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

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and ecclesiastic Jaume Balmes, is one of the most important avenues in

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 ...

(

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

). It was devised in 1859 as part of Ildefons Cerdà 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 Bergara (; ) is a town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain. An Enlightened center of education operated by the '' Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del P ...

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 at ...

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

Tramvia Blau The Tramvia Blau () 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 Funicular del Tibidabo. Th ...

''. The Sant Gervasi part of the street was constructed after 1908. It is considered the central street of Eixample, with '' Dreta de l'Eixample'' to its right, and ''

Esquerra de l'Eixample The Republican Left of Catalonia (, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a Catalan independence movement, pro-Catalan independence, social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Catalonia, political party in the Spanish autonomo ...

'' 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, Barcelona's

gay village A gay village, also known as a gayborhood or gaybourhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay vil ...

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 language, 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 th ...

Pompeu Fabra University Pompeu Fabra University (, ; ) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. Established in 1990 by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia and named after Pompeu Fabra, it is known for its competitiveness in resea ...

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 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 ...

and '' Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya'' (FGC)

commuter train Commuter rail or suburban rail is a passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Commuter rail systems can use locomotive-hauled tr ...

s - Provença ( L6, L7, L3, L5).

Notable individuals

The writer Mercè Rodoreda 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 and Carrer de Provença

References

External links