''Carrer de Balmes'' (), named after the

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and ecclesiastic

Jaume Balmes Jaime Luciano Balmes y Urpiá ( ca, Jaume Llucià Antoni Balmes i Urpià; August 28, 1810July 9, 1848) was a Spanish philosopher, theologian, Catholic apologist, sociologist and political writer. Familiar with the doctrine of Saint Thomas Aqui ...

, is one of the most important avenues in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

(

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). It was devised in 1859 as part of

Ildefons Cerdà Ildefons Cerdà i Sunyer (; es, Ildefonso Cerdá Suñer; December 23, 1815, Centelles – August 21, 1876, Caldas de Besaya) was a Spanish urban planner and engineer who designed the 19th-century "extension" of Barcelona called the ''Eixampl ...

urban plan. Balmes is along '' Carrer Muntaner'' the longest road stretching from the sea towards the mountainside. It starts in the crossing of Pelai and

Bergara es, vergarés, vergaresa , population_note = , population_density_km2 = auto , blank_name_sec1 = Official language(s) , blank_info_sec1 = BasqueSpanish , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 ...

streets and crosses the

Eixample The Eixample (; ) 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. Its population was 262,000 ...

and Sant Gervasi districts, ending in Plaça John Fitzgerald Kennedy, by '' Avinguda del Tibidabo'' and ''

Tramvia Blau The Tramvia Blau (Catalan for "blue tramway") is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is a long heritage streetcar line serving a hilly area of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district between the terminus of FGC Barcelona Metro L7 and the Fun ...

''. The Sant Gervasi part of the street was constructed after 1908. It is considered the central street of Eixample, with ''

Dreta de l'Eixample Dreta de l'Eixample () is a neighborhood in the ''Eixample'' district of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). It is located east (visualised as ''dreta'' or "right") of Carrer de Balmes. It includes Plaça de Catalunya, the centre of the city, and the up ...

'' to its right, and ''

Esquerra de l'Eixample The Republican Left of Catalonia ( ca, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social-democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also i ...

'' to its left. As with most of the other large streets in the area, it is 20 metres wide, with the difference that its sidewalks are less broad than the average. The street is expected to come under an extensive reform project in 2009, which will see its five lanes be reduced to four - one of them reserved for buses and taxis like it is today. The pavements on either side will also be enlarged and trees will be planted to make the busy street more pedestrian-friendly. ''Carrer de Balmes'' is also part of the so-called

Gaixample The Gaixample (; portmanteau: , , and , "extension") is the nickname of a central area in Barcelona's Eixample district where, since the end of the 20th century, many gay shops, bars, discos and restaurants have existed. Many LGBTs have settled in ...

, Barcelona's

gay village A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establish ...

and hosts one of its most famous clubs, ''Arena''. Banc Sabadell is headquartered at the crossing of Carrer de Balmes with

Avinguda Diagonal Avinguda Diagonal (, in Spanish Avenida 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. It was or ...

Pompeu Fabra University Pompeu Fabra University ( ca, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, UPF, ; es, link=no, Universidad Pompeu Fabra) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. The university was created by the Autonomous Government of Catalo ...

owns a building in this street.

Architecture

* Palauet Pérez Samanillo (1910), by Joan J. Hervás i Arizmendi, hosts Círculo Ecuestre.

Transportation

Barcelona Metro The Barcelona Metro (Catalan and Spanish: ) is an extensive network of rapid transit electrified railway lines that run mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of the larger public transport sys ...

and ''

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (, "Catalan Government Railways"), or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia, Spain. The lines operated include metro and commuter lines in and around the city o ...

'' (FGC)

commuter train Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are consi ...

s - Provença ( L6, L7, L3, L5).

Notable individuals

The writer

Mercè Rodoreda Mercè Rodoreda i Gurguí (; 10 October 1908 – 13 April 1983) was a Catalan novelist. She is considered the most influential contemporary Catalan language writer, as evidenced by the references of other authors in her work and the internation ...

was born at number 340 of career de Balmes in 1908.Mercè Rodoreda

Gallery

Image:Seu del Cercle Eqüestre.jpg, Palauet Pérez Samanillo Image:Carrer balmes entre mallorca i provença.jpg, The street between

Carrer de Mallorca Carrer may refer to: People with the surname: *Gustavo Carrer (1885-1968), Italian athlete in football *Pavlos Carrer (1829-1896) Greek music composer In street names; *In Barcelona, Spain: **Carrer d'Aragó **Carrer d'Ausiàs Marc, Barcelona **C ...

and

Carrer de Provença Carrer may refer to: People with the surname: *Gustavo Carrer (1885-1968), Italian athlete in football *Pavlos Carrer (1829-1896) Greek music composer In street names; *In Barcelona, Spain: **Carrer d'Aragó **Carrer d'Ausiàs Marc, Barcelona **C ...

References

External links