Avinguda del Paral.lel

This grand, dowdy boulevard has had a number of official names in its career, but Paral.lel has stuck ever since 1794, when it was discovered to lie exactly on the 41° 44’ parallel – fascinating to the Barcelonans, whose city otherwise refuses to square with any compass. (why the dot? as if the Catalans didn't have quirks enough, their language separates double l's when they are to be pronounced separately, and not as a 'y').

Although the intention in the 19th century was to make the Paral.lel posh and exclusive, it refused to cooperate, opting instead for a career in light entertainment. In 1895 it jumped into showbiz with the opening of the Spanish Circus Theatre. Music halls, flamenco tablaos and cinemas sprouted up, creating a gaudy neon-lit fantasy land; the satirical glittering revues that took place here were the direct ancestors of Barcelona’s vibrant contemporary theatre scene.

The area around the Parel.lel metro was also the centre of Anarchism, where it wasn’t unusual for the clubs and bars to have agitators passing the hat ‘to buy dynamite’. In 1937, when the Anarchists were briefly in control of Barcelona, they closed down the music halls and brothels as unworthy of the revolution. When the Communists won the fight for the streets, they quickly reopened.