Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• At the synagogue, start back the way you came, continuing straight as the street becomes
Carrer de la Fruita. At the T-intersection, turn left, then right, to find your way back to the
Martyrs Statue. From here, turn right down Carrer del Bisbe to the...
Carrer del Bisbe Bridge:
This Bridge-of-Sighs-like structure connects the Catalan
government building on the right with the Catalan president's residence (ceremonial, not ac-
tual).Thoughthebridgelooksmedieval,itwasconstructedinthe1920sbyJoanRubió,who
also did the carved ornamentation on the buildings.
It's a photographer's dream. Check out the jutting angels on the bridge, the basket-car-
rying maidens on the president's house, the gargoyle-like faces on the government building.
Zoominevencloser.Findmonsters,skulls,goddesses,oldmenwithbeards,climbingvines,
and coats of arms—a Gothic museum in stone.
• Continue along Carrer del Bisbe to...
PlaçadeSantJaume
(jow-mah):ThisstatelycentralsquareoftheBarriGòtic,once
the Roman forum, has been the seat of city government for 2,000 years. Today the two top
governmental buildings in Catalunya face each other.
For more than six centuries,
Palau de la Generalitat
has housed the autonomous gov-
ernment of Catalunya. It always flies the Catalan flag (red and yellow stripes) next to the
obligatory Spanish one. Above the doorway is Catalunya's patron saint—St. Jordi (George),
slaying the dragon. From these balconies, the nation's leaders (and soccer heroes) greet the
people on momentous days. The square is often the site of demonstrations, from a single ag-
grieved citizen with a megaphone to riotous thousands.
The
Barcelona City Hall
(Casa de la Ciutat) sports a statue of the king “Jaume el
Conqueridor”—not to be confused with Sant Jaume, the plaza's namesake (free, open Sun
10:00-13:30). King Jaume I (1208-1276, also called “the Just”) is credited with freeing Bar-
celona from French control, granting self-government, and setting it on a course to become
a major city. He was the driving force behind construction of the Royal Palace (which we'll
see shortly).
Locals treasure the independence these two government buildings represent. In the 20th
century, Barcelona opposed the dictator Francisco Franco (who ruled from 1939 to 1975),
and Franco retaliated. He abolished the regional government and (effectively) outlawed the
Catalunyan language and customs. Two years after Franco's death, joyous citizens packed
this square to celebrate the return of self-rule.
Look left and right down the main streets branching off the square. Carrer de Ferran
(whichleadstotheRamblas)isclassicBarcelona—linedwithironworkstreetlampsandbal-
conies draped with plants.
In ancient Roman days, Plaça de Sant Jaume was the town's forum, or central square,
located at the intersection of the two main streets—the
decumanus
(Carrer del Bisbe) and
