Eixample the heart of Barcelona
The Eixample is the first major expansion of the city of Barcelona. It is a large area north of Plaça de Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia. The Eixample is an extension of the city that benefited from an orderly urban planning. It was designed by the Catalan engineer Cerdá during the 1850s, and perfectly defined the current layout of the city. This area was eminently upper-class residential with many stores.
The charms of the Eixample
On the right side of the Eixample (the oldest part) there is a more sensational architecture. Passeig de Gràcia is characterized as the heart of the Eixample and divides it into: “the left Eixample” and “the right Eixample”.
It is in this street where there are brands such as Chanel and MaxMara. Also, there are the stores of the most prestigious and glamorous brands. There are luxury hotels, both on classic buildings such as the Majestic or the new ones, such as the Mandarin Oriental.
There are also iconic buildings, such as La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, Gaudí’s buildings among many others. The Eixample has a lot of nightlife, a wide range of restaurants, bars, cocktail bars and some nightclubs make it a meeting place to have a good time.
It is a neighborhood to enjoy the impressive architecture.
How did it originate?
Originally it was the natural extension of a Barcelona that opened from the creation of Plaça Catalunya, but now, years later and with the annexation of different municipalities to the urban fabric, it has become the epicenter of the city. A high density residential area, with buildings dating back to the middle of the 19th century. They have classic facades and authentic architectural wonders.
It is here where we find the highest density of modernist estates so appreciated both by us and by visitors to the city. In Core our real estate agency you will find apartments like the following:
If you want more information you can consult our website: https://www.corebarcelona.com/ventas/
It is worth mentioning that we find the Quadrat d’Or and the surroundings of Passeig de Gracia, Rambla Catalunya. Especially two very interesting areas to visit and to live.
The triangle formed between Ronda de Sant Pau, Passeig de Sant Joan and Gran Via, converging in Plaza Urquinaona. This area was built by important families at the beginning of the 20th century. They had made their fortunes with the Catalan textile industry or with their business adventures in Cuba. There are some beautiful buildings, with spectacular details in their common areas.
In this environment there are few, very few buildings that clash with this aesthetic so appreciated.
On the other hand, an area that I love is the end of Enric Granados street. From Plaça del Doctor Letamendi towards the sea. It has a restriction of road traffic that has pacified this environment, and commerce and restoration have changed completely. There is more green, less noise. Especially in the final stretch, when the street ends at Diputació street, in front of the Rectorat building. An oasis in the middle of the Eixample.
L’eixample and its beginnings
L’eixample is urbanistically a very significant space in terms of architecture. At European and world level. It has more than 400 symmetrical blocks. We find roads, squares and the most important buildings of Barcelona, and there is also a great variety of art noveau monuments that can be seen in art galleries.
L’eixample represents a permanent change in the city. The first project wanted to connect the current Ciutat Vella with Gracia, Sarrià, Sant Andreu, Sant Martí… It was intended to progress on a surface without previous constructions. The plan was to do it with a grid that went from one end to the other. With the same dimensions. Consisting of long streets and chamfers with a 45º angle. In this way they increased visibility.
L’eixample was created by the need to grow outside the walls. The district led to the urbanization of many plots of land. The plan was created by Ildefonso Cerdà. That is why the name of the project was: The Cerdà Plan. The consolidation of the city caused a great growth that was characterized by the reform of the city. It followed the hypodamic project. It was based on a grid and egalitarian structure. With blocks of about 100 meters, square, leaving in the center a space that was originally conceived as a green space.
It was a pity that the macro development of the city at that time strained the need for commercial space, and the first floor spaces gradually “flooded” the centers of these blocks, occupying practically all that space that should be green.
Today there are only a few patis d’illa that have been gradually recovered. The plan was approved in 1860 but it was not until a few years later that it was carried out. In 1870 a growth of Barcelona arose. It drove an economic engine. This was because many saw a business potential in the Eixample.
The cultural and economic growth of downtown Barcelona
In 1888 the Universal Exposition was held, which pushed the growth of public services. With the arrival of Modernism in the city at the end of the 19th century was when the project grew. The bourgeoisie hired the best architects and designers because they competed with different nations.
And so the Pla Cerdà germinated causing Barcelona to be an avant-garde representation.
Today belong to the Eixample : El Fort Pienc, La Sagrada Família, La Dreta de l’Eixample, L’antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample, La Nova Esquerra de l’Eixample and Sant Antoni. This neighborhood is a residential area full of places to visit. There is spectacular architecture accompanied by art.
Passeig de Gràcia represents one of the most important streets of l’Eixample because it is in the center dividing La Dreta and l’Esquerra. It is the avenue that is characterized by a large number of modernist buildings and many international stores and businesses.
There are other important squares and streets that belong to the Eixample: La Rambla, La Plaça Catalunya, L’avinguda Diagonal, La Plaça Francesc Macià, La Gran Via…
The Quadrat d’Or
Then we find the famous Quadrat d’Or which is located between C/Aribau and Passeig de Sant Joan. It had several important activities.
In 1990 the activities of the Olympia Cultura of the 1992 Olympic Games. It has the index of Catalan modernist architecture of the twentieth century. An example would be: Casa Batlló, Casa Lleó among others.
And it was in this way that the center of the city of Barcelona was created.
