Plaza de España

Plaza de España in Barcelona is one of the biggest squares in the city covering an area of approximately 34,000 square meters. It is also one of the most important communications hubs, linking some of the main streets of Barcelona, such as Avenida Paralelo, Gran Via de les Corts Catalans, Carrer de la Creu Coberta, Carrer de Tarragona and the Avenida de María Cristina, which is one of the main roads to the Fira de Barcelona and the Palau Nacional, which house the National Museum of Catalan Art. Therefore, here you can find lots of bus stops, metro stations and Generalitat railway stations.

The square was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1929 by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch in collaboration with Guillem Busquets as a symbolic gateway to the Montjuïc mountain. Thus, they designed a circular square with a Baroque colonnade in its centre, inspired by Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican City. Also, lots of hotels were built by Nicolau Rubió around the square for the Exhibition, however, only one of them has been preserved. It is located at the intersection of Creu Coberta and Gran Vía and houses a public school.

In the square's surroundings there are various monuments and buildings worth seeing. One of them is the Venetian Towers (Las Torres Venecianas), designed by Ramón Reventós and inspired by San Marco in Venice (hence the name). The towers, 42-metres tall and entirely made of brick, form an entrance of sorts to the avenue leading to the National Museum of Catalan Art. Another important building found near the square is a recently remodelled commercial centre in Plaza de Toros Las Arena, designed by August Font i Carreras in the Art Nouveau style. Also, in the centre of the square, there is a monumental fountain referred to as the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, designed by Josep Maria Jujol, which contains various allegorical sculptures such as a circular pool with three niches - each representing one of the three great Spanish rivers: Duero, Ebro, and Tag.