Gràcia

Gràcia is a district of the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It contains the neighborhoods of Vila de Gràcia, Gràcia Nova, Vallcarca, Penitents, El Coll, La Salut and Camp d'en Grassot. Gràcia is bordered by the districts of Eixample to the south, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi to the west and Horta-Guinardó to the east. It's numbered District 5. In 2005, Gràcia had 120,087 inhabitants, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

History

Gràcia was established in 1626, by a novitiate of Carmelites who established a convent there called "Nostra Senyora de Gràcia (Our Lady of Grace)."Gràcia was an independent municipality until it was annexed to Barcelona in 1897 along with other villages in the plain of Barcelona. The expansion of the Eixample district in the 19th century eventually led to the northward expansion of Barcelona, connecting Gràcia to the growing metropolis.

Landmarks

which is located on El Carmel mountain.

Gràcia is also home to Teatre Lliure, on of the most prestigious theaters in Spain. There are several notable squares in Gràcia including Plaça del Sol, Plaça de Rius i Taulet and Plaça de la Virreina.

Every August, Gràcia holds an 8-day festival "Festa Major", known as "Festes de Gràcia", one of the largest festivals in Barcelona.

ee also

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

External links

* [http://www.gracianet.org/ GraciaNet]
* [http://www.barcelonaexplore.com/barcelonagracia.html The history of Gracia] English written site about Barcelona.
* [http://w3.bcn.es/V17/Home/V17HomeLinkPl/0,2866,1989545_1995403_1,00.html Official Barcelona District Site]
* [http://www.festamajordegracia.cat/ Festa Major de Gràcia]