Walking in the Rambla of Poblenou (district of Barcelona), 4K, Spain 🇪🇸
Poblenou, once referred to as ‘Catalan Manchester’, has given way to an open, quiet seaside district that fosters innovation and creativity. The Poblenou district, the city’s largest industrial area in the 19th century, was completely overhauled for the Barcelona ’92 Olympic Games and is now undergoing another artistic revolution.
Why visit the Poblenou district?
The origins of Poblenou date back to the old settlement of Sant Martí de Provençals around a marsh area, whose wetland lagoons and Juncus rushes have lent their names to streets in the area such as Carrer de la Llacuna and Carrer del Joncar. In the 17th and 18th centuries its abundance of water, large open spaces and cheap land made it an ideal location for bleaching fields, where fabrics were boiled, bleached and dried. In the mid-19th century steam-powered factories rose up and were subsequently transformed into electricity-powered facilities. At the end of the 19th century, Poblenou was home to the greatest industrial concentration in Catalonia, which led to its nickname of ‘Catalan Manchester’.
In the 20th century, the district, which runs from the extreme right of Avinguda Diagonal down to the sea, consolidated its status as an industrial zone and also as a residential area thanks to a significant demographic increase. In the 1960s there was an intense deindustrialisation process that led to numerous factories being abandoned and the consequent availability of large plots. The loft apartments, studios, workshops, warehouses and corporate headquarters into which they were converted can be found alongside the apartment buildings built in the 19th and 20th centuries on and around the district’s central artery La Rambla del Poblenou.
The 1992 Olympic Games marked the start of the district’s major transformation. An area of train tracks was chosen for the construction of the Olympic Village and the Olympic Port, and the seafront was regenerated. Subsequently, in the early 21st century, Barcelona City Council implemented the 22@ project, an ambitious urban transformation plan whose objective was to convert 200 hectares of industrial land into an innovative district with a strategic concentration of knowledge society activities.
In the early years of the 21st century the district was remodelled thanks to the construction of new, modern buildings like Torre Glòries and the Design Museum of Barcelona and the renovation and repurposing of old buildings, such as the Palo Alto artistic colony. In fact, in recent years, the district has developed this creative aspect thanks to the appearance of workshops, alternative galleries, audiovisual production companies, concert halls, architecture studios, dance companies, advertising agencies, furniture shops, showrooms, artistic associations, boutique hotels, start-ups, creative schools, and many others, and it has established itself as Barcelona’s new centre for alternative arts and culture.
Now in Poblenou you can enjoy its beaches, museums and restaurants, stroll along La Rambla del Poblenou, admire restored factories and even see funeral art at its cemetery, Barcelona’s oldest, where many of the city’s most illustrious citizens are buried.
Why visit Rambla del Poblenou?
Designed in the middle of the 19th century as part of the Cerdà Plan for the Eixample,, Rambla del Poblenou was a breath of fresh air for an area with a long industrial tradition that was starting to grow. At that time it was called Passeig del Triomf, but it has always been popularly known as Rambla del Poblenou and this moniker was officially adopted in 1986.
It is in the classic rambla-style with a broad central promenade, it is 1 km long and it is structured into rectangular and circular sections from Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes to the sea, crossing the whole district of Poblenou. On either side of the avenue there are restaurants, bars, shops and traditional establishments, such as the Casino de l’Aliança theatre, which has been the centre of the district’s social and cultural life since the late 19th century. The street is also adorned with sculptures, like the one at its top dedicated to Doctor Josep Trueta by Josep Ricart i Maimir, and "The Adolescent" by Martí Llauradó.
Moreover, on the chamfer corner of Rambla del Poblenou and Carrer de Pallars, you will find Casa Ramon Serra, a Modernista building constructed by Jaume Bayó from 1906 to 1909. The house stands out due to its stepped crown and the stone work on the ground floor, in addition to the floral sgraffito work on the top floor. The facade alternates larger balconies supported by fine brackets with smaller balconies sustained by plant leafs, and on the door and window of the corner, finished with a crowning that is higher than the rest, you will see an arch finished with a dragon within an oculus.
5 сен 2024