Independence square or Plaza de La Independencia (Plaça de la Independència) is one of the main and largest square in the city of Girona.
Independence square is included in the List of architectural heritage of Catalonia. Located on the left Bank of the river Onyar, in the heart of El Mercadel, near the historic centre of Girona.
The place where is now located the area was occupied by the convent and gardens of Sant Agustí, the area also known as Plaza Sant Agustí (Plaça de Sant Agustí). Instead, the current name of the square recalls the events of the French invasion in 1808-1809 years.
In 1835 the buildings of the monastery were confiscated. In 1855 the architect Marty Sureda DeLaval presented the project of urbanization of the new square with a clearly defined and unified model building facades with porticos in the neoclassical style. The construction of the square was completed in 1869, a column devoted to the Constitution. In 1894, the column was replaced by the present sculpture, created by sculptor Anthony Perera located in the center of the square and dedicated to the defenders of Girona 1808-1809. In 1924 Ricard Casadesus Giralt fulfill the current landscaping of the area.
The area has a rectangular shape, with dimensions of 92х45 meters. The perimeter of the square is decorated with a simple neoclassical buildings-twins of the 19th century, with semicircular arches on the first floor.
On the area of cafes and restaurants, places to stay, lights and a sculptural fountain, which is decorated with a sculpture of a boy seated on large turtle.
