It may be hard to imagine the view from the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and the magic fountains without the iconic columns that stand between them, but they have actually only been there since 2010. Originally designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and erected in 1919, the columns symbolized the four stripes of the Catalan senyera (flag). But less than ten years later they were destroyed during Primo de Rivera's dictatorship in a campaign to eradicate all public Catalanist symbols before the 1929 Universal Exposition. The columns you see today were erected in 2010 very close to the original site using Puig i Cadafalch's original plans.
Les Quatre Columnes
Plaça de Carles Buïgas 7-10, 08038 Barcelona

Les Quatre Columnes were designed by Puig i Cadafalch. Photo by Vicente Zambrano González courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Plaça de Carles Buïgas 7-10, 08038 Barcelona
Historical Site