Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes
Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, most often shortened to Glòries, is a large square in Barcelona, first designed by Ildefons Cerdà to serve as the city centre in his original urban plan, but nowadays relegated to quite a secondary position. It is located in the Sant Martí district, bordering Eixample, at the junction of three of the city's most important thoroughfares: Avinguda Diagonal, Avinguda Meridiana and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. Currently it serves largely as a roundabout of elevated highways. However, beginning in the early 2000s, and as of 2007, revamping project for Glòries has started, which is aimed to give the square a new role in Barcelona and revitalize the northern districts of the city, under the name 22@. These plans supplement other large-scale plans in Sagrera and the Fòrum area. The first installment of this project was the construction of the Torre Agbar skyscraper.
Glòries in 2005, before the current reconstruction
The Cerdà plan, c. 1850. Plaça de les Glòries is the large square in the centre.
The new Encants market
Disseny Hub Barcelona, by MBM.
Avinguda Diagonal is the name of one of Barcelona'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.
La Caixa Headquarters on Avinguda Diagonal
Apartment building on Avinguda Diagonal from the beginning of the 20th century
Torre Agbar
Panoramic photograph of Avinguda Diagonal, Barcelona in January 2011