Barcelona: A Global City Without Walls

Cities all look alike—now more than ever. The globalizing forces of the economy, combined with humanity’s tendency to imitate anything that sounds modern, are causing the innate creativity of all peoples to become increasingly standardized, and differences are viewed as exotic rather than as distinct ways of conceiving reality.

But it couldn’t be any other way, of course: modernity may blur or obscure the distinctive characteristics that set one country apart from another, but at the same time it resolves human situations that arise only when people are isolated or governed by families, power groups, religions, bureaucrats, etc… These insular groups absorb any change that serves their interests, seeking to distort the evolution of societies to align with their own priorities.

People’s lives can unfold in a village, a town, a city, a metropolis, etc… Ultimately, what we perceive as close and essential to us is our family, neighbors, coworkers, or friends; on the other hand, we perceive goals, work, customs, and norms—which lead us down different paths toward a goal shared by all—as a struggle: happiness!

If there is one thing that sets coexistence apart in these new times, it is the sense of joining forces to change situations that hinder us from achieving this goal, and the refusal to accept verbal or physical violence as a means of imposing ideas.

Globalization makes some people less charismatic, but for the rest of us, it gives us hope that we can escape the sordid world of patrons and prophets who peddle promises of paradise—and finally, all together, demand clear accountability, without delays or shameful silences.

The much-feared globalization can be a double-edged sword; at first glance, it seems to erode the distinctive features of identity based on origin, which is nothing more than the result of nature’s whims and over which we have no control.

Our identity as citizens of the world is global; it brings together our collective consciousness to advance rights and respect for everyone’s uniqueness, for unity is strength in the face of the manipulations of power and the interests of the shrewd who slip through the cracks of bureaucracy—which is the perfect tool for the same old people to continue manipulating the common sense we all possess, and for shell games to remain the strategy of power.

Barcelona is known throughout the world for its relentless drive and its eternal desire to be different and unique, not only in Spain but also in Catalonia itself. It also has a past that speaks volumes without a single word—its streets, squares, palaces, churches, and so on… They form a map that depicts the diverse realities experienced by its inhabitants and the great universal legacy that some of them left behind.

The Legend of the Palau Güell:

Located at numbers 3 and 5 on Carrer Nou de la Rambla, one of the jewels of Barcelona’s Modernist architecture, the Palau Güell was built in 1880 by Antonio Gaudí at the request of his friend and patron Eusebio Güell, who did not wish to follow the trend of Barcelona’s upper class, which was settling in the Eixample (it was well known that his father’s notorious fortune was derived from the slave trade in Cuba). The building on Nou de la Rambla had a turbulent history, as in July 1936 it was seized by anarchists from the CNT-FAI, who used it as a police station and detention center until 1939.

In fact, they were two adjoining buildings that Gaudí used for his brand-new palace: number three, owned by Maria Toll i Serra, and number five, owned by the Boada Más family. At number 3 stood a building popularly known as “de avemaría” or “de la Por” (from fear) because of the screams and wails that could be clearly heard every night. Passersby who dared to walk past it would cross themselves and recite a Hail Mary, hence the name.

After the Civil War (1936–1939) ended, the building returned to the Güell family, but the neighbors still view it with suspicion because moans can still be heard from time to time…

Park Güell, a home for Hansel and Gretel:

Park Güell was Gaudí’s first major commission. Güell and Gaudí worked together on the park’s design, which was built between 1900 and 1914. The two structures on either side of the main gate are inspired by the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. The architect had begun to conceive the project at the Liceu, where the story of the two siblings was being performed as an opera. The house on the left is identified as the children’s home, while the one on the right, topped with a poisonous mushroom, is the witch’s house.

Gaudí infused the entire design of the park with the symbolism of three fundamental elements: nature, religion, and Catalan identity.

Eusebi Güell lived in the palace until 1906, when he moved to Casa Larrard in Park Güell, where he died in 1918. His family continued to live there until the outbreak of the Civil War, at which point the property was seized by the authorities. Surprisingly, in 1944, an American millionaire wanted to buy the palace to move it piece by piece to the United States. To save it from such mutilation and prevent its cultural plundering, the Barcelona Provincial Council preempted the sale by acquiring it.

For your information, this building was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and has been partially open to visitors since 2008, when the Barcelona Provincial Council reopened it to the public.

La Pedrera or Casa Milà:

Casa Milà is located on the corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer Provença, on a site previously occupied by a villa that stood on the border between the municipalities of Barcelona and Gràcia before the latter was annexed to the city of Barcelona in 1897. The villa belonged to Jose Ferrer-Vidal y Soler, brother of Luis Ferrer-Vidal y Soler, founder of the Caixa de Pensions de Barcelona, and the purchase was formalized before a notary on June 9, 1905. The area was located in the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample district; Passeig de Gràcia became one of the city’s main thoroughfares, which is why it was chosen by the Catalan bourgeoisie as a place to settle.

Gaudí was commissioned to build a stately home by Pere Milà i Camps, a wealthy businessman whose father, Pere Milà i Pi, had made his fortune in the textile industry. Milà expanded the family business and diversified into new sectors, serving, for example, as the developer of La Monumental bullring. He was also active in politics and served as a member of parliament for Solidaritat Catalana. Mr. Milà was married to Roser Seguimos i Artells, the widow of Josep Guardiola i Grau, an “indiano” who had made his fortune in the Americas through coffee plantations, a fortune that his wife inherited. Thus, the couple enjoyed a privileged position that they wished to reflect in a home of innovative and luxurious design. To this end, they purchased the lot on Passeig de Gràcia and commissioned Gaudí to design the project.

The Milà couple (Pere Milà i Camps and Roser Segimon i Artells):

Milà’s plan was to construct a large building, reserving the main floor for his own residence and renting out the rest—a common practice at the time. The building exceeded the height and width limits set by municipal ordinances, resulting in several fines being imposed on Mr. Milà and causing delays. Due to disagreements with the Milà family over the interior decoration, Gaudí stepped down as project director in 1990, and the architect had to take the developer to court to collect his fees (105,000 pesetas), which he donated to the Jesuits. To cover this payment, Mr. Milà had to mortgage the house.

La Pedrera, the last civilian building designed by Gaudí, reflects the height of Gaudí’s artistic achievement: during his naturalist period, he drew inspiration from natural organic forms, putting into practice a whole series of new structural solutions with great creative and ornamental freedom, endowing his work with a rich variety of structures, shapes, and volumes

La Pedrera—or Casa Milà, as some critics call it—should have been named Casa Guardiola, even though it was an initiative of Pere Milà i Camps. This is because many sources suggest that it was the fortune of Milà’s wife’s first husband, Josep Guardiola i Grau, that financed the construction. La Pedrera was also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

The Magic of Gaudí: The Sagrada Familia:

The bookseller and philanthropist Josep María Bocabella (1815–1892), founder of the Devotees of Saint Joseph, wanted to build a church dedicated to the Holy Family. To that end, he purchased a plot of land between what are now Provenza, Mallorca, Marina, and Sardenya streets. At that time, the area was uninhabited, and the church would have ample space to be seen from a distance. The church has always been built on a donation-only basis—that is, it was (and continues to be) built solely with funds from donations.

Initially, the project was commissioned to the diocesan architect Francisco Paula de Villar, who, after several setbacks with Bocabella, offered to hand the project over to Joan Martorell, Bocabella’s consulting architect. In light of these events, Martorell himself suggested that Bocabella pass the commission on to Gaudí, who was his assistant at the time. By the end of 1883, Gaudí was about to begin his magnum opus.

In the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí does away with straight lines—a hallmark of Gothic architecture that he finds cold and unnatural—and embraces curves in all their forms. For example, the holy water fonts in the crypt are made from enormous seashells from the Philippines.

The porticos on the Nacimiento façade are separated by two enormous columns, each of which rests on a turtle. The one facing Tibidabo is a land turtle, and the one facing the sea is a sea turtle.

The Sagrada Família is the most significant example of Gaudí’s architectural vision. Gaudí only lived to see one tower completed, which served as a model for the construction of the others; he had conceived the Nativity Facade as a model to guide the continuation of the project.

The architect was buried in the temple’s crypt, just like Josep Bocabella, but the latter’s grave was desecrated. Many of Gaudí’s original documents, plans, and drawings were destroyed in a fire during the Civil War.

Casa Batlló:

Josep Batlló i Casanovas owned a building at number 43 Passeig de Gràcia, built by Emili Sala Cortés in 1877. In 1901, however, the owner submitted a request to demolish the existing building in order to construct a new one. Upon receiving a rejection, he would try again three years later with a request to renovate the building.

Gaudí submitted a design, and the project was ultimately awarded to him despite the ambiguity of his proposal. When asked, “What do you want to do with Casa Batlló?”, the architect replied that he wanted to create “a vision of paradise.”

This is because the project involved renovating the facade and reorganizing all the spaces in the house to create more airy and well-lit environments. The building is popularly known as “La Casa de los Huesos” (The House of Bones), a name that stems from the fact that, on the first floor, the columns of the gallery that adorns it have a bony appearance, and the railings on the balconies of the other floors resemble skulls.

The Batlló family sold the building in 1954 to Sociedad Iberia de Seguros, and in 1994, the house passed to the Bernat family. In 2005, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Masriera House: House or Temple:

The Temple of Augustus, the most important in Roman Barcino, disappeared centuries ago, but in 1882, the architect Josep Vilaseca, for some mysterious reason, wanted to restore that unique monument and built the Masriera House, which today stands at 72 Bailén Street in the Eixample district. It is a grand building, in every way resembling what that temple dedicated to the first Roman imperator, Octavius Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, must have been like. A beautiful main façade, with four Corinthian columns supporting a triangular pediment, at the ends of which two griffins (mythological creatures) seem to guard the entrance.

The entrance features various Masonic symbols, such as the five-pointed stars on the gates, and confirms that the Masriera family, renowned jewelers, had ties to the occult and Freemasonry.

The Liceu: An Unlucky Opera House?:

The first building to house the Gran Teatre del Liceu was erected on the site of a former Trinitarian convent dating back to 1662. Since its inception, it has never known a moment of peace. During the Napoleonic Wars, it had been used as a warehouse; later, it served as the headquarters of a liberal political club, before eventually returning to religious use.

It is unclear whether it was due to the burning of religious buildings in 1835 or to the confiscations, but the construction ended in ruins and left a gap on Las Ramblas that was soon filled again—though this time, the clergy were replaced by artists.

The theater opened on April 4, 1847. But peace and quiet would not last long for the Liceu, as in 1861 a large part of the building burned down, most likely due to an oil lamp that had not been properly extinguished. The reconstruction was carried out by Josep Oriol Mestres, who added a large lounge and decorated the halls with frescoes by Catalan painters—all in a record time of one year.

In the 19th century, the theater was not only used as a venue for opera performances but also as a place for social events such as carnival celebrations. Because of these gatherings, a large portion of the most conservative and moralistic segment of Barcelona society viewed the theater as a center of entertainment that was unacceptable according to Christian morality. And when this lively atmosphere is combined with the fire of 1861, it is no surprise that rumors began to circulate throughout Barcelona about the existence of the indignant spirits of the Trinitarian friars who had been buried in the convent and sought to punish the Liceu for its frivolity.

Plaza Catalunya, a chaotic esplanade:

Before the city walls were finally torn down, the area now occupied by Plaça Catalunya was a large open space on the outskirts of the city.

Due to its strategic location across from one of the gates of the walled enclosure, it was occupied haphazardly by all sorts of people who built houses, circus tents, and circus shacks. Seeking to put an end to the disorder, around 1852, the Barcelona City Council conceived a plan for a plaza on this site, although the project would not take shape until ten years later. The land was expropriated, but various historical and political factors repeatedly delayed its opening until Alfonso XIII inaugurated the square on November 2, 1927.

The square has been home to both major banks and Barcelona’s entertainment scene, with theaters such as El Teatre Barcelona, Bar Colon, La Luna, El Suizo, and El Zúrich.

Canaletes: The Fountain That Brings You Back…

The two towers that were built at the intersection of Santa Anna and Tallers streets, on what is now the Rambla, were named Canaletes because of the canals that were dug to prevent water from pooling at the foot of the city walls on rainy days; these canals drained into the main stream, the Rambla.

There is documented evidence of a fountain at this site dating back to the 16th century, and it is known that this watering hole drew water from the Montcada spring, which was said to have a very pleasant taste. When the city gates were demolished in the 19th century, a small cast-bronze fountain was installed in their place; it is said that if you drink from it, you will fall in love with Barcelona and return.

Barcelona‘s Most Festive Avenue:

Until the 1970s, Avenida del Paralelo was Barcelona’s quintessential street of theaters, bars, and music venues.

With ten theaters and three music-hall venues, this street was synonymous with fun, drinks, and roguish charm. Even if their pockets were empty, people of all ages and walks of life would go for a stroll along the Paral·lel. On one of the streets where people partied the night away without restraint, they themselves were the show.

Its construction began in the 1830s. Some of the factories had set up shop outside the city walls and needed a quiet road for the wagons carrying materials to travel on. Thus, a wide road was created that runs along the city walls from the Portal de Santa Madrona to the end of Carrer Sant Pau. Before long, the roadside was filled with workers from the nearby factories, and according to municipal records from that time, it was decided to name the avenue Paral·lel.

A very treacherous wind blows on Jonqueres Street:

At number 5 on Jonqueres Street, there had been a shop since the 1940s that was as quintessentially Barcelonian as the Sagrada Família or the Canaletas Fountain; the shop was called “La Casa de las Mantas.” And perhaps it was a coincidence, but that street has long been considered one of the coldest and windiest in the city. After the street was opened next to the convent bearing that name—de Jonqueres—a legend arose that the strong wind on the street was capable of impregnating women who walked along it. During those years, around 1300, that belief gave rise to some curious situations. For example, unmarried women tried to avoid the street on windy days, just in case, while married women would walk there when they wanted to get pregnant. There were also instances where the occasional clandestine pregnancy was attributed to a mistake on the part of the woman in question for having walked down that street without realizing how windy it was…

The Magic of the Magicians… on Princesa Street:

It is another one of those places in Barcelona where, since 1881, everything the imagination can conceive has been on display. El rey de la Magia, located at 11 Princesa Street, was founded by the renowned Joaquín Partagás, the most prominent of the magicians who performed in Barcelona.

In 1878, he opened his first store in Spain, on Calle Princesa. After his death in 1931, his shop was taken over by another leading figure in Barcelona’s magic scene, Carlos Bucheli—known by his stage name “Carlston”—who was a master of the trick known as the “false thumb,” in which a lit cigarette is made to disappear inside a handkerchief, though his most famous show was undoubtedly “Mysteries of India,” based on authentic legends and traditions from that country. El Rey de la Magia is the oldest establishment of its kind in Spain and one of the few remaining in the world; it was founded in the 19th century, not only as a shop selling magic props but also as a true school of magic.

Noon: the main street of the old Chinatown…

At the end of La Rambla, near the port, some of the city’s most significant urban planning changes have taken place.

Portal de Santa Madrona Street, which stands on the site where the city gate of that name once stood, was the end of one of the most important streets in the Old Town, or the “Chinatown” as it was called at the time. This was Calle del Mediodía, which ran from Arco del Teatro to Portal de Santa Madrona and disappeared in 1953 when its houses were demolished to make way for what is now Avenida de las Drassanes—which in that year bore the name of General García Morato. Calle del Mediodía was undoubtedly the most important street in the “Chinatown,” with constant foot traffic that made it practically the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare; at the same time, however, it was the hub of crime and illicit dealings in the area. Its sidewalks were lined with dive bars, seedy taverns, and brothels more so than on any other street, with frequent fights, arrests, and even deaths. The chronicles of *La Vanguardia* from that period in the late 1880s are full of news stories about that street—ranging from prostitution and shootings to suicides—with the most notorious being the arrest of several individuals trafficking cocaine.

The Call (Jewish quarters) or the rulers’ private banks:

Jewish quarters, or “calls,” were established throughout Catalonia, but compared to those in Girona or Lleida, Barcelona’s Jewish quarter was the largest and most populous of all. The Call occupied the land on the island that today lies between Call Street and Ferran Street, just a stone’s throw from Sant Jaume Square.

As a point of interest, it is worth noting that “Call” comes from the Hebrew word “qahal,” which means “gathering” or “community.” Although the Jews of Barcelona spoke both Catalan and Hebrew—an extremely rare phenomenon, since communities were expected to adopt the language of the place where they lived, and Hebrew was confined to places of worship—

The Jews were closely tied to the economic life of medieval Barcelona, but their integration into the rest of city life was not as extensive.

For example, both Jews and Christians drew water from different sources and were not allowed to use the same ones; Jews did not enter the Christian quarter, and vice versa, because they were very keen on maintaining their privacy.

With the massacre of the Jews in 1391, the neighborhood died along with its inhabitants, and despite the efforts of some monarchs, Barcelona’s Call never returned to what it had once been.

Avinyó and its connection to the neighborhood:

Amades recounts that Avinyó was a pious and kind-hearted gentleman from Barcelona who, even when no one else would speak to the Jews, still did so. He broke down barriers and was willing to speak with a Jew who was not even accepted by members of his own religion. One day, the Jew whom no one wanted became very ill, and, anticipating his end, he asked Avinyó to pay a town crier to announce to all those who wished to attend his funeral that if they came, they would be entitled to divide his estate among themselves. Spreading the news was of little use, since only Mr. Avinyó attended the funeral of the poor, marginalized Jew.

Grieving over the loss, he went to the deceased’s house to collect the few belongings he expected to find, but he was incredibly surprised when he discovered that hidden beneath the mattress was a trap that concealed millions in riches.

That man, whose last name was Avinyó, bought so many properties on the street where he lived in order to profit from all he had accumulated that the street eventually took his name—a reminder that sometimes, time does put people in their place.

A market, La Boquería, was born out of a convent:

Where the Boquería Market now stands, there used to be the Convent of Sant Josep, which was demolished in 1835; however, it had already been destroyed during the upheaval of the mid-1800s that shook the streets of Barcelona. In its place, a large open space surrounded by a colonnade was left behind, covering an area of 2,583 square meters.

The Boquería Market was the largest in Spain. They say it was the beginning of flower sales on Las Ramblas, as it was customary to give a flower to female customers when they made a purchase.

The Sant Antoni Market was a scaffold for prisoners:

The Sant Antoni Market, one of the city’s oldest, stands on the block bounded by Compte Borrell, Tamarit, Compte d’Urgell, and Manso streets; it was built between 1872 and 1882 by Rovira i Trias. The city walls had just been torn down, and Barcelona was expanding in all directions, encroaching on the Pla—a rugged, agricultural area that surrounded it to the north and south—and connecting the neighboring towns, based on Cerdà’s Eixample plan. the Sant Antoni area faced an unexpected problem. On the site where the market stands today—a wasteland since time immemorial—one of the city’s execution sites had once stood, where convicts were traditionally executed by hanging. When plans were made to build housing, the nearest residents explained that for years the spirits of those executed had been wandering the site and would not allow anyone to pass through the very spot where they had died. Discreetly, the City Council chose to develop the area and build a market there, so that no one would have to spend the night there enduring the wrath of the ghosts.

Calle dels Petons, the last kiss before dying:

It is said that the last chance those condemned to death had to say goodbye to their family and friends was on a small street that leads off into Carrer Comerç. Once past this street, they were led to the Ciutadella esplanade, where they were hanged (later, after the gallows were abolished, they were killed by garrote vil). This alley is known as Calle dels Petons (Street of Kisses).

Bòria Street, where crimes were punished with public floggings:

The practice of publicly punishing certain criminals by flogging them (until the early 19th century) while forcing them to walk along specific routes, including the one through Bòria—an outlying neighborhood or suburb—since this was the first street to develop outside the walled cities. These punishments were carried out both on foot and on horseback, and those condemned to death ended their journey at Pla de Palau (now Plaza España), where the gallows awaited them.

It was quite common to see people taking pieces of the ropes used at execution sites, as there was a belief that the rope that had been used brought good luck.

The “Font del Gat” and Other Wonders:

Legends about Montjuïc claim that its interior is riddled with countless tunnels and that this gives it enormous telluric significance—or, in other words, the energy that emanates from the Earth. Although this has not been verified by archaeology, it is said that the mountain was already inhabited during the Paleolithic era, and proof of this was a dolmen located on the seaward slope, which was callously demolished in the mid-19th century.

But without a doubt, the most magical place on the mountain is the Font del Gat. The city’s witches and warlocks would gather in its vicinity, arriving in procession from their meeting place on Calle de la Cadena. In silence and carrying lit torches, they would climb the mountain until they reached the fountain located in what are now known as the Laribal Gardens, next to the “magical quarry” where the Greek theater stands today. Those covens—known as “aquelarres”—disappeared in the mid-19th century, but the site has never ceased to be a meeting place for occultists and sorcerers, who continue to regard it as a magical space.

The Witches of Sant Ciril:

Many of the streets in the Ribera neighborhood—most of which radiate from the former Plaza del Born, now a promenade—were named after the various religious brotherhoods and professional guilds that used to gather along those very streets. One of these streets was Sitjar Street, named after the builders of silos—the structures used to store grain. When these builders moved to Tallers Street in the mid-19th century, the street took the name Banys Vells after some ancient baths of Arab origin located on that same street. Tradition has it that at the end of this street—perhaps on Sombrerers Street, across from the church of Santa Maria del Mar—there was a tavern named Sant Ciril, where witches are said to have gathered to concoct ointments and magical potions. The best-known and most prized ointment was a poultice made from swallows boiled in red wine; it was a potion recommended for warding off the “evil eye.” Legend has it that they would fly out of the tavern and circle above the cemetery—the Santa Maria graveyard—before heading out into the open countryside where they held their gatherings.

Read more about notable figures in the history of Catalonia: Joan Miró, Margarida Xirgú, Carmen Amaya, Ignasi Barraquer, Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer