Gràcia

Gràcia (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈɡɾasiə]) is a district of the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It comprises the neighborhoods of Vila de Gràcia, Vallcarca i els Penitents, El Coll, La Salut and Camp d'en Grassot i Gràcia Nova. Gràcia is bordered by the districts of Eixample to the south, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi to the west and Horta-Guinardó to the east. A vibrant and diverse enclave of Catalonian life, Gràcia was an independent municipality for centuries before being formally annexed by Barcelona in 1897 as a part of the city's expansion.

Gràcia was established in 1626, by a Novitiate of Carmelites, who established a convent there, called "Nostra Senyora de Gràcia (Our Lady of Grace)". Following the loss of Catalonian independence from Spain in 1714, Gràcia remained an independent municipality in the direction of the Serra de Collserola mountains (north/northwest) from central Barcelona. Passeig de Gràcia, the street which is today home to the most high-end international fashion brands and posh hotels (Barcelona’s version of the Champs-Élysées), was back then a country road linking the town to the larger city, through the plain of Barcelona.

During the mid-1800s, Barcelona was rapidly industrialising and significantly expanding its borders from those of the Roman murallas and old city. The advent of new industry was drawing Catalonians by the thousands to abandon their farms and move to the city, spurring a shift from an agriculturally based, rural economy to an urban economy focused on manufacturing and trade.

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