A European star in urban tourism, Barcelona has got into the habit, over the last fifteen years or so, of piling up construction sites to constantly surprise. But today, as in the past, the Eixample district remains the most active centre of this booming city.
Of course, there's the eternal charm of the Barri Gòtic, the miracle of Port Olimpic, the growing power of the Forum district and the new canaille flavour of the Raval... But the vast majority of Barcelona's business centres, as well as its major hotels and restaurants, are concentrated in this district of the Eixample, particularly around its backbone: the Passeig de Gràcia. And the legend has been building for nearly 150 years. Contrary to what the geometric perfection of its layout and the grace of its architectural gems might lead you to believe, the Eixample does not mean "example" but, more modestly, "extension". From 1859 onwards, the town planner Ildefons Cerda began to expand the city, which was beginning to suffocate between its medieval fortresses. The result is an immense chequered district which, seen from the air, might remind you of America, were it not for the distinctive bevelled corners of the blocks. Seen from the ground, however, there's no comparison at all, with its modernist facades, countless squares and the aroma of tapas firmly anchoring the area in Catalonia, a region in the limelight of which the Eixample district is still the nerve centre.
