Avinguda de la Llum

Avinguda de la Llum (Catalan for street light; Spanish: Avenida de la Luz ) was a 1940 open until 1990 underground shopping street in Barcelona, Spain. The shopping street, the construction of which stemmed from as early as 1929, was below the Carrer de Pelai between Plaça de Catalunya, Carrer de Balmes, Carrer de Bergara and Plaça de la Universitat, but above the display connected with an access Catalunya station of the railway company FGC.

Installation, operation and decay

Avinguda de la Llum was part of the ambitious project to build an underground city from Plaça de la Universitat to Plaza Urquinaona. At times, were in the mall up to 68 companies, including a cinema. With increasing maturity of the area in the 1960s also followed an exodus of companies from Avinguda de la Llum and increasing vacancy. At the time of the final closure of the mall in 1990 this was already largely abandoned and was used by homeless people as a place to sleep.

Today, the main corridor is part of the shopping center El Triangle and is used by the cosmetics company Sephora as the basement of their local branch, other parts are, however, still leave and not accessible to the public.

In popular culture

The Spanish film director Bigas Luna leaves a scene of his film Bilbao ( 1978) playing in the underground shopping street. The Rock Band Loquillo y los Trogloditas devoted Avinguda de la Llum their song Avenida de la Luz.