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The Arc de Triomphe, located at the confluence of Trafalgar, Ronda de San Pedro and Paseo de Vilanova streets and with Paseo de Víctor Pradera, today Paseo de Lluís Companys, was the main entrance door to the Universal Exhibition in 1888.
Then the place was a large esplanade that was at the end of Paseo San Juan and that reached the Parque de la Ciudadela. A path that was elegant for those people who had to get to the Exhibition with the transportation of that time.
It was designed by the architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas. This construction differed from most triumphal arches that were erected as a tribute to a military victory.
This Arc de Triomphe was built to celebrate the Victory of the City of Barcelona in the vicissitudes suffered from 1714 until the completion of the demolition of the walls and for having managed, for a time, to be the mirror of the world with the celebration of the Universal Exhibition of 1888.
When designing the monument, Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas wanted to give it a neo-Mudejar style. For this he used the red brick typical of this type of construction and which was easy to maintain and preserve, since it was in a place that constantly suffered from inclement weather. This ensured that it had a long life.
For its construction, Vilaseca relied on other Catalan artists to develop the sculptural part of the monument. Josep Reynés made a frieze on the front of the arch in which the phrase, "Barcelona rep les nacions" (Barcelona welcomes the nations) appeared. In the back part that faces the Ciudadela park, the frieze was made by Josep Llimona. The narrower frieze on the right side was created by Antoni Vilanova, who reproduced some allegories dedicated to industry, agriculture and commerce. On the left side, Torquat Tasso dedicated his work to the sciences and arts. To finish, Manel Fuxà and Pere Carbonell made four female sculptures.
After the Exhibition, the place was used to celebrate the finals of sporting events. For a time it was the official goal of the arrival of the Jean Bouin athletics event and the Barcelona Marathon.
In 1990 a restoration took place to fix the damage caused by time. During all these years, the promenade has undergone continuous changes in its urbanization, from being an area with traffic circulation in the center of the promenade, with sidewalks that were admired by people who came to contemplate the Arc de Triomphe. The reuse of said sidewalks was never heard of again. With traffic removed, the central part became a garden place.
The walk that Cerdà called number 35 became known as Salón de San Juan, Paseo de Fermín Galán, Salón de Víctor Pradera and, currently, Passeig de Lluís Companys, but this is another story...
