About Barcelona

Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp

Inside Barcelona there are few examples of the Romanesque Art.
The Church of Sant Pau del Camp (Saint Paul of the field) together with a small cloister, in the Raval Neighborhood,  are the only buildings that remain from the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp, an important Romanesque structure that at the time was outside of the city walls in a flat area surrounded by farm land (the rural location gave the monastery its name).
There are no accurate information about the monastery's origins, but was supposedly founded in the late ninth century. This date was set for the tombstone found in the monastery of the tomb of the Count Wilfred II Borrell of Barcelona, son Wifredo I el Velloso, who died on April 26, 911. It is also believed that it was the Count Wilfred II himself who initiated the construction of the church over the ruins of an ancient religious building and established there a community of Benedictine monks. The rural location gave the church its name and was also the reason why the Monastery was attacked in 985 and nearly destroyed by the Muslim troops of al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir. Abandoned by the monks for years a restoration began in 1096 and a new community arrived, but it was attacked again in 1114 and three years later it became a priory of the monastery of Sant Cugat and was restored again.
It was not until the 14th century that the new walls of the city could give protection to the Monastery.
Due to the implementation of the famous Confiscation Act, work of Spanish Finance Minister Juan Alvarez Mendizabal, that did close more than 900 monasteries in Spain the monks had to abandon the monastery being used during several years after for different purposes even as military barracks.
It was declared National Monument in 1879, but again during the tragic week of 1909 and also during the civil war the compound suffered new damages. Since then there have been several restoration.
The church is of small size on the Greek cross plan, with a single nave. The interior is covered with barrel vaults. The entrance gate is marked with two columns with ancient Visigoth marble capitals, while in the tympanum is depicted Jesus in Majesty with Saints Paul and Peter. The small cloister, built in the 13th century features lobular arcades supported by double columns, whose capitals are decorated by biblical and daily life scenes, animals, monsters and vegetable motifs. The abbots' house was built during the 13th-14th and early 18th century.
The new gardens that surround the compound have been redesigned to remember the agricultural activities that used to be in the area in the old times.

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau

The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul) has become the most significant civil architecture in Catalan modernisme. Build between 1901 and 1930 in the neighborhood of El Guinardó, Barcelona, is a hospitalary complex designed by Catalan modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
It is a highly complex hospital that dates back six centuries, founded in 1401, when six small hospitals merged into a big Medieval Complex called Hospital de la Santa Creu build in the Raval Area of the Gothic Neighborhood. The hospital's former buildings now house an art school (Escola Massana), the Biblioteca de Catalunya (National Library of Catalonia) and other cultural institutions (information at Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu).
At the ends of 19th century the city had grown considerably and the advances of medicine required modern facilities that could not fit in the medieval buildings of the Raval Complex. Consequently, it was necessary to build a new complex, which could be financed through donations made by the banker Pau Gil. The first stone was laid on 1902 and was developed in the course of 18 years, during which the works were halted for lack of funding and finally ended in 1930. To honor the wishes of the patron, his name, Paul, was added to the hospital, which thereafter was officially called the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau although now is simply known as Hospital de Sant Pau.
An area of nine blocks of the Eixample, a square 300 by 300 feet was left to build the New Complex designed by Domènech I Montaner, consisting of a main building dedicated to the administration, and different other pavilions where to carry out medical and nursing tasks. All buildings are linked by underground tunnels suitable for transporting patients. The technical facilities are located outdoors, in order to facilitate maintenance.
Of the 42 pavilions projected by Domènech I Montaner only 18 were build (12 designed by himself) displayed obliquely to the Eixample structure looking south to the sun and surrounded by gardens to help the convalescence of the patients.
As it was common on the work of Modernist architects Domenech i Montaner had several artists who collaborated with him on the project. The main were Eusebi Arnau and Pau Gargallo, author of numerous sculptures in the Complex; Francesc Labarta, who designed the paintings, the mosaics are also Labarta’s work together with Mario Maragliano, the panels on the facades with the history of the hospital are by Lluís Bru; Josep Perpignan was in charge of making the wrought iron elements.
Again at the beginning of this century the new needs and the advances of medicine required new installations and a modern hospital Sant Pau complex was build in the hospital grounds at the far north-east end of it. The Sant Pau modernist complex was still fully functioning as hospital until June 2009 when the new buildings were finished, and now it is currently undergoing a complete restoration of a total of 19 buildings, 45.280 m2 of built space, 45.189 m2 of exterior space and 1 km of underground tunnels to be used as a museum and cultural center.
Two phases have been defined for the restoration project, first from 2009 to 2013 that includes the entire central zone of the site, meaning a total of 13 buildings and a second phase from 2013 to 2016 including the old pharmacy, the former kitchens and the Santa Victòria, Sant Frederic, Casa de Convalescència and Church pavilions.
In early 2012 one of the modernist pavilions of the Sant Pau Hospital will house an International Institute of the United Nations University. This is the first Centre of these characteristics to be established in southern Europe and in the Mediterranean. The initiative is part of the project that will transform the Sant Pau heritage site into an international hub.
Actually the main buildings have restricted access due to rehabilitation works except for scheduled visits from 10:00 to 14:00. More information on the areas to visit in the citizen information at the website: santpau.es

Barcelona Aquarium

The Barcelona Aquarium (L’Aquàrium) is located in the Moll d'Espanya del Port Vell, at the side of the Maremagnum, shopping and leisure center. L’Aquàrium de Barcelona is the most important marine leisure in the world on the subject of the Mediterranean See. A series of 35 tanks, 11,000 animals and 450 different species, turn this centre into a unique reference leisure show with  an underwater transparent tunnel 80 meters long that crosses under an immense Oceanarium, the only one in Europe, which allows visitors to go through it as if they were walking on the sea bed. Divided in different areas: The Mediterranean tanks (14 tanks representing the different Mediterranean communities); The Tropical Tanks (7 tanks with a fascinating world of colors and coral reefs); the Miniacuaria (small tanks to appreciate the details of Mediterranean flora and fauna that may pass unnoticed in larger tanks) and the spectacular Oceanarium with a diameter of 36 metres and 5 metres in depth, it contains 4,500 m3 of water (the largest tank and the one with the greatest number of species such as giltheads, morays, ocean sunfish, rays and two kinds of sharks: the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) and the sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus). 
A stroll through transparent tunnel of the Oceanarium is a spectacular experience that allows the visitors to go through it as if they were walking on the sea bed.
Moreover, for experts divers, there is the possibility of diving with sharks, to present these animals from a more scientific viewpoint that might interest divers, and give a message for people to understand sharks; The shark’s course has different parts: a theoretical part on sharks, a guided tour of L’Aquàrium and diving in the Oceanarium to get to be closer to the sharks.
In three levels L’Aquàrium de Barcelona facilities are fully adapted for disabled visitors since opened on September 8, 1995. In addition to the absence of architectural barriers, there are ramps, lifts and adapted washrooms on all floors for a complete visit.
Open all year round from 9:30 Hs, with closing hours from Monday through Friday at 21:00Hs, weekends and public holidays at 21:30Hs, June and September at 21:30Hs and July and August at 23:00Hs.

Font Magica de Montjuic

One of the interesting sites to visit in the Montjuic Mountain which attracts large numbers of visitors, including both local and foreigners, is the Font Magica at the end of Reina Maria Cristian Avenue.
For the Great Universal Exhibition of 1929 the engineer Carles Buigas designed and ambitious project of fountains, cascades, ponds, jets that went from the Palau Nacional, up on the Montjuic mountain up to Plaza España, ending with a bright row of columns on either side of the Reina Maria Cristina Avenue (now replaced by illuminated jet fountains of similar proportions). At the time of the project many thought that it was too ambitious to be created, so unexpected and stunning that it was even branded by some as madness.
Over 3000 workers were commissioned to work on this technically amazing engineer and physics project to be finished in less than one year; the first performance took place on May 19, 1929. Buigas discovered that the light should be concentrated so as to avoid larger beams obscuring smaller ones.
In the middle of this amazing project was built the main element of this set of plays of light and water, La Font Magica (Magic Fountain), a rounded shaped fountain of more than 50 meters of diameter. In the 1980s to make a greater spectacle the music was joined to the show, and shortly before the 1992 Olympic Games the fountains were restored completely.
In general performance times of the Magic Fountain of Montjuic are:
From October 1st to January 6th and from February 13th to April 30th:l Fridays and Saturdays from 19:00 h to 21:00 h; Music and color show at: 19/ 19.30/ 20 /20.30 h.
From May 1st to September 30th: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 21:00 h to 23:30 h. Music and color show at:  21 / 21.30 / 22 / 22.30 / 23 h.
The 1st Saturday of June it Works without music to celebrate the 'Nit de l'Havanera' (genre of Cuban popular dance music brought to Catalunya by sailors at the ends of 19th Century)
Christmas and Easter week: from Thursday to Sundays Music and color show at: 19/ 19.30/ 20 /20.30 h.
From January 7th to February 12 the fountains are not working for annual technical revision.

Casa Batllo - Antonio Gaudi

Eixample Dret - Passeig de Gracia Avenue.

The Casa Batllo (Batllo House) is a rework done by the architect Antoni Gaudí, over a previously existing private building on the site, designed by architect Emili Sala Cortes.The wealthy industrial Josep Batlló i Casanovas commissioned the work Gaudi for the refurbishment, focused mainly on the re-design of thefacade, the main floor, the interior patios and the roof, and also adding a fifth floor for the service personnel. The facade was covered with sandstone from The Montjuich Mountain and ceramic pieces of different colours in curved forms with representations of plants, bone-shaped columns. The woodwork also in curved surfaces, with windows with glass color circular forms and iron railings with shaped masks. The central courtyard was covered with a glass skylight supported by an iron structure  which relies on a series of catenary arches designed by Gaudi. The walls of the coutyard were covered with coated tiles, in an ingenious and interesting colour gradation for a better utilization of light, from more dark blue at the top to a more clear white on the lower floors.
The main floor was designed and entirely decorated by Gaudi, with an impressive lounge with an upper ceiling in the form of helical forms in relief, and also other rooms with curved forms and furniture specially designed by the architect himself.
The house is placed in the passeig de Gracia in the so-called Block of discord (L'Illa de la discordia) on relation to the different buildings by important Modernist architects as in addition to this building from Gaudi there are: the Amatller House, adjacent to Batllo House, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch; the Lleó Morera House, designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner in the corner with Consell de Cent Street, and in the block another buliding designed by Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia.
Since 2005 the Casa Batllo is part of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, within the Place "Works of Antoni Gaudí”.

Santa Maria del Mar

La Ribera/Borne - Gothic Neighbourhood

The church of Santa María del Mar is the best and most beautiful example of what it is called the Catalan Gothic and the only great perfectly finished Catalan gothic church, built only in 50 years between 1329 and 1383. The architects in charge were Berenguer de Montagut (designer of the building) and Ramon Despuig.
The outside of the building presents a heavy and austere aspect completely different from gothic style of other parts of Europe with predominance of the horizontal lines and the big sections of wall without great openings or decorations.
The interior of the basilica is of a spectacular height. Formally, it is a building of three naves without cruise with the sensation of space as if it was a single nave; the majestic octagonal columns are well separated (15 meters) and with the three naves looking as if they were the same size. The result is a diaphanous space, that discards the gothic division of the European churches and it inclines more to the idea of unique space. The stained windows and rosettes are not remarkable for their size, but the architectonic disposition gives to the nave a diaphanous luminosity and a very clear aspect that impresses at first sight. The ornamentation in general is very sparing. It is an austere, free church of visual and physical obstacles. The absence of structural ornaments, the elegant simplicity and clearness of the interior of the church became bigger after the big fire that destroyed images, choir and baroque style altar in 1936 during the Civil war, and with the respectful restoration during the 80’s.

La Pedrera - Casa Mila - Antonio Gaudi

Eixample Dret

Residential building, known as "La Pedrera" or "Stone Quarry", the Casa Milà was designed by Antoni Gaudi and build in between 1906 and 1910 for the rich Milá family.
It is one of Gaudi’s essential residential buildings and in which his work is more elaborated not only in the magnificent sculptural façade of curved stone with the forged iron balconies, or the roof top with the incredible chimneys with forms of soldiers, or the attic with the brick vaults he had already used in the building s of the School of Santa Teresa and the Bellesguard, also in Barcelona, but also in the sophisticated inner patios that provide the air and natural sufficient light for the interior of the building and apartments, without leaving nor a single hidden inner corner without natural light.
The Milàs new home on the main floor, a truly immense apartment with a floor of 1,323 m2, a special stairway and with a lift that gave direct access to the house was amazing and Gaudi did his best work in it. After many changes after the years now the space is used as an exhibition Area in the building but still it can be seen part of the decoration for some of the rooms made by the architect on some walls and ceilings of this immense space.
Some years ago the building was bought by Caixa Catalunya, one of the leading saving banks in Catalunya and Spain, to convert the building into its Cultural Centre, to preserve and popularise the Gaudí heritage at the Casa Milà and also to organise different activities in the building like exhibitions and concerts. The building was approved by the World Heritage Committee to be included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1984.

The Barcelona Pavilion - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Sants Montjuïc - Parc de Montjuïc

The Barcelona Pavilion was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as the German National Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition. Surprisingly modern for the time, built with permanent materials as steel, glass, travertine and different kinds of marble, the Pavilion was conceived for the official reception of the German authorities to King Alphonso XIII of Spain, was disassembled in 1930 after the closure of the exhibition. The reconstruction work began in 1983 on its original site, and was finished in 1986.
The Pavilion is considered an emblematic work of modern-movement architecture. The relation in between the interior and exterior space is completely lost. The walls, rectangular planes of marble, glass, and onyx placed vertically or horizontally, freely positioned, make possible that space seems to flow through them. There are almost no corners in the building. The doors are in the form of two halves of an all-glass wall, which rotates about a pivot, and when opened become just another freestanding, parallel glass wall. The ponds, placed also in the interior and exterior with the reflecting images, accentuates the feeling of the global space.
Mies van der Rohe also designed the Barcelona chair especially for the Pavilion, used as thrones by the Spanish royal family, that over the years has become an icon of modern design.

Las Ramblas

Gothic Neighbourhood

Of all the streets of Barcelona, maybe the most popular one is the Ramblas (Les Rambles in Catalan or Las Ramblas in Spanish). From the Plaça Catalunya (nerve centre of the city) down to Columbus Monument at the Port Vell (Old Port) and with the addition in the 90s of the wooden walkway into the Harbour to connect with the Maremagnum (a Mall with the Barcelona Aquarium and the Imax theatre closed by in the middle of the old port) this long stroll with different names (the Rambla de Canaletes, the Rambla dels Estudis, the Rambla de Sant Josep, the Rambla dels Caputxins, the Rambla de Santa Monica, and the Rambla de Mar), with the flower, the birds and newspapers stands, with the terraces of the coffee shops and restaurants, with the different human sculptures along the way, with the artist’s corner, with the craft market on the weekends, with the Opera House (Gran Teatre del Liceu), with the mixture of people from locals to tourists from all different kinds of ages and levels, with the Mercat de la Boqueria (large public market) on one of the sides, with all the restaurants and Hotels from 5 stars to small pensions, with the Font de Canaletas close to Plaça Catalunya (water source that according to popular sayings if you drink from it you will come back to Barcelona), with all the other important buildings (old Convents or Palaces) now turned to Museums or Exhibitions Spaces and with many more that will be discovered walking by, it doesn’t matter if it is spring, summer, autumn or winter, is something that needs to be lived at least once in a life.

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Sant Pere, Sta. Caterina i La Ribera - Gothic Neighbourhood

The Palau de la Música Catalana (The Catalan Music Palace) is a masterpiece of the Catalan Modernisme period. The concert hall designed by the architect Lluis Domenech I Montaner, and build in between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a choral society, leading force in the Catalan cultural and political independence movement known as Renaixença (Catalan Rebirth).
The architectural decoration in the concert hall is a work of art of creativity and imagination. The rich decoration of the façade of the Palau, which incorporates elements from many sources, including traditional Spanish and Arabic architecture, is successfully married with the building's structure. The exposed red brick and iron, the mosaics, the stained glass, and the glazed tiles were chosen and situated to give a feeling of openness and transparency. The concert hall of the Palau, which seats about 2,200 people, is the only auditorium in Europe that is illuminated during daylight hours entirely by natural light. The walls on two sides consist primarily of stained-glass panels set in magnificent arches, and overhead is an enormous skylight of stained glass whose centerpiece is an inverted dome in shades of gold surrounded by blue that suggests the sun and the sky. Important renewal and extension was made in between 1982 and 2004, when the opening of the new small concert hall took place. In 1997, the Palau de la Música Catalana was declared a Unesco World Heritage.

Plaza Sant Felip Neri

El Barri Gotic - Gothic Neighbourhood

One of the coolest squares in the Old town (Gothic Neighbourhood) of Barcelona, and maybe the quiet’s place in town, is the Plaza (Plaça) Sant Felip Neri. This hidden square that you can only access through two narrow, winding and sometimes not very clean streets is build over what was an old medieval cemetery (Montjuïc del Bisbe cemetery). On one of the sides The Baroque Church that gives the name to the square was build in between 1748 and 1752 and on the others different medieval houses moved there at the beginning of last century due to the big transformation that meant the opening of Via Layetana (a direct connection between L’Eixample and the old Port) ; in the centre there is an octagonal fountain and some big old trees.
The rumour of the water magnifies the peacefulness of the place that has not always been. In 1938 during the Spanish Civil War Barcelona suffered several bomb attacks from Franco’s aviation an on January 30th of that year a big bomb exploded on the square and killed a big number of citizens that were trying to protect themselves in an antiaircraft refuge that collapsed. On the facade of the church there are still noticeable scars from the tragedy. The holes of the explosion are well visible and give an idea of the magnitude of the explosion.
Times have changed and recently a nice elegant Hotel has opened its doors on one of the buildings of the square and opened also a nice little bar with an open terrace to the square.

Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu

El Raval - Gothic Neighbourhood

It looks like time has stopped in this Archaeological Gothic Complex, one of Europe's earliest medical complexes, build up to put together in one building six hospitals that existed at the time. The first stone was laid by King Martí el Humà in 1401 and mainly developed in between the XV and XVI centuries. It was planned by the architect Guillem Abiell as a big space in a form of four wings on two levels that surrounded an arched patio, following a well-known model from the orient, but it has suffered some important changes through the following centuries. Even so the hospital patio with the Baroque cross in the centre, the lines of orange trees around the fountain, and the impressive stairway under the arch in one of the sides gives the impression that anything has changed since the first day. These impressive gothic and renaissance buildings now are used by different institutions like the Biblioteca Nacional de Cataluña (National Catalan Library), the Escuela Massana (Massana School of Art, Crafts and Design belonging to the Town Hall), the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (Institute of Catalan Studies) and two other Public Libraries (Bibliotecas de Santa Pau y de la Santa Creu) the Royal Medicine Academy of Catalunya and the Royal Pharmacy Academy of Catalunya. The Chapel of the Old Hospital is now used as an exhibition space. At the Raval Neighbourhood in c/Hospital 56 -08001 Barcelona.

Plaza Real

El Barri Gotic - Gothic Neighbourhood

Located just a small arcaded passageway away from the Ramblas there is the Plaça Reial (Plaza Real). Designed by the architect Francesc Daniel Molina and build in 1848 over what had been and old religious convent from the Capuchinos (Caputxins). This beautiful place has a square plant, and is quite ample and delimited by the walls of one single building (it is like an interior patio). The facades of this building are made up of numerous balconies, and have like tile roof terraces.
It is an important and lively meeting place especially at night, generally filled with people from the city and tourist that enjoy the climate, the food and some drinks in the restaurants or bars, that now surround nearly completely the square, with open air terraces under the arches. With also a jazz club and a flamenco show in it.
There is great amount of palms trees on the ground, and on the center, there is a fountain with a sculpture of the Three Graces and at each side of the fountain a street lamp designed by Antoni Gaudi in his early years. It has been remodelled many times since the early days and the last time in the beginnings of the 80’s under the direction of the architects Antoni Mila and Federico Correa.

Park Güell

El Carmel - Gracia Neighbourhood

The park was originally planned by Gaudi as a new development for more than 60 luxury single-family residences in an aristocratic city-garden, with the intention to exploit the fresh air (well away from smoky factories) and the beautiful views, and did count with the support of Count Eusebi de Güell. The idea was taken from the English garden city movement. The site was a rocky hill with little vegetation and few trees, called Muntanya Pelada (Bare Mountain). The basic structures for the infrastructure of the future city, the exterior wall, the entrance pavilions, the main stairway, the roadways around the park to service the intended houses, viaducts and bridges, the market area and the big central square, were built in between 1900 and 1914. The idea was to integrate all the elements with the nature.
The plan already included a large country house called Larrard House where the Count Güell moved in 1906 to add prestige to the development. Only two new houses were built, neither designed by Gaudi. One was intended to be a show house, but on being completed in 1904 was put up for sale, and as no buyers came forward Gaudi, at Güell's suggestion, bought it with his savings and moved in with his family in 1906 and lived there till 1925, one year before his death, when he moved to the church he was building “La Sagrada Familia”.
The First World War was coming and the project finally failed. It became a municipality property and a park since 1923.

Verger Antic Palau Reial Major

El Barri Gotic - Gothic Neighbourhood

The way to the Frederic Mares Museum from the small square (Plaça Sant Iu Nº 5-6) on the street Comtes de Barcelona, at the side of the Cathedral, gives free entrance to a courtyard that was in medieval times the old orchard of the Main Royal Palace (Palau Reial Major), house of the Counts of Barcelona and from where the monarchs of the Catalan-Aragonese crown ruled the kingdom during the medieval period.
The place with orange trees, plants, some benches and a fountain on the centre surrounded by the medieval buildings from the Palau Reial Major is suspended on the time. Quite and peaceful is the perfect place to relax and dream on Catalan stories from the medieval times.
During summer months there is also a coffee place (Café d’Estiu or Summertime coffee) on the courtyard.

Umbracle

Parc de la Ciutadella - Gothic Neighbourhood

The Parc de la Ciutadella was build over the old Citadel or Fortress that the Spanish King Felipe V had built in 1714 to intimidate Catalans against repeating early 18th century rebellion against the Spanish central government. In the middle of the 19th Century the political situation had changed and the Park started to be developed. Josep Fontseré was the Architect in charge of the project but everything changed when the City Hall decided to organize the Universal Exhibition for 1888.
The Umbracle (shade house) was build in 1883 and during the exhibition was used as pavilion. After the event the building recovered its original function, being one of the few structures that still prevail from the exhibition.
This shade house is a construction of bare brick façades and wooden louvers to sift the light through, sustained in the interior by slender iron columns, devised like closed space producing suitable thermal and humidity conditions for the implantations of vegetal species from tropical origins. Its attractive open-slatted design provides the perfect home for a range of subtropical and shade loving plants as like being inside a forest.

Temple de la Sagrada Familia - Holy Family Temple

Sagrada Familia - Eixample
It is difficult to add something new to the many things said about this work in progress unfinished Temple. More than 125 years from the day that the foundation stone was placed by the Bishop Urquinaona, the initial project much more traditional, the Gaudi new design much more revolutionary, the dead of Gaudi, the Civil War and the fire in the workshop that destroyed many of the original models, the reconstruction of the burn crypt and models, the different political situations in Spain and in Catalunya through the years, the new architects and Sculptors selected to continue the project will all form part of the story of the church when, some years from now, it will be finished; difficult to know exactly when because as more technology has been added to the project development faster the work, but every new visit gives a better idea of this work in progress.
It is not till the ends of the work that the full magnificence of Gaudi’s project will be appreciate and the Temple will have a complete unity. But in every new visit is possible to discover how the pieces are getting into a complete unit. In November 2010, with the work in progress as it is expected that they will continue at least until 2041, Pope Benedict XVI will come to Barcelona to consecrate the Church.
Our Barcelona apartment Gaudi Sagrada Familia is two blocks away from the Sagrada Familia Church.

DHUB Montcada

The Montcada Street in the Borne Area is full with all kind of palaces and small palaces, homes of wealthy nobles and merchants from the medieval period. Many of these Palaces are used now as Museums, Art Galleries or Bars. The Picasso Museum now occupies five of these palaces. The stories of many of these building starts on the XIII century and continues, with many additions and transformations in the following centuries till nowadays.

One of these Palaces, the Palau del Marquès de Llió, has now been tranformed again and is now used temporarily as part of the Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHUB), the integration of a museum, a center and a laboratory designed to promote the understanding and good use of the world of design, mention as a ground-breaking initiative in Spain and Europe.  The Montcada DHUB welcomes all temporal activities, study galleries, and the documentation center.

 In this last change from the Textil Museum to the Disseny Hub Barcelona in 2008 the city lost one of the most quite places where to relax, the Textil Cafe (the photo), in the romantic Gothic-style courtyard of the building. Half outdoor/indoor café restaurant, it was a perfect peaceful place to sit and relax for sometime when visiting the neighbourhood. Reopened in 2010 under a new management as cafe-restaurant  with a slightly differen style but at least still using the magnificent Gothic Courtyard.