Plaça Francesc Macià
A square that connects the upper area of Barcelona with the Eixample district
One of the city’s busiest squares serves as the nexus between Barcelona’s most elegant area and the Eixample district. As the confluence of a number of major streets (Avinguda de Pau Casals, Avinguda de Josep Tarradellas, Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer del Comte d’Urgell), Plaça de Francesc Macià is one of the city’s nerve centres and the gateway to the Sarrià and Les Corts districts.
Barcelona Bus Turístic, on the Hola Barcelona app
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Why visit Plaça de Francesc Macià?
Plaça de Francesc Macià is a gateway to the city and the districts of Les Corts and Sarrià and the left part of the Eixample district. It was designed in the early 1930s by the Minorca-born architect Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí, who was the head of Barcelona City Council’s Parks and Gardens Department for two decades. When it was inaugurated in 1932, the square was named Plaça d’Alcalá Zamora in honour of the former president of the Second Spanish Republic. Four years later, in 1936, its name was changed to Hermanos Badia, in remembrance of the politicians and brothers Josep and Miquel Badia, who were assassinated by the Iberian Anarchist Federation on 28 April of that year. In 1939, with the advent of the dictatorship, it was named after Calvo Sotelo, who had been assassinated in 1936 by the Assault Guard. It was not until 20 December 1979 that the square was given its current name, in honour of the former president of Catalonia, Francesc Macià i Llussà.
In the central part of the square, which is not accessible, there is a small pond in the shape of Minorca, the island where its architect, Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí, was born. There is also a statue of a female form called "Joventut" (Youth), sculpted by Josep Manuel Benedicto in 1953.
How do you get to Plaça de Francesc Macià?
Hop off at the Francesc Macià – Diagonal stop on either the Red Route or the Blue Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? In 2003, during the protests against the Iraq War, a group of young people camped out in the centre of the square. They remained there for 70 days.
- Local’s tip: If you want to take a breather near Plaça de Francesc Macià, we recommend Turó Park, a green space dedicated to music and poetry, where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
- A must: To discover the districts of the left-hand side of the city.
