Canuda

Villa de Madrid Square was originated at the end of the 50s, as a result of an urban reform undertaken on the site that had been occupied by the Convent of Santa Teresa of the Discalced Carmelites, and which revealed a Roman necropolis in perfect condition, buried underground. At its inauguration, in 1958, the fountain was included with the white marble sculpture of Maja Madrileña, the work of the artist Lluís Montané.

According to the writer Elisenda Albertí in her book Mujeres de Barcelona, ​​the origin of the name of Canuda street is based on a love story towards a woman who was known as La Canuda, a young maid with whom a young heir fell in love. Her father did not give them permission to celebrate the marriage, since he did not want the young woman of humble origins to be subjected to his fortune. To solve it, the young man gave half plus one cent of his heritage to Canuda, whom he eventually married, and she was recognized as a great lady.

The Ateneu Barcelonés is located in the Palau Savassona on Canuda street, an institution that has accompanied Catalan culture for more than 150 years and which, in addition to a great cultural agenda, has the most important private civil library in Catalonia.

Commercially, it has been a street known for its bookstores, the Llibreria Tartessos or the La Canuda bookstore, now closed, or the still open Llibreria Antiquaria Farré and for a different types of businesses, among those who stand out for their specialization, Flora Albaicín, a reference for flamenco dance students and professionals, Govinda Restaurant, one of the first vegetarian restaurants in Barcelona, ​​or Casa Félix, a haberdashery founded in 1939.