Barcelona & Catalonia Cinderellas

Hi Michael.
Thank you very much for your words. I hope that you and your family, both in Israel and UK, are fine.
Things in Catalonia, are slowly improving, although it will take quite long (some months) to be back to full normality. We hope that we've already been over the worst. I'm ok, but fed-up of being locked.
Thanks God, we've got stamps and cinderellas!
I appreciate also very much your view about this very modest thread, as you're someone that knows a lot more than myself on cindys. Take care!

Just for a change, let's jump from 1933 to 1999. That year, as it was 75 years since the opening of Barcelona's underground, our city's stamps and coins Traders' Guild, issued a series of sheets with cinderellas Barcelona's public transport. 7 of them, showed surface transport, and were base on a commemorative ticket series issued by Barcelona's Public Transports on 1972, when they commemorated the centenary of Barcelona's frist tramway. A mule-drawn, one.





(actual size: 140 x 195 mm)

Based on these 1972 bus-tickets:







(actual size: 47 x 93 mm)

The seven cinderella sheets were issued in conjuction with the stamp exhibition "Barnafil'99" held on April/May 1999 at Barcelona's Old Ship Buiding Yard (XIV to XVII centuries).

Lovely items, Cursus.
Must have taken some effort and organisation by the Trader's Guild.
Art work, printing, papers, perforation and guillotining.

Yes, they did a good job. And there are still 5 more to show. 3 of this same series and two of the underground.

For sure, cinderella issuing was a very good bussiness for them, as they issued a lot of them. Well done, quite easy to find, and not too expensive.

Another mini-sheet of the same exhibition, this time imperforated, devoted to the 75 years of Barcelona underground.

As today is that of Our Lady of Montserrat, patroness of Catalonia, I'll showthe cinderllas issued in 1947 to honour Her. "Montserrat" is a very popular name for Catalan girls.

All cinderellas were wood-engraved










Note: The size of the cinderellas on the lower row is the same as the upper 9. The second cinderella of the Virgin is 1/2 the size of the other one.

An aside.
A bit of Catalan magic, in North Queensland, Australia
Mr. Jose Paronella.
http://www.paronellapark.com.au/abo...rief-history

Very interesting Rod, thank you for the information. We, Catalan, are known for being serious, hard-working people. But, we also like to have some fun. Mainly, if the fun for the others, means money for you. The Paris cabaret, Moulin Rouge, was set by a Catalan.

Going to Paronella Park, by the time it was built, Gaudí was also working with reinforced concrete and the letters advertising Paronella Park seem to mímic those of Park Güell in Barcelona. Perhaps, we should set a Gaudi's franchise all around the world? For many years (just when I was growing there) people from Barcelona, didn't care that much for Gaudi's buildings. My own grandpa, did not take his architecture seriously...

Let's finish with the Barnafil cinderellas. This one showing some working aspects of Barcelona underground, as it was in 1999.




Pretty much the same as today.

Keeping-on with the Album Catalunya stamps, we reach page 32, showing Barcelona monuments, as they were in 1933. As far as I know, eight of the ten depicted monuments still exist, albeit, some have changed location. Not bad after nearly 90 years, for a city that has suffered a evolution, a war and 40years of dictatorship (plus 45 of a, so-called, "democracy")




Jacint Verdaguer (1845-1902). Priest and best known Catalan poet. The monument dates from 1924 on the crossing of two Barcelona's main avenues: Avinguda Diagonal and Passeig de Sant Joan.





Rafael Casanova (1660-1743) Lawyer and patriot. The moument, by Rosend Novas, was built in 1888 at the Saló de Sant Joan (today, Passeig de Lluis Companys). In 1914, it was transfered to the Ronda de Sant Pere. In 1939, after the war, and due to the political significance of Casanova, the fascist regime ordered its destruction. But, somehow, the major of Barcelona managed to hide the monument in a city store. It reappeared in 1976, after the dictator's death, when someone, rememebered that. The monument, today, stands again at the Ronda de Sant Pere site and many flowers are offered to Rafael Casanova on Catalonia's National Day.

Josep Anselm Clavé (1824-1874) father of Catalan choral music. Te monument by J. Vilaseca and M. Fluxà, dates from 1888. Originaly, it was at the Rambla de Catalunya/València; but, in 1960 it was moved to passeig de Sant Joan/Travessera de Gràcia.





Bonaventura Carles Aribau (1798-1862). His poem "Oda a la Pàtria" is considered the start of Catalan Cultural Renaissance. The cinderella shows the original stone monument by J. Vilaseca and M. Fluxà, dated from 1884. In 1934, two years after this picture was taken, the statue was replaced by a bronze-cast copy.

Frederic Soler, "Pitarra" (1839/95) playwriter. The monument, by Agustí Querol, stands from 1906 at the Theater square on the lower part of the Rambles.




Roger de Llúria (1250-1305), admiral of the Catalan navy on the Sicillian wars against France (XIII-XIV centuries). Monument, from 1873 by Josep Reynés. It stands on the Passeig de Lluis Companys.

Bartomeu Robert (1842-1902) major of Barcelona and a reference of Catalan nationalism. The monument by Domènech I Montaner and Josep Llimona was originally placed in 1910 at University square in. Due to the policitical sgnificance of Dr. Robert, in 1940 the fascist dictatorship ordered it demolition and destruction. Instead, it was kept hidden until,after the dictator's death, it was recovered. But due to (claimed) structural problems on the original site it was transfered to a more excentric place, Tetuan square in 1985.




Guifré I (840-897) count of Barcelona, Urgell, Besalú and Cerdanya on today's Catalonia. Founder of the Catalan National Dinasty. The monument, by Venaci Vallmitjana, was placed in 1888 at the Passeig de Lluis Companys. Due to the polical significance of Count Guifré, his statue was destroyed after the fall of Barcelona in 1939 and the bronze was used to cast a religious image.