Calle Benito Corbal

Since 1928, the street has been dedicated to the Pontevedra businessman and politician Benito Corbal (1853–1926). He was responsible for the transfer of the fairground to the Plaza de Barcelos and for the construction of more than 80% of the buildings in the street that bears his name (including his own house at number 34). == History ==

The origins of the present Benito Corbal Street lie in the layout of the new road to Ourense, which in 1844 replaced the Camino Viejo de Castilla (old Castilian road) as the main exit from the city to Castile. This new access road to the city, the most central part of which corresponds to the present-day Benito Corbal Street, came close to the church of the Pilgrim Virgin. In 1868, the part of the old walls of Pontevedra located between the Trabancas gate and the convent of Saint Francis was demolished to open up a passage from the Herrería square to the new road to Ourense. The street became the main axis of the city's development, monopolising most of the activity in the construction sector. For this reason, on 28 April 1894, the Pontevedra City Council agreed to name it Calle Progreso (Development Street), from the Herrería square to the Pontevedra Provincial Hospital, which had just begun construction. In 1915, due to the increase in traffic on the street, the Gran Garaje building was inaugurated on a plot of land that previously housed a garage used as a stop for horse-drawn carriages. In 1926, after the death of Benito Corbal, the president of the employers' organisation of Pontevedra, supported by more than two thirds of the inhabitants of the street, requested that Progreso Street be named after Benito Corbal, because he was a hard worker and a lover of Pontevedra. The street was renamed on 18 April 1928. In 1943, one of the most important cinemas in the city was opened at number 15 Benito Corbal Street, with a capacity of 1200 spectators, the Victoria Cinema, which closed at the end of March 2002 with the screening of the French film Amélie. In 1951, due to the increase in the number of cars and road traffic, the famous Costa Giráldez petrol station was opened at number 49 of the street. The land was ceded by Valentín Costa Giráldez to the municipality. The premises, which was a car park, garage and petrol station in one, remained open until the end of 2017. Also in 1958, at number 47 of the street, a building was inaugurated for the Provincial Headquarters of the Movement, which was completely renovated with the arrival of democracy. At the end of the 1970s, it became the headquarters of the Provincial Office of the Ministry of Culture of the province of Pontevedra. On 30 June 1986, after a complete interior and exterior renovation, it became the headquarters of the Xunta de Galicia in the province of Pontevedra and opened its doors on 20 October 1986. In 2018, the building was completely renovated and reopened on 17 June 2019. On 15 November 2013, the pedestrian zone of the first section of Benito Corbal Street, between Daniel de la Sota Street and Sagasta Street, was inaugurated. On 10 March 2022, the Gadis supermarket chain opened its largest supermarket in Galicia in an urban area, with two floors and 2,200 square metres of sales area, after a complete renovation of the old Costa Giráldez building. == Description ==

It is a street in the heart of the city centre, half a kilometre long, straight and predominantly flat. Its average width is 12 metres. It is a central street in the first urban expansion area of the city, pedestrianised between the Peregrina square and the Herreria square, on the edge of the historic centre of Pontevedra, and the Sagasta street, with one lane of traffic and two pavements from Sagasta street to Cobián Areal street. The entire street is lined longitudinally with Japanese pagoda trees on its northern side. Many streets converge in its course, from west to east: Daniel de la Sota, Cobián Roffignac, Xenaro Pérez de Villamil (towards the Barcelos square), Sagasta, Vasco da Ponte, Lepanto (pedestrian), Blanco Porto and Javier Puig. It is one of the main streets of the city and one of its focal points, where the city's largest shopping area is located, with numerous shops and national and international franchises. == Outstanding buildings ==

In Benito Corbal Street there were many art nouveau buildings from the early 20th century that disappeared when they were demolished as a result of the development and property speculation of the 1970s and 1980s in the city. The buildings at numbers 1, 5 and 9 of the street, on the edge of the historic city centre, close to the church of St. Francis Convent, date from the 19th century. At number 8 of the street is the art nouveau Gran Garaje building. Built in 1915, it is one of the few remaining examples of art nouveau buildings in the city. It is remarkable for the white colour of its façade and its decoration. It currently houses a shop of the Mango clothing company. == Gallery ==

File:Pontevedra Capital Calle peatonal Benito Corbal.jpg|Pedestrian area from Daniel de la Sota Street to Sagasta Street File:Edificio de la Xunta de Galicia en Benito Corbal 47 - Pontevedra capital.jpg|Administrative building of the Xunta de Galicia at number 47 File:Gadis Benito Corbal, 49 en Pontevedra capital.jpg|Street number 49 File: Calle Benito Corbal primer tramo Pontevedra capital.jpg|First section of the street File:Calle Benito Corbal Pontevedra capital.jpg File:Benito Corbal Street in Pontevedra capital city.jpg File:Calle Benito Corbal en Pontevedra capital.jpg File:Calle Benito Corbal Pull and Bear Pontevedra Capital.jpg File:Edificio de 1920 en la calle Benito Corbal de Pontevedra capital.jpg == References ==