The convulsive history of the Cinc d'Oros square

Located at the intersection between Avinguda Diagonal and Passeig de Gràcia, in the Eixample district, Plaça Cinc d’Oros has known various names such as Plaça de Pi i Margall, Plaça de la Victòria and Plaça de Juan Carlos I. Cinc d’Oros, however, was the name that had always been popularly given to the area, since it had four roundabouts at each corner and a larger one in the center, which from the sky recalls the playing card of the five of golds in the spanish deck. The name was adopted by a famous bookstore located nearby, founded in 1969 and closed in 2002.

In 1906, the area was developed by the architect Pere Falqués, who placed a set of six lampposts around the central roundabout. Due to the increase in traffic, they withdrew in 1957 and in 1985 they relocated to Avinguda Gaudí.

In 1915 it was decided to erect a monument dedicated to Francesc Pi i Margall, president of the First Spanish Republic, but the project was interrupted because of altercations, it was resumed in 1917 and it was suspended again with the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera.

Finally, in 1936, the President of the Generalitat Lluís Companys inaugurated a set consisting of a sculpture by Josep Viladomat -which won a public competition- dedicated to the Republic, an obelisk-known as the pencil- designed by the municipal architects Adolf Florensa and Joaquim Vilaseca, and a medallion dedicated to Pi i Margall.

But, after the Civil War, the Francoist authorities removed the statue and the medallion and replaced them with an allegory of the Victory of Frederic Marés, together with a Franco shield.

With the arrival of democracy, the statue was placed in the Plaza de la República and the Franco coat of arms was removed and, later, the statue of Victory. Currently only the obelisk remains, without any specific dedication.