Editing Eixample

{{short description|District of Barcelona}}
{{distinguish|Example (disambiguation){{!}}Example}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Eixample
| native_name             =
| native_name_lang        = 
| settlement_type         = [[Districts of Barcelona|District of Barcelona]]
| image_skyline           = Eixample aire cropped.jpg
| image_alt               =
| image_caption           = Aerial view of the Eixample
| image_flag              =
| flag_alt                =
| image_seal              =
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| shield_alt              =
| nickname                =
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| image_map               = Barcelona_districte_II.svg
| map_alt                 =
| map_caption             = Location of the Eixample within Barcelona
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| coordinates             = {{coord|41|23|27|N|2|09|47|E|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = {{Flag|Spain}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous Community]]
| subdivision_name1       = {{Flag|Catalonia}} 
| subdivision_type2       = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Province of Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Comarques of Catalonia|Comarca]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[Barcelonès]]
| subdivision_type4       = [[Municipalities of Spain|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name4       = [[Barcelona]]
| established_title       =
| established_date        =
| parts_type              = [[Districts of Barcelona|Neighborhoods]]
| parts_style             = para
| parts                   =
| p1                      = [[Fort Pienc]]
| p2                      = [[Sagrada Família, Barcelona|Sagrada Família]]
| p3                      = [[Dreta de l'Eixample]]
| p4                      = [[L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample]]
| p5                      = [[La Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample]]
| p6                      = [[Sant Antoni, Barcelona|Sant Antoni]]
| founder                 =
| seat_type               =
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| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes          =
| area_total_km2          = 7.48
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| area_water_km2          =
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| population_total        = 266,874
| population_as_of        = 2009
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      = ''eixamplenc, -enca''
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|postal_code_type       =  <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
|postal_code            =
|area_code              =
| website                 = [http://www.bcn.cat/eixample bcn.cat/eixample]
| footnotes               =
| module = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=shape|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|zoom=12}}
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[[File:Seu del districte de l'Eixample.jpg|thumb|right|300px|District hall]]
[[Image:Ensanche - eixample - Barcelona.jpg|thumb|250px|Original Eixample concept from 1859]]
[[Image:Sagrada Familia Eixample from Montjuic.jpg|thumb|250px| Part of the Eixample and the Sagrada Família, viewed from [[Montjuïc]], June 2006]]
[[Image:Eixample.svg|thumb|150px|Eixample street and block layout]]

The '''Eixample''' ({{IPA|ca|əˈʃamplə|label=[[Catalan language|Catalan]]:}}, {{gloss|Expansion}}) 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 the last census (2005).<ref>[http://densityatlas.org/casestudies/profile.php?id=92 Variations in Population Density within Barcelona]. Retrieved 18 September 2016</ref>

==Architecture and design==
The Eixample is characterized by long straight streets, a strict [[grid pattern]] crossed by wide avenues, and square blocks with [[chamfer#architecture|chamfered corners]] (named ''illes'' in Catalan, ''manzanas'' in Spanish). 

This was a visionary, pioneering design by [[Ildefons Cerdà]], who considered traffic and transport along with sunlight and ventilation in coming up with his characteristic [[octagon]]al blocks, where the streets broaden at every intersection making for greater visibility, better ventilation and (today) some short-term parking areas. 

It also provided an area for horse-drawn wagons and carriages to easily turn around. The grid pattern remains as a hallmark of Barcelona, but many of his other provisions were ignored: the four sides of the blocks and the inner space were built instead of the planned two or three sides around a garden; the streets were narrower; only one of the two diagonal avenues was carried out; the inhabitants were of a higher class than the mixed composition dreamed of by Cerdà.  

The important needs of the inhabitants were incorporated into his plan, which called for markets, schools, hospitals every so many blocks. Today, most of the markets remain open in the spots they have been from the beginning.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Institute|first=Satellite Art|title=Eixample, Barcelona, Spain|url=https://satelliteartinstitute.com/products/eixample-barcelona-spain-satellite-art-image|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023050908/https://satelliteartinstitute.com/products/eixample-barcelona-spain-satellite-art-image|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 23, 2020|access-date=2021-04-02|website=Satellite Art Institute|language=en}}</ref>

Some parts of the Eixample were influenced by [[modernisme|''Modernista'']] architects, chief among whom was [[Antoni Gaudi|Antoni Gaudí]]. His work in the Eixample includes the [[Casa Milà]] (nicknamed ''La Pedrera'') and the [[Casa Batlló]], both of which are on the wide [[Passeig de Gràcia]], as well as the [[Sagrada Família]]. Other architects who made highly significant, and certainly more numerous, contributions to giving the Eixample its characteristic appearance include [[Josep Puig i Cadafalch]], [[Josep Domènech i Estapà]], [[Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas]] and perhaps above all [[Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia]], responsible for a total of over 500 buildings in the city (not all of them in the Eixample).<ref>Barjau, Santi: Enric Sagnier, Labor, Barcelona, 1992. {{ISBN|84-335-4802-6}}</ref>

The Casa Terrades, better known as [[Casa de les Punxes]] and replete with medieval allusions, stands at the junction of Av. Diagonal with Carrer Rosselló. It was built in 1903–1905 by the ''Modernista'' architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who used Nordic Gothic and Spanish [[Plateresque]] resources side by side, along with traditional Catalan motifs.<ref>Hernàndez-Cros, Josep Emili (ed.). ''Catàleg del Patrimoni Arquitectònic Històrico-Artístic de la Ciutat de Barcelona'', Barcelona, Ajuntament de Barcelona, 1987</ref>

The [[Casa Batlló]] is part of a block called the [[Illa de la Discòrdia]],  along with two other notable ''Modernista'' works, [[Lluís Domènech i Montaner]]'s [[Casa Lleó Morera]] and Josep Puig i Cadafalch's [[Casa Amatller]]. The block is so named due to the visual clash between the buildings; its Spanish name, ''Manzana de la Discordia'', is also a pun on [[Eris (mythology)|Eris]]'s [[Apple of Discord]] – ''manzana'' means both "apple" and "city block".

The square architecture of Eixample was the main inspiration for the controversial [[FC Barcelona#Kits and crest|jersey checkerboard design]] introduced by [[FC Barcelona]] in 2019 instead of the traditional stripes, and used until the following year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Homage to Barcelona: Launch of third strip for 2018/19 season |url=https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/news/860590/homage-to-barcelona-launch-of-third-strip-for-201819-season |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=www.fcbarcelona.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New FC Barcelona jersey expresses the Club’s passion for the city |url=https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/news/1234297/new-fc-barcelona-jersey-expresses-the-clubs-passion-for-the-city |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=www.fcbarcelona.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Neighborhoods==
There are six administrative neighborhoods: 
*[[L'Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample]] (in the past, part of Esquerra de l'Eixample)
*[[La Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample]] (in the past, part of Esquerra de l'Eixample)
*[[Dreta de l'Eixample]]
*[[Fort Pienc]]
*[[Sagrada Família, Barcelona|Sagrada Família]]
*[[Sant Antoni, Barcelona|Sant Antoni]]

The district is often divided for practical purposes in two: Esquerra de l'Eixample and [[Dreta de l'Eixample]] (left and right sides of Eixample, respectively). Traditionally and officially, it is divided into five neighborhoods. 

These are, in addition to the areas already mentioned, [[Sant Antoni]], [[Sagrada Família (Eixample)|Sagrada Família]] and [[Fort Pienc]], also known as ''Fort Pius''. 

The latter has recently become notable for the number of [[Asia]]n, chiefly [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] residents and the proliferation of Asian shops.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

Some parts of Eixample are rather wealthy neighborhoods, especially around the central areas such as [[Passeig de Gràcia]], [[Rambla de Catalunya]], pedestrian streets such as Carrer de Girona and the Avinguda Gaudi and vicinity of the [[Sagrada Familia]].

==Main thoroughfares==
[[Passeig de Gràcia]] connects the central [[Plaça Catalunya]] to the old town of [[Gràcia]], while [[Avinguda Diagonal]] cuts across the grid diagonally and [[Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes]] runs across the entire city from southwest to northeast.

Other wide avenues in the area include [[Carrer d'Aragó]], [[Carrer de Balmes]] and [[Passeig de Sant Joan]].

==Education==
{{expand section|date=January 2015}}
There is a Japanese library in Eixample that opened in 1992. Most of the patrons are Japanese, though locals may also use the facilities. The library is located inside a flat.<ref name=Fukudasuperviviencia>{{citation |title=Supervivència de la colònia japonesa a Catalunya: l'organització interna i la seva implicació en l'ecosistema lingüístic català |url=http://vlex.com/vid/nia-japonesa-implicacio-ecosistema-214768777#ixzz18d7yU8rI |last=Fukuda |first=Makiko |pages=213&ndash;241 |journal=Revista de Llengua i Dret |issue=53 |date=June 2010 }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150122151531/http://libros-revistas-derecho.vlex.es/vid/nia-japonesa-implicacio-ecosistema-214768777 Archive]) ''English abstract available'' -- "Un altre punt de trobada de la colònia japonesa a Catalunya és una biblioteca que es troba en un pis de l'Eixample. Va ser creada l'any 1992 per uns voluntaris japonesos que vivien a Barcelona, amb la finalitat de fomentar l'intercanvi cultural entre Espanya i el Japó. La biblioteca està oberta també a la població local, però la majoria dels usuaris són japonesos, sobretot els estudiants, les famílies dels treballadors i els jubilats, tant de les zones pròximes a Barcelona com de la ciutat."</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of streets and squares in Eixample, Barcelona|List of streets and squares in Eixample]]
*[[Districts of Barcelona]]
*[[Urban planning of Barcelona]]
*[[Street names in Barcelona]]
*[[Plain of Barcelona]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Eixample, Barcelona}}
*{{wikivoyage-inline|Barcelona/Eixample|Eixample}}
*[https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/en Barcelona City Council: Superilles]
*[https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/en/content/the-new-green-hubs-and-squares Barcelona City Council: The new squares and green axes in Eixample will look like this]
*[https://citiesofthefuture.eu/superblocks-barcelona-answer-to-car-centric-city-f42522bd83ff Superilles, the new Eixample]{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Barcelona}}

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[[Category:Eixample| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Barcelona]]
[[Category:Urban planning in Spain]]