
Avinguda del Paral·lel (; 'Avenue of the Parallel') is one of the main streets of the city of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...
, dividing
Ciutat Vella,
Eixample and
Sants-Montjuïc districts. It receives this name because it is (unlike any other street in Barcelona) parallel to the
Equator
The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...
(at 41°22′30″ North). It runs from
Plaça d'Espanya, where the city's exhibition halls are located, to the seafront,
Plaça de la Carbonera and the passenger ship port, dividing the neighbourhood of
Poble Sec, on the side of
Montjuïc, from the neighbourhoods of
Sant Antoni and
El Raval. It was officially inaugurated on 11 October 1894.
''El Paral·lel'', as the avenue and sometimes the surrounding quarter are called, is most known for theatres (as of 2009, there are three in the avenue, Apolo, Condal and Victoria, but there were many more), as well as cabarets and erotic shows, or the
Sala Apolo. In the past it was the core of Barcelona's nightlife, with music halls and other venues, but in the last two decades its importance has diminished greatly, in favour of the city centre and
Eixample, and some
urban decay is visible. El Molino, once one of the city's most renowned cabarets, is being rebuilt.
Other names
The original name was ''Paral·lel'', the
Catalan language
Catalan () is a Western Romance languages, Western Romance language and is the official language of Andorra, and the official language of three autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous communities in eastern Spain: Catalonia, the Balearic I ...
name of the street, according to the city layout plan of 1859 by
Ildefons Cerdà.
The street was officially opened 8 October 1894.
The street had other official names at different times, although it was always known locally as Paral·lel:
* from 1874: Avenida del
Marqués del Duero
* from 1932: Avinguda de
Francesc Layret
* from 1939: Avenida del Marqués del Duero
* from 1979: Avinguda del Paral·lel
The dot between the L's is used in the
Catalan language
Catalan () is a Western Romance languages, Western Romance language and is the official language of Andorra, and the official language of three autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous communities in eastern Spain: Catalonia, the Balearic I ...
to indicated a
geminated L: . Without the dot, a double L is pronounced in Catalan.
Transport
*There are three stations of the
Barcelona Metro
The Barcelona Metro (Catalan language, Catalan and Spanish language, Spanish: ) is a rapid transit network that runs mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of the larger public transport system ...
network on the avenue: ''
Paral·lel'', on
L2 (purple line) and
L3 (green line); ''
Poble Sec'', on
L3; and ''
Espanya'', underneath
Plaça d'Espanya, served by lines
L1,
L3,
L8 and a number of
Baix Llobregat-bound
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya commuter lines (
Metro del Baix Llobregat).
*The
Funicular de Montjuïc is accessed from ''
Paral·lel'' station.
See also
*
Avinguda Meridiana
*
Street names in Barcelona
*
Urban planning of Barcelona
The urban planning of Barcelona developed in accordance with the History of Barcelona, historical and territorial changes of the city, and in line with other defining factors of public space, such as Architecture of Barcelona, architecture, urban ...
References
External links
Traffic surveillance at Bcn.cat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avinguda del Paral lel
Streets in Barcelona
Sants-Montjuïc