Place of Spain

The construction of the square took place on land that was formerly utilized for public executions. After the establishment of the now-destroyed Ciutadella fortress in 1715, the gallows were relocated there. The square was planned in 1915 and erected in 1929, with the purpose of being prepared to accommodate the 1929 Universal Exposition. Since then, the square has been accessible to the public.

Designed by Josep Amargós, the city's largest square is a hub of several major roads, including Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Avinguda del Paral·lel, Carrer de la Creu Coberta, and Carrer de Tarragona, leading to the Palau Nacional through Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina. The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), one of Catalonia's premier museums, is housed in the Palau. The fountain at the square's center was designed by Josep Maria Jujol, an associate of Antoni Gaudí, and the statues by Miquel Blay. Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí designed the buildings.

The Venetian Towers, 154 feet tall, guide visitors to the MNAC via Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, which is often used for trade fairs. Fira de Barcelona, Parc de Joan Miró (formerly Parc de l'Escorxador or Abattoir Park), named after the Catalan painter Joan Miró, and Arenas de Barcelona, a bullring-turned-shopping-center built in the Moorish Revival style in 1900, are all nearby. In one of its corners, the park features a 22-meter-tall statue called Dona i Ocell (Woman and Bird) by Miró.