Barcelona’s Eixample district is world-renowned for its rigid grid layout and urban density, but it is rarely associated with sprawling greenery. Today, finding a large park in the area-aside from exceptions like the Parc de Joan Miró-is a challenge. However, a newly restored historical photograph has revealed a time when the heart of the Catalan capital was defined not by concrete, but by a dense forest. This image provides a remarkable insight into Plaça de Catalunya history.
The image, dating back to approximately 1866, captures the area that is now Plaça de Catalunya. Where thousands of locals and tourists now cross the busy square daily, the photograph shows a lush woodland stretching towards the Collserola mountains, flanked by early railway infrastructure.
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A window into 1860s Barcelona
The snapshot has been brought to life by ‘Catalunya Colour’, a digital profile dedicated to colourising black-and-white archival images. Sourced from the Lluís Tuells Collection at the Museu del Ferrocarril de Catalunya (Railway Museum of Catalonia) in Vilanova i la Geltrú, the image offers a perspective so different from the modern city that it renders the location almost unrecognisable.
To understand the landscape, one must look back to 1860. Barcelona was in the midst of demolishing its medieval walls, a massive operation that would not be fully completed until 1890. The famous Cerdà Plan, which would eventually create the Eixample grid, was in its infancy; the symbolic first stone of the district was laid in Plaça de Catalunya in September 1860.
Taken just six years later, the photograph shows a landscape in transition. In the foreground, the old Sarrià train waits at a station located near the current intersection of Carrer de Pelai and Carrer de Balmes. Inaugurated in 1862, this line connected the city centre to the then-separate village of Sarrià.
Railways before the square
Beyond the trees, the image reveals another significant piece of infrastructure: the station for the Martorell line. Situated at the corner of Rambla de Catalunya and Ronda de la Universitat, this station served a line that had begun operations in 1854. Notably, it was the first double-track railway service in the state, facilitating faster travel between Barcelona and Molins de Rei, and later extending to Tarragona.
The railway line ran through open-air cuts and flanked the forest visible in the background. However, as the city expanded, this infrastructure became a problem. Historians Jesús Fráiz and Alfred Puig note that the railway lines created a dangerous barrier, physically dividing the growing Eixample and causing frequent accidents near new residential buildings.
Making way for the modern city
The conflict between the industrial railways and the residential expansion of the Eixample eventually led to the station’s removal. By the late 1860s, officials were already considering relocating the station to prevent it from blocking the urbanisation of Plaça de Catalunya, which was emerging as the new central hub of a wall-free Barcelona.
Therefore, the railway facilities were finally closed on 25 October 1882 and demolished by the end of 1884. The site remained largely abandoned until the state expropriated and urbanised it later in the decade. Consequently, it would take until 1927 for the square to be fully urbanised, transforming from a zone of shacks, tents, and vanished forests into the nerve centre of modern Barcelona. Readers interested in the history of other Barcelona landmarks may enjoy learning about the history of Plaza del Cinc d’Oros, another of the city’s best-known squares.
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