Old City East Tour

Via Laietana was constructed at the turn of the twentieth century thus producing another divide in the Barri Gòtic : the area east of it is La Ribera. Part of La Ribera is referred to as El Born. Born is Catalan for jousting field. A little more south, Baceloneta was originally inhabited by fisherman and the neighborhood still retains the atmosphere of a seaside village.

During the Middle Ages La Ribera (the shore) was known as Barcelona’s wealthiest neighborhood. Handsome medieval mansions line the narrow streets; one of them is home to the popular Picasso Museum. Today the area closest to the sea remains affluent and lively. Fashionable bars, galleries, shops and restaurants can be found here, especially along the main thoroughfare, “Passeig del Born”, which has led to the area near the seafront being referred to simply as “El Born”.
Barceloneta is home to one of Barcelona's liveliest beaches as well as some of the best seafood restaurants to be found in the city. At night the seaside booms to the sound of the numerous, lively beach-side bars and cafes that are found here.
The route is materialized on the map by a purple line, leading to the points of interest mentioned below. It includes 7 major sites, each represented on the map by a dark rectangle, and which have in this blog their own page of description and pictures, accessible by clicking on their name. Each of these pages has a "back" link at the end to return to the tour page. All these pages can be selected by clicking the "Old City East Tour" label in the right column of the blog". The other links open in a new tab/window the maps, pictures,pages external to this blog.
 
Plaça de l'Angel. Known in medieval times as the Plaça del Blat ("Square of Wheat"), since all grain sales were made here, this small, atmospheric square stands at the busy junction of Jaume I and Laietana on the eastern edge of the Barri Gòtic.

From the Plaça de l'Angel take Carrer Boria right; then turn left into Carrer Mercaders and immediately right again to Plaça Santa Caterina. 

Plaça Santa Caterina. The oldest working market in the area, Mercat de Santa Caterina (1), occupies the original site of a medieval convent, and provides the usual rich cornucopia of Mediterranean produce. In 2005, after a protracted period of renovation, the market was reopened with a stunning new moderniste design,  whose colorful waved roof owes more than a little to Gaudí. It's open every day except Sunday.

From the south-facing side of the market take Carrer Sant Jacint, turn right into Carrer Corders, and then south into the Placeta d'en Marcus.

Placeta d'en Marcus. Well worth a peek is th diminutive 12th-century Capella d'en Marcus, nestling in this tiny Placeta, near the junction of calles Montcada and Carders (the latter means "Woolcomber's Street"). Originally conceived by one Bernat Marcus as a sanctuary for luckless travelers who reached the city after the gates had been closed, the chapel may have been headquarters of the country's very first postal service.

Continue south across Carrer Princesa to reach:

Carrer Montcada. Named after a powerful merchant, Guillem de Montcada, who in 1153 built a long-since-disappeared palace here, this charming medieval street would be interesting enough to stroll along even if it didn't contain some of the city's most interesting museums. The elegant buildings lining the street are reminders of the time it was a wealthy trading center; vast fortunes were made here by adroit and ambitious merchants.

Carrer Montcada, 15-21. Located in no fewer than five former palaces in Carrer Montcada, the Museu Picasso (2) is generally rated the most popular museum in town. In essence it covers the artist as a young man, and even the older works on display were created when the Malagueño was a mere 20-something. Exhibits range from notes and rough sketches to lithographs, ceramics, and oil canvases. Highlights are Las Meninas (his take on Velázquez's painting of the same name) and The Harlequin; although time will be short, keep an eye open for La Ciencia y la Caridad (Science and Charity), a masterpiece created while Picasso was at school.
Carrer Montcada, 12.  The Palau del Marquès de Lió has been the residence of several local noble families, among which the Marquès de Lió, which today gives its name to the building. It is one of the venues of the Disseny Hub Barcelona (design hub) and hosts the temporary exhibitions of the Museu Tèxtil i d'Indumentària,  The oldest preserved part is a tower and two coffered ceilings dating from the late thirteenth century.
Carrer Montcada, 14. Atmospherically housed in the 15th-century Palau Nadal, close to the above two museums, the Museu Barbier-Mueller d'Art Precolombí, a branch of the great Geneva museum, used to offer one of the best displays of pre-Columbian art and has been drawing in the crowds ever since it opened in 1997. Among its highlights was a dazzling selection of gold, jewelry, and masks. Unfortunately it closed on September 14, 2012

Continue down Carrer Montcada to the Passeig del Born. Turn right onto Carrer de Santa María.

Plaça de Santa María. Built in the 14th century during a period of just over 50 years (quick for the time), the grandiose, high-vaulted basilica Santa María del Mar (3), honoring the patron saint of sailors, used to stand on the city's shore when the sea reached further inland. As the welfare of sailors mainly depended on the clemency and protection of "Our Lady of the Sea," in those days large numbers of penniless people helped without pay on its construction. Bronze figures of two porters on the door commemorate this, and the west portal is flanked by statues of Peter and Paul.
Today it's one of Barcelona's most imposing Gothic structures, noted for its soaring columns and uncluttered aura of space. Look out for the superb stained-glass windows, particularly the 15th-century rose-shaped one above the main entrance. A belated 1997 addition to this is, in contrast, jarringly unimpressive. You'll want to return for an evening concert -- particularly a performance of Handel. In such a timeless setting it's an unforgettable experience.

Go back to the:

Passeig del Born. This short wide paseo, or avenue, was once a center for tournaments and jousting events. (The name "Born" in Catalan means, among other things, the point of a jousting lance.) In medieval times, when Catalonia was a major naval power, the paseo's fame was such that the saying Roda el món i torna al Born ("Go around the world and return to the Born") became widespread. It was the spiritual heart of the city from the 13th century right up to the 18th century, when La Rambla took over the number-one spot. Today the Born's revelry assumes a more modern nocturnal form, centered mainly around the countless bars and cafes filling the bustling side streets.
Passeig del Born, at the corner of Carrer de Flassaders, is the famous Hofmann Pasteleria- a magic corner with gorgeous cakes and colourful pastries inviting you to come in, try and return.

At the end of the avenue the Antic Mercat del Born (4), a massive building, with its wrought-iron roof, was formerly one of the city's biggest wholesale markets. 

Turn left on Carrer del Comerç:

Comerc, 36. A whole museum devoted to the love and learning of the history of chocolate ? Yes the Xocolata museum (5) !

At the end of the street turn right to go to the :

Parc de la Ciutadella (6). Built on the site of a much-hated 18th-century Bourbon citadel, which was destroyed in 1878, this 30-hectare (75-acre) oasis of relaxing greenery came about in the late 1890s after serving as the site for the Universal Exhibition. Its many highlights include statues, fountains (one designed by a young Gaudí), a boating lake, a waterfall (La Cascada) with a giant hairy mammoth sculpture, the Domènech i Muntaner-designed Castell dels Tres Dragons (Castle of Three Dragons), which houses the zoological museum, two arboretums, and a small botanical garden. There's also a science museum and -- last, but not least -- the Catalan parliament, which is located in the former citadel's arsenal and can be visited by appointment. At the northern end of the park, the moderniste-cum-neo-mudéjar-style Arc de Triomf, served as the entrance to the Universal Exhibition.

Exit the park from the south corner.

Avinguda Marquès de l'Argentera. Following this avenue you will pass in front of the old train station, The Estació de Fança . Build in 1926, this elegant station worthy of the first line connecting Barcelona and France, comprises two main sections: the train shed and the lobby. There is a curved glass and metal canopy over the 12 tracks and seven platforms, a fine example of wrought-iron architecture, filling the train shed with natural light and creating a spacious area.

In the Estació, the same is true of the noucentista-style lobby, creating a spacious area ideal for all kinds of activities. The lobby and buildings around the tracks were constructed from luxury materials, including marble and bronze, which give the station its characteristic ornate appearance.

At the end of the avenue turn left to enter Barceloneta.

Barceloneta. The Barceloneta is a triangular spit of land that cuts into the sea the old harbour, or Barcelona’s Port Vell, on one side, and sandy beaches on the other. The neighbourhood, with its narrow, rectilinear streets, was built on a military grid structure to provide accommodation for the former inhabitants of La Ribera who had lost their homes due to the construction of the citadel. The houses were low-rise and small in scale so as not to obstruct views of the city. The former general warehouse in the old port, the Port Vell, which was built in 1901 and is known as the Palau del Mar, host the Museu d'Història de Catalunya. The permanent exhibition traces the history of Catalonia from its distant roots to the present day in an interactive and innovative way. The Museu d'Història de Catalunya layout is structured chronologically, in eight areas, set out on four floors. 
It is now one of the city’s most visited and popular districts. In 1988, in pre-Olympic days, the decision was taken to demolish the old beachfront restaurants, known as xiringuitos, and public baths, heralding a process of opening the city up to the sea and the modernisation of an area which now offers first-class beaches as the main attraction for its visitors.
On the sand and inside the neighbourhood, rows of restaurants and bars combine with the traditional images of locals sitting in their chairs in the street and narrow balconies displaying clothes drying in the sun.

Sources : Frommer's  BarcelonaTurisme

Santa Caterina Market

From the Barcelona Cathedral, an undulating, brightly coloured roof catches our eye. Attracted like insects to a colourful flower, we approach to discover a food market below the roof: the Santa Caterina Market. The original design of the building, as well as the treasure trove of produce displayed on its stalls, won’t disappoint visitors to the neighbourhood of Santa Caterina.

Santa Caterina Market X

The spacious, modern market building was constructed on the former site of the Convent of Santa Caterina, from which it takes its name. During the post-Civil War period, Santa Caterina became the main food supplier to the towns on the outskirts of Barcelona. People from Sant Adrià, Santa Coloma and Mataró came on the tram to buy food in this market in times of shortage.

(...) The design commission went, in 1997, to the highly imaginative Catalan practice EMBT, the husband and wife team of Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue.

Construction took so very long not because of political wrangling and rows over cash, but because of a combination of a complex brief and what was unearthed here.

The architects were asked to squeeze together the revived market, the plan of which was constantly changing, a museum, two blocks of 59 low-rent social housing for senior citizens, an ambitious underground car park for articulated lorries serving the market and 250 cars together with an "organic waste depository" for the Santa Caterina and La Ribera districts of the city centre. All of which is rather like being asked to erect a circus Big Top in the kitchen while builders are busy working on the rest of your house. And the garden shed, too.

Somehow, all these disparate elements fit together happily, as these things do in Barcelona; but, to make life more difficult, and interesting, for everyone involved, building works on the market uncovered the foundations of a substantial Dominican monastery that had been torched by anti-clerical Catalan revolutionaries in 1835.
Alongside these were the remains of what is thought to be the first wholly Gothic church in the city, dating from 1241, and, to keep the archaeologists digging, ruins of a late Roman necropolis. The market nailing a lid on these ghosts of the city's past was built between 1844 and 1848. A century and a half later, this building was creaking like some antique ship well past her sail-by date, which is where EMBT came to the stuttering, halting rescue. (...) (The Guardian)

 

EMBT has received many accolades for their management of the historic building’s renovation. In addition to leaving some parts of the remaining apse of the monastery exposed, the architects were determined to take advantage of the original structure in order to preserve its historic relevance. As residents of the neighborhood themselves, Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliablue were determined to “regenerate” the dilapidated market instead of completely demolishing the building, something so often seen in historic centers of European cities.

As the architects explain in their brief, “The first mistake is to talk about old and new. Whatever has managed to survive into the present is current, useful, and contemporary. And it permits us to move back in time in order to continue forward.”

Santa Caterina Market X

The rehabbed building reflects more than just the passing of time; it breathes movement and colorful vibrancy, inside and out. The undulating roof is the immediate eyecatcher as it hovers, magic carpet-style, over the large plaza that surrounds the market. The colorful mosaic is made up of 325,000 hexagonal Spanish ceramic tiles that create a textured field of flowers suspended in midair.
EMBT kept the original white masonry walls with multiple arched openings on three sides. The fourth side was reimagined to open into a plaza surrounded by social housing buildings that were also part of the urban renewal plan. Much of the second story exterior is covered in awkwardly hung movable shutters – one of the many playful touches typical of an EMBT design.

Today, Barcelona’s Santa Caterina Market is a busting hub of activity set in a modern design that pays homage to the building’s origins. By editing the existing features of the market, EMBT adeptly gave life back to an aging icon and boosted the local culinary economy as well. Mixing Spanish tradition with a funky design and fresh food is a fitting tribute for this cosmopolitan city, one of the culinary capitals of the world. 

(buildipedia)

The refurbishment of Barcelona’s first covered food market was completed in 2005. The old Santa Caterina food market revealed a gleaming, undulating and brightly coloured roof designed to be seen from the air. The roof is attached to the building by a wooden structure, and a vast mosaic of coloured ceramic pieces, representing fruit and vegetables, boldly breaks with the traditional look of a market. The market has always been characterised by a desire to innovate. Santa Caterina Market was built in 1845 to provide the neighbourhood’s blue-collar community with foodstuffs. (barcelonaturisme).

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Museu Picasso

The Museu Picasso is housed in five Catalan-Gothic-style palazzos dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, and opened to the public in 1963. It is now an essential museum for anyone wanting to find out about the artist’s formative years.

Palau Aguilar Montcada, 15

The original house dates from the 13th century, with major renovations being undertaken between the 15th and 18th centuries.During the 13th and 14th centuries, the palace belonged to several noble families from the court of Aragón. It was bought by the Coromines-Desplà in 1386, members of the Barcelona haute-bourgeoisie who, in 1400, sold it to the merchant Berenguer d’Aguilar.

Successive generations of the Aguilar family refurbished the property, leaving traces of very diverse styles. The palace passed to the Clerch and Pons families in 1837 and finally, on November 3rd 1953, Barcelona City Council bought it, carrying out extensive restoration work due to the building’s terrible state-of-repair.
The central courtyard with the open-air stairway, pointed arch gallery and flamboyant Gothic sculptures dates from the 15th century. There are coffered ceilings on the first floor.
The remains of a large late 13th century fresco are conserved, evoking the conquest of Majorca by Jaume I in 1229. The mural was uncovered during restoration work in the ‘60s, on removing the wall coverings in one of the galleries and was moved to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya,  where it is housed today.

Palau del Baró de Castellet Montcada, 17

A mediaeval Palace in origin, it underwent profound renovation work in the 18th century. Set around a central courtyard in the mediaeval style, the façade conserves a 16th century religious motif and to the inside, a marvellous neo-classical room on the main floor. The history of the owners dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The Gerona family owned the palace in the 15th century and it was occupied by several Catalan aristocratic and bourgeois families from the 16th to 18th centuries between sales and inheritances.

It received its name from the title awarded in 1797 to the owner and renovator of the building Marià Alegre d’Aparici I d’Amat by King Carles IV.
In the mid-18th century, the Baron of Castellet ordered a neo-classical room be built with marble elements and polychrome motifs, a mix of classical and baroque elements lending the room the sumptuousness of European classicism. Upon his death in 1831, the baron left it to Santa Creu Hospital.

In the second half of the 19th century, the building was rented by different tenants until it was bought by the Rius family. In the 1950s, it passed into the hands of Barcelona City Council.

Palau Meca Montcada, 19

A palace from the 13th-14th centuries that was heavily renovated in the 18th like the other palaces on the street. It is set around a central courtyard in the mediaeval style with preserved coffered polychrome mediaeval ceilings and 19th century decorative ceilings on the main floor. The oldest known documentation shows that the palace was owned by Jaume Caveller – head councillor at Barcelona City Council – in 1349. His daughter Felipona married the politician Ramon Desplà and their son, Ramon Desplà i Cavaller, made the Desplà Palace the most important building of the entire block of houses.

It passed into the hands of the Cassadors or Caçadors and their heirs in the 16th century, the Marquises of Ciudadella, the first of whom was Josep Meca i Caçador who gave his name to the palace. His widow sold the house to the merchant Segimon Milans in 1719. The Milans family orchestrated the major renovation of the building which had been largely destroyed by the 1714 bombardment.

It passed to the Sisters of Christian Doctrine with the Santa Madrona friendly society being set up in 1901, later becoming part of a banking institution’s benevolent fund. The latter and Barcelona City Council signed a transfer agreement for the palace on 5th December 1977 and, thanks to this agreement, the renovation and extension project at the Picasso Museum was begun in 1981, opening to the public officially on 11th January 1982. The renovation served to connect the Meca Palace to the Aguilar and Baró de Castellet palaces. 

Casa Mauri Montcada, 21

A building from the 18th century set around a courtyard. The house was partially built over Roman era structures belonging to one of the towns in the outskirts of Barcino colony. The façade has a small wooden truss – a characteristic 18th century enclosure system which is practically the only one remaining in Barcelona. It is possible that the house once formed part of the neighbouring Meca Palace outbuildings in the 13th century. Between 1378 and 1516, it belonged to the Rocha family with documentation missing until 1716, when it was inhabited by F. Casamada.

The building underwent many renovations, the most important in 1872 when it was joined to the neighbouring house, the palau Finestres, owned by Josep Vidal i Torrents. From that moment, a large part of the building was given over to industrial purposes. In 1943, it was purchased by Mauri confectioners. It became a part of the Picasso Museum in 1999.

Palau Finestres Montcada, 23

As with the rest of the palaces that constitute the Picasso Museum, the Finestres Palace retains original buildings from the 13th century. The building was built atop the remains of a necropolis dating from the end of the Roman era. The house is set around a large courtyard with the characteristic outdoor stairway leading to the main floor. The ground floor preserves a series of rooms with exquisite arcades. The first floor houses two large triple windows with windowpanes or columns. It preserves a magnificent coffered ceiling from the late 13th / early 14th centuries which has been restored. The top floor has an elevation and open or sun gallery. 

The most important reforms were undertaken in the 15th and 17th-18th centuries when the round arch gallery crowning the inner courtyard was added.

The building belonged to the Marimon family from 1363 to 1516. In 1698, it passed to the Dalmases family, owners of the Dalmases Palace at Number 20, Carrer de Montcada. In 1872, Josep Vidal i Torrents bought the property and attached it to casa Mauri. Barcelona City Council purchased it in 1970 and it is presently used to house temporary exhibitions at the Picasso Museum.

Harlequin, 1917 - Oil on canvas

The Picasso Museum in Barcelona is a key reference for understanding the formative years of Pablo Ruiz Picasso. The genius of the young artist is revealed through the 4,249 works that make up the permanent collection. Furthermore, the Museu Picasso, opened in 1963, also reveals his deep relationship with Barcelona: an intimate, solid relationship that was shaped in his adolescence and youth, and continued until his death.

Portrait of Jaume Sabartés, sitting

Jaume Sabartés, Barcelona now has the youthful work of one of the twentieth century’s most significant artists.The history of the Picasso Museum in Barcelona is the chronicle of the artist’s firm wish to leave the imprint of his art in our city. Thanks to the wishes of Picasso and his friend and personal secretary,
The Museum is very rich in regard to work from the training periods in the life of the artist; we could say that it is practically exhaustive up to the Blue Period, of which the Museum has a priceless group of works.

Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María), 1957

Furthermore, the Museum houses an important representation of works from 1917, and the series, Las Meninas (1957) and a very large Picasso’s prints collection, now displayed in the rooms opened in the beginning of 2008.

The Museum has undergone successive renovations and expansions, and it’s currently starting to develop new programmes, activities and services to become a reference place, envisaged to spreading knowledge and to fostering the visitor’s participation and critical views. The Museum wishes to be a dialogue space, exploring new approaches to Picasso’s work and influence and offering new perspectives on the Museum Collection.

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Sources :    Museu Picasso

Santa Maria del Mar

The basilica of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona, also known as the “cathedral of La Ribera”, is one of the most perfect examples of Gothic style architecture due to its harmonious proportions and the serenity of the ensemble. The basilica of Santa Maria del Mar was the place of worship for the shipwrights and merchants of Gothic Barcelona.

From the 4th to the 6th century there used to be a Roman necropolis, which was discovered during the excavations in the sixties, in the place where the church stands today. The first mention of a church of Santa Maria by the sea dates from 998. 
In the Middle Ages, the long periods of time it took to build a church – often more than a century – usually involved changes in architectural style. Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona is an exception. It was built in just 55 years, from 1329 to 1384, and is the only surviving church in the pure Catalan Gothic style.
 

The construction of the present building was promoted by the canon Bernat Llull, who was appointed Archdean of Santa Maria in 1324. Construction work started on 25 March 1329, when the foundation stone was laid by king Alfonso IV of Aragon (III of Catalonia), as commemorated by a tablet in Latin and Catalan on the façade that faces the Fossar de les Moreres.The architects in charge were Berenguer de Montagut (designer of the building) and Ramon Despuig, and during the construction all the guilds of the Ribera quarter were involved. The walls, the side chapels and the facades were finished by 1350. In 1379 a fire damaged important parts of the works. 

Finally, on 3 November 1383 the last stone was laid and on 15 August 1384 the church was consecrated. In 1428 an earthquake caused several casualties and destroyed the rose window in the west end.

The new window, in the Flamboyant style, was finished by 1459 and one year later the glass was added. 

In the Spanish war of succession, the church was partially destroyed in 1714. The damage was repaired just barely. In the Spanish Civil War in 1936 a fire reeked mass devastation. The fire had largely damaged the interior, the images and the Baroque altar were destroyed. A large part of the stained-glass windows had to be reconstructed. The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, adjacent to the apse, was added in the 19th century. In 1990 the renovation and restoration work has been completed.

The novel "Cathedral of the Sea" by Ildefonso Falcones, describes the construction of the Santa Maria del Mar in a very impressive manner. After you have read this bestselling book, you will see the Gothic quarter with different eyes.

From the outside, Santa Maria gives an impression of massive severity that belies the interior. It is hemmed in by the narrow streets of the Ribera, making it difficult to obtain an overall impression, except from the Fossar de les Moreres and the Plaça de Santa Maria, both of them former burial grounds. The latter is dominated by the west end of the church with its rose window. Images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul occupy niches on either side of the west door, and the tympanum shows the Saviour flanked by Our Lady and Saint John. The north-west tower was completed in 1496, but its companion was not finished until 1902. 

In contrast with the exterior, the interior gives an impression of light and spaciousness. It is of the basilica type, with its three aisles forming a single space with no transepts and no architectural boundary between nave and presbytery. The simple ribbed vault is supported on slender octagonal columns set 13 metres apart center to center, a distance unsurpassed by any other existing medieval building, and abundant daylight streams in through the tall clerestorey windows.

This gives the impression of sublime width, height and airiness, as if gravity had been reversed and pulled the immense blocks of stone upwards. The many stained-glass windows of the church of Santa Maria del Mar play an important role in giving this impression. Especially the west end with its rose window, showing the proportions of the three aisles

The interior is almost devoid of imagery of the sort to be found in Barcelona's other large Gothic churches, the cathedral and Santa Maria del Pi, after the fire which occurred in 1936 during anticlerical disturbances. Amongst the most notable of the works destroyed at that time was the Baroque retable by Deodat Casanoves and Salvador Gurri. Some interesting stained-glass windows have survived from various periods. 

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Sources : barcelona.de  architecture.relig  wikipedia

The old Born Market

From the Parc de la Ciutadella, walk into the old city centre along Carrer Fusina or Carrer de la Ribera, which will take you to the Mercat de Born (Plaça Comercial, 12), until the 1970s the main wholesale market of the city. This structure of iron, wood and glass designed by Josep Fontserè and built in 1876 is an excellent example of the architectural forerunners of Modernisme, which excelled in the design of new structures made possible by using new industrial materials, and in the importance given to natural light.

The old market is a building of extraordinary lightness and transparency due to its slender metal columns and the light that filters through the slatted shutters around the sides. The market, with its six aisles – two in the centre and four smaller ones at the side – and spacious interior, have earned it the name of the cathedral of iron and glass. This fine example of wrought-iron architecture reminds us of two distinct periods in history: the medieval city and the city that was reborn during the second half of the 19th century

In 2001, during the first renovation, they found remains of the neighborhood Felip V’s armies had demolished to make way for the military Citadel in 1715. and they had to stop everything. The discovery caused a huge debate that was finally resolved assigning the space to museum space.

The characteristic glass that covered the facade has been replaced or restored, the stairs and the whole roof have been reformed and now they are starting to work on the interior distribution of the different rooms.

The building will be 6.700 squared meters and divided into two different levels. The first one will be underground where you will be able to walk through the 1714’s ruins, equipped with panels with relevant explanations about the route and with glass cabinets with more than 3.000 objects that show how Barcelona’s citizens lived at those times. The second one, at street level ,will have the polyvalent rooms.

They expect to inaugurate the new market in autumn during 2013, coinciding with several major festivities of the Barcelona calendar (La Mercè, 11^th September…)

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Sources : GoSpain   Routa del Modernisme  RentTopApartments   Mediaforis  Barcelonaturisme

Museu de la Xocolata

address : C/. Comerc, 36, 08033 Area : Sant Pere - Santa Caterina i la Ribera
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You Stylish Barcelona :A whole museum devoted to the love and learning of the history of chocolate? Yes, it exists here. In the Xocolata museum, you can go through the historical steps from when we first found the Cacao bean to it’s transformation into the beloved substance that many people include in their diet every day.


You can also marvel at the fantastic chocolate sculptures, and then at the end of the tour, you can hang out in the museum cafeteria and try some of the chocolate made by the new and upcoming chocolateers from the chocolate school. They have bars of chocolate on sale, the ever classic “chocolate caliente” which is not ANYTHING like in other countries as this hot chocolate is pure chocolate and sugar without the added water. Then, after the visit to the museum, it is probably a good idea to go lie down somewhere and bask in the chocolate glory, like the Parque de la Ciutadella since it is located within walking distance from the museum.

The Chocolate Museum is located in the former Sant Agustí monastery, a historic building that already had a relationship with chocolate: in the 18th century the Bourbon army was a fanatical consumer of chocolate and, according to the ordinances, chocolate was present on the menus of the 18th-century military academies: “For breakfast each cadet and company officer shall be given one and a half ounces of chocolate with a quarter of a pound of bread...”. When the troops were in barracks, acting as garrison, chocolate was also commonly eaten. The halberdier's corps, the monarch’s personal bodyguard, was enviously known as the “chocolateros”, because, as they were a pampered, elite corps, they consumed a great deal of chocolate.



Since the age of discovery in the 15th century, chocolate has played a role in the economic and social fabric of Barcelona. Along these lines, Barcelona port acted as a starting point for the sale and distribution of the product all over Europe.



In addition, the first workshop that transformed drinking chocolate into a solid product is recognised to have existed in the city at the end of the 19th century.

Facilities and services

The Chocolate Museum is a space divided into eight different areas:

Shop-Café: Space for tasting chocolate hot or cold, accompanied by excellent home-made pastries, and to buy the best Spanish and international chocolate specialities.

Cocoa and chocolate: The whole process is explained, from the cocoa tree seed to the point where cocoa becomes chocolate: where cocoa comes from, how it is grown, where it can be found, the existing varieties, the manufacturing process, etc.

Chocolate, a bridge between cultures: Here you will find the history of cocoa and chocolate, from its origins in the Maya-Aztec world, including its arrival in Spain and its entry into Europe, ending with industrialisation.

Art and creation: Chocolate as a source of inspiration for art and culture.

Confectionery and chocolate: The transformation of chocolate in to works of art, at the hands of the best master confectioners and chocolate-makers.

Audiovisuals: In this area, we can discover the history of chocolate in an interactive, visual form.

Machinery: A journey around the principal machines related to working with chocolate.

Barcelona Room: This is the area where you can see impressive chocolate figures and understand that they form part of Catalonia’s confectionery tradition.


Activities: The museum offers a wide range of activities, both for schools and for individuals, whether they are children or adults. Advance booking is necessary for all activities. 

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Parc de la Ciutadella

The Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona’s urban “green lung”, is no ordinary park. In 1869, the demolition of the military citadel, built a century earlier by Philip V, was highly significant for a boom Barcelona with its sights firmly set on the 1888 Universal Exhibition. The result was a park which the architect Josep Fontseré adapted to the needs of the world fair.

the Citadel, together with the new walls and Montjuïc castle

As its name indicates, the site had formerly been occupied by a military citadel, built in the early 18th century after the defeat of Barcelona in the War of Succession. 
The city was severely punished when it fell after a long siege, and the Citadel (together with the new walls and Montjuïc castle) was used by the Bourbon dynasty to keep the city under military control for over 150 years. In the mid-19th century, after years of petitioning by the citizens, the government in Madrid agreed to allow the walls and the Citadel to be demolished to make room for the urban development of the city. 

Pavilions in the Parc de la Ciutadella

The land was first used as the site for the 1888 Universal Exhibition. The pavilions and the infrastructures were built rapidly and with a great deal of improvisation. Experienced architects such as Josep Fontserè worked alongside young graduates such as Lluís Domènech i Montaner, who demonstrated his impressive talent for management and coordination, especially in the Gran Hotel Internacional (no longer standing), a building with a capacity for 500 guests which Domènech’s team built in less than 60 days.

The park contains some outstanding Modernista works. Just beside one of the side doors of the park, in Passeig de Pujades, is the building that was destined to be the Café-Restaurant of the Universal Exhibition. It was built between 1887 and 1888 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in exposed brickwork, an unusual technique at the time, and is one of the first examples of Barcelona Modernisme. Its crenellated wall, its frieze of coats of arms and its sobriety give it a certain medieval appearance, which is highlighted by the eclectic combination of Catalan arches, large Roman windows and Arabic arches. The building, known as the Castell dels Tres Dragons (Castle of the Three Dragons), is the Natural History Museum, but not open to visits.

Nearby are two delightful buildings, 
the Hivernacle (Greenhouse), a work by Josep Amargós i Samaranch (1883-1887) that is currently used for all types of social event, and the Umbracle (Shade House), built by Josep Fontserè i Mestres in 1883-1884. It is certainly worth sparing a few minutes to have a look inside both of them and walk around the splendid collection of plants they protect.

One of the many pleasures to be enjoyed in the Parc de la Ciutadella is a row around the boating lake in front of the monumental waterfall with its statue of Venus in the centre: a special romantic spot which is the ideal place to enjoy this pastime, either alone or in good company. The wrought-iron sculpture of Aurora in her chariot rises up majestically at the top. Below it stands a stone statue of Venus on a shell above the peaceful waters of the fountain. The young Antoni Gaudí is said to have worked on the design of some of the ornamental features on the waterfall in the Parc de la Ciutadella, such as the rocks and iron poles. 

She looks as if she might start talking to us at any moment, and invite us to take her hand and stroll with her through the park gardens. Or perhaps she’s just putting out her hand to check if it’s still raining. What is certain is that the lady with the umbrella has become a symbol of the park and Barcelona itself.

Standing on the top of an ornamental fountain designed by Josep Fontseré, the marble sculpture was created by Roig Soler to decorate the grounds of the 1888 Universal Exhibition. It depicts a lady dressed in the fashions of 1888. She is holding a cloth umbrella which seems to be dripping with water, and tilts her head slightly forward while extending her hand. There can be no doubt that she represents the typical bourgeois lady of the time from one of the families who held social and economic power during the second half of the 19th century. The lady, with her attentive gaze, stands atop the fountain plinth, and watches young and old alike from her vantage point: the entrance to the zoo. Time has stood still for her.

The sculptor Josep Llimona received the prize for the 5th International Art Exhibition in 1903, for his first version of the public sculpture Despair. The one in the Parc de la Ciutadella is a copy of the 1917 original, made of marble and now on display at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). It appears that the figure was originally intended to be placed in a mausoleum. This perhaps explains why Llimona’s sculpture depicts a mysterious woman in a pose of abandonment and sadness. Like a Renaissance sculpture, the figure emerges from a block of stone, but the soft, rounded forms contrast with the hard material. This woman’s continuous melancholy can be perceived subtly and conceals much of the character’s inner world. The face, covered by a mane of hair, is not revealed. Only the gesture of the hands, which are gently clasped, gives the sculpture a semblance of life.
Indeed, Despair is a paradigmatic work of Catalan art nouveau, modernisme, replete with symbolism while stripped of dramatising. The idealisation of the female form and the theme of sorrow were characteristic of the taste of the period. Far removed from the vitality of Rodin’s work, Llimona’s sculpture marks the period just before the artistic avant-gardes burst onto the scene. 

The Catalan Parliament, is housed in a building with a turbulent history dating back to the 18th century, when it was built as a military arsenal for the repressive citadel. 

It has been the seat of parliament since the reinstatement of democracy and civil liberties in 1980. 

The architecture of this parliament building still looks very much the same as it did when it was designed by the architect and military engineer Próspero de Verboom.

Built between 1716 and 1748, this robust and imposing structure has two storeys and an attic space set out on a cross-shaped ground plan with a central dome and four inner courtyards. The building is made from stone quarried on Montjuïc and terracotta tiles, and is decorated with the busts of eminent figures associated with Catalan art. These date from the extension carried out at the beginning of the 20th century when the building was converted into the municipal art museum, the Museu Municipal d’Art.

Barcelona Zoo occupies over 14 hectares inside the Parc de la Ciutadella. It was founded in 1892 and located in buildings that had been used for the 1888 Universal Exhibition.  

The first fauna housed in the zoo came from the private collection of Lluís Martí Codolar, who kept them on his estate in the neighbourhood of Horta. Barcelona Zoo has been extended and redesigned over the past hundred years, with priority being given to the upkeep and reintroduction of species under threat of extinction and the improvement of the animals’ living conditions. At the zoo you’ll be able to see a dolphin show, observe how mandrills and titis (the world’s smallest monkeys) live, laugh with the seals and discover tropical birds.

Back : Old City East Tour

Sources : barcelona turisme    Routa del Modernisme

1 Waterfall
2 Bandstand
3 The Mamouth
4 Boating lake
5 Catalan Volunteers Memorial
6 Parliament of Catalonia
7 Desconsuelo (Despair)
8 Verdaguer School
9 Church
10 Statue of General Prim
11 Entrance of the zoo
12 The Lady with the umbrella
13 Umbraculum 

(Shade House)
14 Museum of geology
15 Hibernarium (Greenhouse)
16 Three Dragons Castle