Eixample

The Eixample (Catalan for "extension", Spanish: "Ensanche") is a district of Barcelona between the old city (Ciutat Vella) and what were once surrounding small towns (Sants, Gràcia, Sant Andreu etc.). Constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, some parts of the Eixample were heavily influenced by "Modernista" architects, chief among whom was Antoni Gaudí. His work in the Eixample includes the Casa Milà (nicknamed "La Pedrera") and the Casa Batlló, both of which are on the wide Passeig de Gràcia, as well as the Sagrada Família. Its population was 262,485 at the last census (2005)Fact|date=December 2007.

Architecture and design

The Eixample is characterized by long straight streets, a strict grid pattern crossed by wide avenues, and square blocks with chamfered corners (named "illes" in Catalan, "manzanas" in Spanish). This was a visionary, pioneering design by Ildefons Cerdà, who considered traffic and transport along with sunlight and ventilation in coming up with his characteristic octagonal blocks, where the streets broaden at every intersection making for greater visibility, better ventilation and (today) some short-stay parking space. The grid pattern remains as a hallmark of Barcelona, but many of his other provisions were unfortunately ignored: the four sides of the blocks and the inner space were built instead of the planned two or three sides around a garden; the streets were narrower; only one of the two diagonal avenues was carried out; the inhabitants were of a higher class than the mixed composition dreamed of by Cerdà. The important needs of the inhabitants were incorporated into his plan, which called for markets, schools, hospitals every so many blocks. Today, most of the markets remain open in the spots they have been from the beginningFact|date=December 2007.

The Casa Terrades, better known as Casa de les Punxes, is a spectacular building replete with Mediaeval allusions that stands at the junction of Av. Diagonal with Carrer Rosselló. It was built in 1903-5 by the "Modernista" architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who used Nordic Gothic and Spanish Plateresque resources side by side, along with traditional Catalan motifs [Hernàndez-Cros, Josep Emili (ed.). "Catàleg del Patrimoni Arquitectònic Històrico-Artístic de la Ciutat de Barcelona", Barcelona, Ajuntament de Barcelona, 1987] .

The Casa Batlló is part of a block called the Illa de la Discòrdia, along with two other notable Modernista works, Lluís Domènech i Montaner's Casa Lleó Morera and Josep Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Amatller. The block is so named due to the visual clash between the buildings; its Spanish name, "Manzana de la Discordia", is also a pun on Eris's Apple of Discord - "manzana" means both "apple" and "city block".

Neighbourhoods

The district is often divided for practical purposes in two: Esquerra de l'Eixample and Dreta de l'Eixample (left and right sides of Eixample, respectively). Traditionally and officially it's divided in five neighbourhoods. They are, in addition to the aforementioned areas, Sant Antoni, Sagrada Família and Fort Pienc, also known as "Fort Pius". The latter has become recently notable for its amount of Asian, chiefly Chinese residents and proliferation of Asian shops.

Some parts of Eixample are rather well-to-do neighbourhoods, especially around the central areas such as Passeig de Gràcia, Rambla de Catalunya and the Avenue Gaudi/Sagrada Familia vicinity, but it also contains many decaying buildings inhabited by lonely aged tenants on the verge of poverty, especially in the fringe areas. It also has a large proportion of immigrant populationFact|date=December 2007.

Main thoroughfares

Passeig de Gràcia connects the central Plaça Catalunya to the old town of Gràcia, while Avinguda Diagonal cuts across the grid diagonally and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes runs across the entrire city from southwest to northeast.

Other wide avenues in the area include "Carrer d'Aragó", "Carrer de Balmes" and "Passeig de Sant Joan".

Eixample contains one of Barcelona's gay villages, nicknamed the "Gaixample".

Gallery

ee also

*List of streets and squares in Eixample
*Districts of Barcelona

References