Rambla de Sant Josep or Rambla de les Flors is, without a doubt, the most admired and popular spot of Barcelona’s most emblematic street.
When you think of La Rambla the first image that comes to your mind is flowers. Whether is Winter or Summer, there’s always a place for daisies, petunias, tulips or poppies. For this reason, Rambla de Sant Josep or Rambla de las flores is the best known spots of Barcelona’s most popular street. Here some facts.
1. Rambla de las Flores (Flower’s boulevard) comprises from Portaferrissa street (where Harry Potter and Game of Thrones stores are located) and Carmen street to  Pla de La Boqueria or Pla de l’Os.
2. It is known by that name because during the 19th century it was the only place in Barcelona where flowers were sold. Therefore, florists began to play a very important role in the social gatherings that were formed around their parades.
3. In one of these meetings Impressionist painter Ramón Casas (1866-1932) met Júlia Casas, a lottery vendor who became his muse and later married him. She is one of the forgotten women in Barcelona’s History.
4. Its official name is Rambla de Sant Josep because the convent of Discalced Carmelites of San José was located here. It was burnt in 1835 during Barcelona’s anticlerical revolts.
5. Rambla de les Flors has been described as the fifth essence of Barcelona and has inspired poets like Federico GarcÃa Lorca.
6. There is Palau de la Virreina, an 18th-century urban palace that today is the headquarters of Barcelona City Council Culture Department. It is also a space to explore the image in all its cultural expressions and enjoy a wide variety of exhibitions.
Joan Miró, dragons and La Boqueria
7. Next to Palau de la Virreina is Casa Beethoven, a century-old music store that has been frequented by the most important Catalan artists of all times. Its archive compiles more than 3,000 musical documents and a piano that, every Saturday, is played by the students of the Liceu Theater.
8. You can also find Casa Bruno Cuadros or the ‘House of Umbrellas‘, one of the most representative examples of Catalan modernism. It is, without a doubt, the most original building in La Rambla.
9. A few steps away there is the only Erotic Museum in Spain. It exhibits more than 800 pieces showing the sexual routines and practices from Ancient Greece to 1920’s.
10. At Rambla de les Flors is Palau Nou de La Rambla, a building known for its eleven-story robotic parking.
11. The street ends at the Pla de l’Os or Pla de La Boqueria, one of the liveliest and most frequented spots in Barcelona. Centuries ago it was known as Pla de l’Olla (Pot esplanade) Â because here they served soup to homeless and poor people. Until the fourteenth century its nickname was Pla de les Forques (gallows esplanade) because here was were prisoners were condemned and hanged.
12. Finally have a look at Miró’s pavement or Mosaico Miró, a gift from artist Joan Miró to La Rambla. 6,000 tiles form a circle with an arrow that guides travelers arriving in Barcelona by sea. After the attacks of 17A, it became a symbol of the courage shown by the people of Barcelona.