Plaça del Tres Senyors

Plaça de la Rovira is the nerve centre of the upper part of Gràcia. It is a small square, full of charm and shops. It is also known as Plaça dels Tres Senyors, the square of the three owners of the rural lands surrounding it when Gràcia was still a village: Messrs Torrente, Masens and Rabassa. It was they who commissioned Gràcia’s municipal architect, Antoni Rovira i Trias, with developing the square, housing included.

A prolific architect

Rovira i Trias, a resident of Gràcia, was the architect of many of Barcelona’s markets, among other things, such as the Born, Concepció, Sant Antoni and Barceloneta markets. He was also responsible for planning the town, Vila de Gràcia, packed with narrow streets and numerous squares. Hence the square’s memorial to him, a life-size bronze sculpture. At his feet, you can see a map with his design for the Eixample, which won the public competition organised by the City Council in 1859 but finally lost to another project, which Madrid imposed, designed by the urban planner Ildefons Cerdà.