VIDEO: Gràcia – Districts of Barcelona

Gràcia used to be a farming area with a small number of houses and wide open fields. The area started becoming more populated with the construction of convents, and soon after, high-class houses.

This area was not a part of Barcelona, but a little town of its own. It was only around 1880, when the district of Eixample started taking shape, that Gràcia became part of Barcelona.

Today,  Gràcia is considered one of the most interesting districts in the city. This area is inhabited mostly by young people who, in the past few years have made Gràcia become a hip and artistic area, full of art galleries and alternative stores.

Casa Vicens

Casa Vicens is a modernist building by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, built between the years of 1883 and 1888. It was created as a second home for the Vicens i Montaner family and is today considered World Heritage by UNESCO.

Address: Carrer de les Carolins, 18-24.

Cinemas Verdi

Cinemas Verdi was inaugurated in the year of 1926 with only one screening room, becoming a multi-room theatre in 1987. This historic cinema is one of the few places where movies are shown in their original language with subtitles, instead of being dubbed in Spanish.

Address: Carrer de Verdi, 32.

Hotel Casa Fuster

Casa Fuster is another interesting modernist building in Gràcia, a work by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. It was originally the residence of Marià Fuster Fuster’s daughter, becoming a five-star hotel in the year 2000.

Address: Passeig de Gràcia, 132.

Related article: Gracia district Barcelona – A temple to Modernism

Plazas

Gràcia is an area with various pleasant plazas where one can stop for a cup of coffee, a good conversation, or simply to relax. There is Plaza de la Libertad, Plaza de la Vila de Gràcia, Plaça de la Virreina, Plaça de Manuel Torrente, Plaça de Lesseps, Plaça de Rovira i Trias, and Plaça d’En Joanic, among others.

Teatreneu

Teatreneu opened its doors in 1988 in the former Cooperativa de Consum dels Teixidors a Mà building. Today it is an important theatre in Barcelona, offering an eclectic contemporary theatre programming.

Address: Carrer de Terol, 26.

Gardens

Gràcia is also home to two gardens: Jardins del Mestre Balcells a large, green area with various sculptures and statues, and Jardins de Salvador Espriu, a smaller garden dedicated to the Catalan poet with the same name.

Address: Jardins del Mestre Balcells – Calle San Salvador, 73