The Plaça del Cinc d’Oros, known for many years as Plaça Joan Carles I, is one of Barcelona’s most iconic crossroads, located at the intersection of the Passeig de Gràcia and Avinguda Diagonal. Its popular nickname, “Cinc d’Oros” (Five of Golds), does not come from the streetlamps, as was long believed, but from the layout of five circular sidewalks that once helped pedestrians cross between the large avenues. Four were located at each corner, and a larger one stood in the center, evoking the “five of golds” card from the Spanish deck. At the heart of the square stands an obelisk, originally erected in 1936 as a monument to republican politician Pi i Margall. Designed by architects Adolf Florensa and Josep Vilaseca, it was topped with a sculpture by Josep Viladomat: a nude female figure raising her arm with a laurel branch, symbolizing the Republic. In 1939, after Franco’s victory, the statue was removed and replaced by a work by Frederic Marès installed at the base. The obelisk was later crowned with an imperial eagle, which was soon dismantled. Marès’ statue remained in place until 2011. Since then, the bare obelisk has been affectionately nicknamed “el llapis” (the pencil) by Barcelonans. The square also changed names over time. In 1981, shortly after the failed military coup, it was officially renamed Plaça Joan Carles I in honor of the king. However, in popular memory, its traditional name Cinc d’Oros remains the most commonly used. Another notable aspect of the site’s history is the presence of the six large lampposts created in 1906 by architect Pere Falqués Urpí, famous for his modernist designs in wrought iron and mosaic along Passeig de Gràcia. These lampposts, depicted in period drawings such as in the satirical magazine El Be Negre in 1934, were later moved to Avinguda Gaudí. Today, the Plaça del Cinc d’Oros is both a daily thoroughfare for locals and visitors and a symbolic space, reflecting the different stages of Barcelona’s political and urban history.
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