Francesc Macià i Llussà was the first President of the Generalitat de Catalunya and held office from 1932 until his death in 1933.
Born in September 1859, Macià grew up in Vilanova i la Geltrú (a medium sized town approximately 50 kilometres south of Barcelona). After a spell in the Spanish army, he fought for Catalan independence and formed the political party Estat Català which later merged with other pro-independence groups to form Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left Wing of Catalonia).
In 1931 the ERC won local elections and proclaimed the Catalan Republic. Three days later the Catalan Republic was restructured as the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of the autonomous region of Catalonia) with Francesc Macia as president and the statute was drawn up.
Monument to Francesc Macià
This unusual monument is the work of Josep Maria Soberachs and was inaugerated in 1991. The mostly abstract statue consists of a bronze bust of Macià in front of an inverted concrete staircase. The unfinished staircase symbolises the ongoing history of Catalonia which is being constructed day-by-day.
About the Artist
Josep Maria Soberachs was born in Barcelona in 1927. He was a multidisciplinary artist, painter, sculptor, illustrator and art critic whose best known works include the Passion Façade of the Sagrada Familia Basilica.
Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona
How to get there
Plaça de Catalunya (Catalonia Square) is a transport hub with numerous bus stops as well as metro and train stations and an underground car park.