Barcelona will dedicate a space to the authors of the city's Olympic anthem. Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé will give their names to a viewpoint in the surroundings of the renovated Glòries square. Specifically, it will be located in a new space that will open between Castillejos street and the square, which has been undergoing transformation for nearly a decade. In fact, the project to bury the traffic that previously climbed a road ring began in 2014, and has generated new civic spaces, such as this new viewpoint that will pay tribute to the Queen singer and the Barcelona soprano.
The collaboration between both artists came after Mercury declared himself an admirer of the diva, and after they began working in Barcelona in the 1980s. They first sang the song together in front of an audience at the end of the decade, as a prelude to the 1992 Olympic Games. Mercury's death in November 1991 prevented the duo from performing together before the world through Olympic Barcelona.
The Nomenclátor Committee has validated that both artists give their names to this space. This is the body responsible for naming the streets, squares, and spaces of the Catalan capital, which are coveted and scarce. The choice of both performers coincides with the fifth anniversary of the death of the Barcelona soprano, who died in October 2018. This fact is not casual: usually, the Nomenclátor Committee cannot designate any personality to name urban spaces without five years having passed since their death.
Following the purpose of giving more visibility to female figures in the names of the city's streets, 12 names of women have been incorporatedThis has not been the only decision that this body has validated. Nelson Mandela will have a square in the Sant Andreu district, in the Bon Pastor neighborhood. The politician and activist against Apartheid will name a tribute space between Mollerusa promenade and Tàrrega street.
Photographers Català; actor and singer Martí Garralaga; historian Josep Fontana; writer Joaquim Amat-Piniella, and film critic and historian Miquel Porter i Moix have also managed to carve out a space for themselves in the dense Catalan capital. In addition, the Bellesguard roundabout in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi changes its name and will become Plaça de l'Abat Oliba, where the university that bears his name is located.
Following the purpose of giving more visibility to women in the names of the city's streets, the two sessions of the Nomenclátor Panel that have validated these proposals have incorporated 12 names of women. Among them are composers Mercè Torrents i Turmo and Lluïsa Casagemas i Coll; pianist and violinist Antònia Pich i Santasusana, and the founder of the Associació Les Dones del 36, Trinidad Gallego. The transformation of the Trinitat Vella prison area will make space for two other women: lawyer Montserrat Avilés Vila, and psychiatrist Roser Pérez Simó.