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This image has been bothering me for years. It has been in Wikimedia Commons since 2014 named "Barcelona Ramblas.jpg" and described as taken in 1987, but I'm sure it's not the Rambles and I can't identify it as anywhere else in Barcelona, and although I would be happy to be proven wrong, I think I know my city fairly well.

Furthermore, it looks older than 1987 to me.

Barcelona Ramblas.jpg

The carriage looks like those that existed in Barcelona until a few decades ago, and I assume they also existed in most touristic large cities in Spain. The cars look a bit older for 1987 but not unfamiliar, so I think it can be an Spanish city in the 1970s or maybe even earlier. The car plate could give a clue if not for the rein that hides the province code, although it makes less likely the provinces with a two letter identifier (like the Balearic islands), in addition to confirm that the photograph is likely taken in Spain because the car plate looks like the Spanish car plates of that time (province code plus six digits, black on white).

I tried looking in Google Maps for similar avenues, but I couldn't find a place that match the photograph.

Then the question is where this photograph was taken, in order to properly tag and classify it in Wikimedia Commons.

For convenience, the full size link to the image is https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Barcelona_Ramblas.jpg

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    Probably not earlier than the 1970's. Google thinks the red car is a 73-77 vintage Opel Rekord while the white car is an early-to-mid 70's Hillman Imp.
    – user38879
    Dec 2, 2021 at 23:36
  • @Dennis late 60s - early 70s Imp I'd say, based on the number plate format and Wikpiedia:Hillman Imp (which looks good but not perfect - probably just slight changes for the Spanish market). The number plate looks to me to finish "30" which would mean the series of registration numbers that ended in '71 (also the province code isn't "Ma" for Málaga - while partially obscured it's too narrow to be 2 letters - so it's not local)
    – Chris H - UK
    Dec 3, 2021 at 11:58
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    The white car may be a Simca 1000. The headlight area doesn't quite match the Hillman Imp.
    – David Marshall
    Dec 3, 2021 at 16:29
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    Two hours ago (17 hours after the question was asked), the file was moved on Wikimedia Commons and is now called File:Plaza de la Marina, Málaga.jpg.
    – gerrit
    Dec 3, 2021 at 17:52
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    Yes. I found when I went there to categorise the file. I guess I'm not the only user of both travel.SE and Wikimedia Commons.
    – Pere
    Dec 3, 2021 at 19:03

1 Answer 1

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Using Google Lens and its reverse image search I can safely say that this is Málaga, Spain because the monument in the image is the Monumento al Marqués de Larios! https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monumento_al_marqu%C3%A9s_de_Larios

Found through this site: https://www.lahornacina.com/articulosbenlliure1.htm where a picture of the backside of the monument is included, as in the original image here.

Today the spot (https://maps.app.goo.gl/APGWzZDdskfpRWLC8) looks very different. It even seems as if the monument was moved and is now facing another direction. Satellite view still shows the old situation as probably in the original photo but Streetview shows the new situation.

I would also say that the photo was taken in the 70s, especially because how that man driving the carriage and the older one crossing the street are dressed.

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    Great job! That's clearly the correct location. On older StreetView images (2008), the monument is shown as in the picture from Wikimedia Commons.
    – tohuwawohu
    Dec 3, 2021 at 10:30
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    Indeed, here is another angle, more similar with the picture.
    – Razvan Socol
    Dec 3, 2021 at 11:58
  • Yeah! This street hasn't changed much over the years
    – fedorqui
    Dec 3, 2021 at 12:40
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    The lack of cars from the 80s does not, inherently, preclude it from being taken in 1987, however, it is strong evidence that it was taken in the 70s. The mid-70s Opel does appear to be about the newest car there.
    – FreeMan
    Dec 3, 2021 at 12:56
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    Great work. Interestingly, Google Street View shows a bunch on horse drawn carriages like that in the photograph, in 2018.
    – Pere
    Dec 3, 2021 at 15:26

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