler, where you can enjoy tapas and fusion cuisine dishes.
With such iconic venues, the demand for the place far exceeds the available supply. That's why, recently, younger people have started to enjoy the place in their own way, sitting on the ground and enjoying an alternative vermouth, bringing life to the square. Given the success of the initiative, the concentration of people has been increasing over the last few years, leading to complaints from neighbors about the deafening noise generated by the music and the hundreds of simultaneous conversations. That's why the city council plans to build a children's playground to promote daytime use of the square.
Revolution Square
Revolution Square is another one of those places that explain the history of this former independent town of Barcelona. Built in the 19th century, when Gràcia was still a village, the square was originally named after Queen Isabel II of Spain. However, following the revolution that ended her reign, the square was renamed to Revolution Square of 1868, a name it lost again during the dictatorship and only reclaimed after the return to democracy.
From the square, two elements stand out that justify a visit to the place. One is the letters written on the ground of the esplanade. Seemingly disconnected, if you read them from north to south, you can read the word Revolució (written in Catalan). The other is an air-raid shelter from the Civil War, when Gràcia and its industrial sites became one of the main targets of fascist aviation. The peculiarity of this site is that it is freely accessible, without having to book a ticket. You just have to go to the caretakers of the underground parking and ask them for the keys.
Gràcia Village Square
From the East, from the Constitution or from Rius i Taulet are some of the names this square in the Gràcia district has had until a public consultation decided to rename it with its current name, the Plaza de la Vila de Gràcia, because it is the location of the Town Hall in the district. It is therefore the nerve center of the neighborhood, where people go to carry out the main administrative tasks and the place that the residents of Gràcia chose to immortalize its status as a former independent village.
That past still becomes present through some remnants that have survived to our days. Some of them are of great visual richness and have ensured that the entire site is included in the Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Catalonia. The first of these is the municipal headquarters itself, a building from the second half of the 19th century that was remodeled in the modernist style by Francesc Berenguer Mestres, the municipal architect of the town. But if there is a main element that connects the site with the most glorious history of the neighborhood, it is undoubtedly the Gràcia Bell Tower, which stands in the center of the square. It is a construction carried out between 1862 and 1864 by Antoni Rovira i Trias and consists of a tower with a clock and a bell that acquired legendary overtones during the so-called 'Revolt of the Drafts', in which the people of Gràcia rose up against the compulsory conscription order imposed by the Spanish army on all the young men of the country.
Raspall Square
Talking about Raspall square is to talk about the Gypsy presence of Gràcia which has contributed so much cultural wealth to the neighborhood, creating a mix of atmospheres and traditions that can be observed today by walking through its streets. Its extreme proximity, less than 100 meters, to the Poble Romaní square has meant that texts and references to both are often linked and considered as a single unit, since in that part of the Gràcia neighborhood the largest Gypsy community in Barcelona was concentrated.
Their residence for three centuries has generated a strong sense of belonging to the neighborhood, becoming one of its most significant cultural players. Along with the Gypsy communities of Raval and Hostafrancs, they dispute the authorship and origin of the Catalan rumba, a musical style that has been perpetuated in our folklore from generation to generation. What is undeniable is that its first chords were heard in this square, as just a few meters away, on Fraternidad Street, Antonio González, 'el pescadilla', was born in 1925, considered, along with Peret, as the true creator of a genre that has already crossed borders.
Virreina Square
One of the first places a traveler encounters upon arriving in the Gràcia neighborhood almost inadvertently is accessed from the Fontana metro station following Asturias street. The origin of this square dates back to the end of the 18th century when there was an estate owned by the Spanish viceroy in Peru, which was inherited by his widow upon his death. Since then, the area has been known as “de la virreina”, maintaining its name to this day.
The Virreina Square is one of the local residents' favorite spots, as they find the peace there that they lack in other squares of the neighborhood. Being a 100% pedestrian area, it is ideal for enjoying its architecture and open, airy atmosphere from any of the terraces that ensure a relaxing time after wandering through this former independent town. The most characteristic feature of the Virreina Square is the church of Sant Joan, a modest temple from 1868 that has suffered lootings and fires during both the Tragic Week of 1909 and the early stages of the Civil War, when it was almost completely devastated. A tiny underground chapel, in modernist style and recently attributed to Antoni Gaudí, survived those tragic events.
Rovira i Trias Square
In the neighborhood of squares, one dedicated to the creator of these squares could not be missing, which sprang up like mushrooms in the network of narrow streets that made up the old town of Gràcia during the second half of the 19th century. Located in the upper part of Gràcia, the square was designed and urbanized in 1861 by Antoni Rovira i Trias, a disciple of Gaudí and one of the most popular urban planners of the city, author of numerous buildings and constructions, such as the Concepció market, the Born or the Sant Antoni market. For all these reasons, the square remembers him, not only with its name but also with a life-size bronze sculpture that also displays the initial design of the Eixample, which was finally awarded to Ildefons Cerdà.
North Square
As its name suggests, we find ourselves in front of one of the northernmost squares of the old town of Gràcia, almost touching the Travessera de Dalt. Away from the usual entertainment areas, it is one of the quietest squares in the town and still retains the physiognomy and authenticity of village squares, halfway between a square and a park and surrounded by trees. The history of the square, and of the neighborhood itself, is present in the headquarters of the Lluïsos de Gràcia, a social, cultural, and sports entity that still exists and was created in 1855 in the same place it stands today. The square itself already existed by then. Specifically, since 1851, when the landowners commissioned its urbanization to the architect Antoni Rovira i Trias.
