Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in office in 1933. It was commissioned from the pioneer of Catalan avant-garde sculpture,
Josep María Subirachs, perhaps best known for his continuing work on the Sagrada Família
cathedral.
For visitors, an initial orientation point is the white-faced
El Corte Inglés
department store
ontheeasternsideofthesquare,whoseninth-floorcafeteriahassomestupendousviews.The
main tourist office is just across from here, while on the southwest side, over the road from
the top of the Ramblas,
El Triangle
shopping centre makes another landmark. Incorporated
in its ground floor is the
CaféZurich
, a traditional Barcelona meeting place, whose ranks of
outdoor tables - patrolled by supercilious waiters - are a day-long draw for beggars, buskers
and pan-pipe bands.
Rambla Canaletes and Estudis
The top two stretches of the Ramblas are
Rambla Canaletes
, with its iron fountain (a drink
from which supposedly means you'll never leave Barcelona), and
Rambla Estudis
, named
after the university (L'Estudi General) that was sited here until the beginning of the eight-
eenth century. This part is also known locally as Rambla dels Ocells, as it was, until just a
few years ago, home to a
bird market
(
ocell
being the Catalan for “bird”).
Teatre Poliorama
Ramblas 115 • 933 177 599,
teatrepoliorama.com
• Catalunya
Itseemshardtobelievenow,buttheRamblaswasawarzoneduringtheSpanishCivilWaras
thecityeruptedintofactionalismin1937.
GeorgeOrwell
wascaughtinthecrossfirebetween
the
Café Moka
- the current café of the same name is a modern replacement - and the Poli-
orama cinema opposite, now the
Teatre Poliorama
. This was built in 1863 as the Royal
Academy of Science and Arts, and restored as a theatre in 1985.
