 La Caixa Headquarters on Avinguda Diagonal | |
 Interactive map of Avinguda Diagonal | |
| Length | 11 km (6.8 mi) |
|---|---|
| Location | Barcelona,Catalonia,Spain |
| Coordinates | 41°23′47″N2°09′29″E / 41.39639°N 2.15806°E /41.39639; 2.15806 |
| From | Les Corts |
| To | Sant Martí |
Avinguda Diagonal (Catalan:[əβiŋˈɡuðəði.əɣuˈnal];Spanish:Avenida Diagonal;transl. 'Diagonal Avenue') is the name of one ofBarcelona's broadest and most important avenues. It cuts the city in two, diagonally with respect to the grid pattern of the surrounding streets, hence the name.
It was originally projected by engineer andurban plannerIldefons Cerdà as one of the city's wide avenues, which along withAvinguda Meridiana would cut the rationalist grid he designed forEixample (Catalan for 'Expansion'). Both would meet atPlaça de les Glòries Catalanes, which Cerdà envisioned as the new city centre. However,Plaça Catalunya, equally a new addition to the city of Barcelona, and connectingCiutat Vella andEixample, and therefore occupying a more privileged position in the urban area, would finally become the centre.Avinguda Diagonal remains to this day a much-transited avenue and many companies and hotels use it as a privileged location, as can be seen in its architecture.
The avenue starts in theLes Corts district on the western edge of the city and runs to theSant Martí district on the eastern edge. To its west, it connects with theLleida-Madrid highway andRonda de Dalt in the neighbouring municipality ofEsplugues de Llobregat. To its east, it meets theRonda del Litoral on the border with the municipality ofSant Adrià de Besòs. It is consistently 50 metres (160 ft) wide and about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long.
The different regimes that held power inCatalonia and Spain during the 20th century sought to change the city's street names, and Avinguda Diagonal was permitted no exception. It has been known under the following names:
The name "Diagonal" has always prevailed in popular usage.
Ildefons Cerdà's so-calledPla Cerdà was not totally successful in transforming Barcelona's urban reality, as only parts of it were finally approved. The construction of Avinguda Diagonal is one of the projects it entailed that became reality, when a Royal Decree fromQueen Isabella II of Spain andLeopoldo O'Donnell'sSpanish government inMadrid allowed him to start the construction of the avenue in 1859. The city council of Barcelona had previously requested the approval ofAntoni Rovira i Trias's alternative project instead, which had been rejected.
After the completion of its central section, from the currentPlaça de Francesc Macià towardsGlòries, it soon became one of Barcelona's most popular avenues and an ideal place for the Catalanaristocrats andbourgeoisie to exhibit their carriages.Francesc Cambó, leader ofLliga Regionalista proposed the construction of a new palace for the then monarchAlfonso XIII in 1919 (the royal palace inCiutat Vella had been destroyed in the fire of 1875).
Avinguda Diagonal suffered several attacks by theBasque separatist organisationETA in 2000. On 2 November, acar bomb exploded injuring a security officer and amunicipal officer. A few days later, on 21 November, a car used by the killers of Ernest Lluch exploded in the middle of the avenue. On 20 December a municipal officer was shot dead.[1]
Four venues in the area hosted competitions for the1992 Summer Olympics.[2]
During 2010, Diagonal reform proposals were on the headlines, as the Barcelona city council had plans to make the tram cross the whole avenue. Apopular consultation (the wordreferendum being banned by Spanish law) was scheduled for May 2010 between two reform proposals, the so-calledrambla orboulevard. It resulted in a big political failure for the city mayor,Jordi Hereu. There was a bare participation of 12% of potential voters, and about 80% voted for the third optionnone of the former two, that is, against any change.[3]
Avinguda Diagonal is also home to several schools of bothUniversitat de Barcelona (UB) andUniversitat Politècnica de Catalunya, in the area that is commonly known asZona Universitària.
The following UB faculties and schools are located on the avenue:
The avenue is served by a number of metro stations:
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