LA RAMBLA

Description

Essentials about La Rambla in brief

La Rambla (often incorrectly called “Las Ramblas” in the plural) is one of the landmarks of Barcelona and probably reflects the special flair of the city like no other place. On the 1.3-kilometer-long promenade in the heart of the city, there is always something going on: street musicians and artists entertaining strollers; people buying their daily paper at one of the many kiosks; families with children getting delicious scoops in ice cream parlors; elderly gentlemen watching the hustle and bustle on the street from park benches. Probably no other place in Barcelona is used by locals and tourists alike like La Rambla.

The location of La Rambla

La Rambla connects the central traffic hub Plaça de Catalunya with the old port Port Vell. The end of the street on the Mediterranean Sea is marked by the Columbus Monument, visible from afar. La Rambla is a pedestrian zone in the middle and is flanked on both sides by lanes for individual and bus traffic and by partly magnificent, historic buildings.

The name “La Rambla”

Opinions are still divided about the origin of the name La Rambla. One theory refers to “Rambla”, a loanword from Arabic, which means riverbed. In Spanish, a rambla is understood to be a riverbed that is dry for most of the year and can therefore be used as a road. Only during the melting of the snow in spring or during heavy rain do these ramblas carry water. Another theory is that the term “rambla” is used colloquially as a blanket term for wide streets, usually flanked by trees, and is thus synonymous with terms such as boulevard, promenade or avenue.

The history of La Rambla

So much for the unsecured linguistic theory. What is historically certain is the construction of a city wall on the edge of the Rambla in 1295, after the built-up area of Barcelona had expanded in a southwesterly direction towards the Rambla. Even after the incorporation of El Raval in 1360, this wall remained intact and formed a barrier between the El Raval district and the rest of the city for more than 400 years. Only with the demolition of this inner-city wall (1704 to 1829) began the transformation of the Rambla into a promenade of modern character.

The numerous convents that had settled along La Rambla since the 16th century were stormed, looted and burned down during the 1835 riots and subsequently dissolved. In the years that followed, some buildings and squares that still exist today, such as the Mercat de la Boqueria (1836), the Gran Teatre del Liceu (1844) or the Plaça Reial (1848), were built on the vacant areas.

The sections of La Rambla

Rambla de Canaletes

La Ramla can be divided into five sections, each with its own characteristics. The Rambla de Canaletes, which immediately adjoins Plaça de Catalunya, is famous for the Font de Canaletes fountain. Legend has it that whoever drinks from this fountain will always come back to Barcelona. If you like strongly chlorinated water, you can try it. This part of La Rambla is also a popular meeting place for FC Barcelona fans.

Rambla de Canaletes

La Rambla de Canaletes is followed by the Rambla dels Estudis. In earlier times, many university buildings lined this section, hence the name. Today, all that remains of these teaching institutions is the RACAB (Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona) science academy. In the past, the Rambla dels Estudis was also home to many songbird and other small animal dealers. Due to the increasing pressure against this not species-appropriate attitude, the animal dealers were gradually replaced by ice cream and candy kiosks.

Rambla de Sant Josep

The third and middle section is the Rambla de Sant Josep, named after the former Josephine monastery, on whose terrain the Mercat de la Boqueria is located today. This section of the street is popularly known as Rambla de les Flors (meaning “Flower Rambla”) because of the numerous permanently installed flower stalls. The flower vendors belong organizationally to the merchants of the Boqueria Market – but for space reasons they sell their flowers not directly in the market hall, but on the promenade.

Rambla dels Caputxins

This is followed by the Rambla dels Caputxins. This section is home to, among other things, the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the spacious Plaça Reial. Characteristic of the Rambla dels Caputxins are the waiters, who have to hurry across the roadway countless times every day to bring food and drinks from the restaurants located in the blocks of houses to the guests on the promenade.

Rambla de Santa Mònica

The last section of the Rambla before the Mediterranean is the Rambla de Santa Mònica, named after the patron saint of the Augustinian Order, which built a convent here in the 17th century. It is characterized by street performers in elaborate costumes and by a regular arts and crafts market.