What to visit / Science trails / 22@ Innovation Trail / Plaça de les Glòries
  • Plaça de les Glòries – Barcelona's Innovation Trail 22@

Plaça de les Glòries

Plaça de les Glòries is the point where three of the city's main arteries converge: Avinguda Diagonal, Gran Via and Avinguda Meridiana.

This plaza is surrounded by some of Barcelona's most iconic buildings. If you look north, towards mount Tibidabo, you'll see the imposing Sagrada Família. On the left, you'll see the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. Built in the neo-classical style, it is 12 metres high and has a pediment resting on 26 columns. On your right, you'll see the Torre Glòries, a skyscraper that marks the entrance to Barcelona's technology district, known as 22@.

This urban planning project is also home to the Disseny Hub Barcelona, an imposing building devoted entirely to design where you'll find the city's design museum, the Museu del Disseny. The area around the plaza is the site of the city's flea market, the Encants Vells. The market, which also goes by the name of the Fira del Bellcaire, is a modern structure with a mirrored stainless-steel canopy made up of tilted modules that reflect the light and the stalls beneath.

Work is currently underway to build a new intermodal transport interchange that will include a rail link between Plaça de les Glòries and the airport.

Since the plaza was first laid out 150 years ago, it has undergone a number of different projects and phases as the city has continued to grow. But it is important to point out that, today, Plaça de les Glòries is immersed in the most ambitious and important redevelopment project since it was first laid out 150 years ago.

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