La Rambla de Barcelona, also known in the plural as Las Ramblas, is one of the most popular walks in the city. It begins in Plaza de Catalunya and ends in the old port area, where there is a monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus.
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy indicates that the word rambla describes the “natural bed of rainwater when it falls copiously”, also known as a stream, in addition to the ground through which said waters flow. The term is used in Catalonia and other areas of Levante to designate a “wide street with trees, generally with a central platform.” One of its synonyms could be boulevard. Another of its meanings indicates that in Argentina and Uruguay it is used to refer to an “avenue that borders the coast of a lake, a river or the sea.”
Rambla comes from the Hispanic Arabic rámla. In turn, this word comes from ramlah, which in classical Arabic means sandpit. The famous street in the Catalan capital owes its name to the fact that in the past it functioned as a boulevard, since a torrent of water from the rains circulated through it. It came down from the Collserola mountain range and dragged debris.
The Rambla of Barcelona stopped functioning as such in the 15th century, when a wall was built and the stream was diverted. Several convents were built in that area, which were later burned and confiscated, giving rise to public buildings such as the Liceo and the Boquería. On the other hand, different trees were planted on this street in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The walk that begins in Plaza de Catalunya receives different names depending on its sections. It is divided into Rambla de Canaletas, Rambla de los Estudios, Rambla de San José, Rambla de los Capuchinos and Rambla de Santa Mónica.