Head along to this square during La Mercè, the main festival of Barcelona in September, marvel at processions of fire-breathing dragons and tottering human towers
Found in the centre of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, Plaça de Sant Jaume is the administrative nexus of Catalonia. Here, on opposite sides of the square, stand the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the City Hall, two imposing institutions which have run the region since Medieval times.
It is an ancient site of importance: this is where the centre of the Roman city of Barcino was once found, along with its forum and the Temple of Augustus, of which four columns have been preserved to this day and can be seen on top of Mont Tàber, on the adjacent Paradís Street.
Key Witness
Time and again throughout Barcelona’s history, the Plaça de Sant Jaume has been in the thick of it. More recently, it witnessed the proclamation of the Catalan State in 1931, and it often remains the site of separatist fervour today. It was also where the politician Josep Tarradelles returned from exile in 1977, two years after the death of dictator Franco, with the now famous words: “Citizens of Catalonia, I am here at last!”
Work Hard, Play Hard
Far from all work and no play, the Plaça de Sant Jaume is a hot spot for festivals and dancing. Head along on Sunday mornings and you can watch locals dancing the Sardana, the national dance of Catalonia. On the day of the National Holy Jordi, 23rd April, the blue of the city police is subsumed by the red of roses: this is the day Cervantes and Shakespeare died, and tradition dictates that each man gives a woman a rose, and each woman gives a man a book. It’s a wonderful sight.
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