Neighborhood Schools
From Literacy to Advanced Education 18th century : Extremely high illiteracy ratesAt that time, La Barceloneta was a newly established neighborhood (founded in 1753), home to a working-class population—mostly laborers—who led a very “street-oriented” lifestyle, especially among the youngest children, who spent most of their time playing until they began working. All of this resulted […]
He has saved countless lives with mosquito nets
-A Barcelona native born in Valencia. I was born in Valencia 47 years ago, surrounded by orange trees—and, as it happens, on the very day of the Fallas festival. But when I was very young, my mother and I moved to Barcelona. -You also wanted to be a biologist since you were very young. My […]
3rd edition of the Barcelona Port Open Days
The Open Days took place on Saturday and Sunday, 30 and 31 May, with almost 5,000 guided tours by land and sea, an extensive programme of family activities and new initiatives open to all members of the public. This third edition of the Open Days consolidates an initiative aimed at bringing the Port closer to […]
King’s Cup Champion
Zodiac Atlètic Barceloneta was crowned champion of the 40th edition of the Copa del Rey in Terrassa for the 22nd time in its history and the 14th consecutive time, defeating Club Natació Sabadell 11–5 in the final. Season after season, Barceloneta solidifies its position as the most dominant force in Spanish water polo. This is […]
Hospital del Mar inaugurates its new facilities
On March 16, the hospital’s new facilities were unveiled following four years of construction. The expansion adds a total of 31,000 square meters of floor space and improves existing areas to make them more comfortable, efficient, and sustainable. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Catalan Government, Salvador Isla, the Regional Minister […]
The curtain rises
The theater in Barceloneta There was a time when theater was performed in every neighborhood and every town. Perhaps because there were no other alternatives yet—ones that would later emerge and overshadow this activity. But it was common to see groups of young and not-so-young theater enthusiasts spending hours each week rehearsing plays that they […]
La Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima
Since its creation in 1855, it has been a national and international benchmark in the industrial sector. Most families in the neighborhood had a relative working there. La Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima has been the largest industry located in Barceloneta. Beginnings We must go back to the early decades of the 19th century and […]
Toni Albiol “Maireta”
“I was a fisherman before Saint Peter” Toni Albiol, Maireta, is the patriarch of a long line of fishermen. They have one of the few trawlers currently remaining in the Port of Barcelona. Every day his son David goes out fishing, as he did, as his son Simó did, as his grandfather, his great-grandfather and […]
7th edition of Nadal al Port
From 28 November to 6 January. Forty days of entertainment across 24,000 m² of activities, stalls, attractions and surprises to enjoy what has already become a classic part of the city’s Christmas celebrations. Light and sea. Barcelonians and visitors of all ages can experience the most festive Christmas in a unique setting. A space […]
Barceloneta Festival
This festival is held in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel, patron saint of the neighborhood, whose feast day is September 29. This celebration maintains, in a big way, its essence: a mixture of tradition, community, popular culture, and Mediterranean spirit. It has managed to renew itself without losing its roots, incorporating everything from “correfocs” […]
Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of seafarers
A tradition celebrated every year by the Barceloneta Fishermen’s Guild, usually on the Saturday closest to July 16 (the feast day of the Virgen del Carmen). A procession leaves from the parish church of San Miguel and makes its way to the Fishermen’s Wharf. There, the statue is placed on one of the boats and, […]
Barbara Martinez is Barbara Bogatell
She could have been the author of the famous phrase “A healthy mind in a healthy body“ We wanted to feature Barbara in these pages. Because people like her are unfortunately few and far between. And yet they are so necessary! She is an example to us all, but especially to many of the people […]
El Somorrostro
Shacks by the Sea El Somorrostro was one of the most iconic shack neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona. It was established around 1875, on a site where fishermen’s shacks might have previously stood. The neighborhood was hidden from prying eyes, nestled between the factories and the railway. In the 1940s, it began to grow […]
You will find Josep Lluís Pelegrí at the ICM , and the ICM in Barceloneta
The ICM is the fourth largest research institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the largest dedicated to marine research. The ICM conducts research on topics related to the interaction between the ocean and climate, the conservation and sustainable use of marine life and ecosystems, and the mitigation of natural and anthropogenic impacts, […]
OPEN DOORS TO THE PORT OF BARCELONA
Some 3,000 visitors have been able to discover the Port with guided tours and 5,072 people have run the RAC1 Race. The Port of Barcelona has closed the second edition of the Open Doors Days, held on the weekend of May 17 and 18, with a great success of participation. Throughout the two days, more […]
Five years of COVID-19
The footprint in Barceloneta and the Hospital del Mar Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Robert Güerri tells us in first person his experiences and reflections on this life-changing experience. Dr. Güerri is Chief of Internal Medicine at the Hospital del Mar and a researcher in the Infectious and Antimicrobial Pathology Research Group at […]
Football in La Barceloneta
In terms of sport, Barceloneta has always been associated with water sports and, let’s say, “pool” sports: swimming and water polo. But curiously, very close to the sea, a notable and interesting football tradition has developed since the beginning of the 20th century. Pioneering clubs, especially, though not exclusively, the now-centennial FC Barceloneta (1918). Legendary […]
Laura Vicente, “ Vici ”
Our world champion How could we not have a world champion in the neighborhood? What happens is that Laura and Lise’s daughter prefers to boast about her friends and family, especially her grandmother, rather than her titles. That’s why everyone who knows her agrees that Vicio is a crack on, but above all, off the […]
A job that is no longer just for men
The idea that the world of stevedoring was reserved for men is a thing of the past. There are currently 113 women on the OEPB’s staff. But the most revealing fact is that the new promotion has already reached 30%. A percentage that is likely to grow over the years. Contrary to what might be […]
Raül Gallego
War video reporter When his classmates wanted to be footballers, successful businessmen or, some more daring, firemen, the little Gallego wrote ‘Hello, I am Raül Gallego and I have come back from war to explain what is happening in the world’. Almost 40 years later, Raül has returned from many, many wars to explain what […]
Nadal at Port
Bigger , saltier , more fun , more committed , more sustainable Yet another year, from November 29 to January 6 , Port Vell hosts a new edition of Christmas at the Port. This sixth edition is the biggest so far with more than 20,000 m² dedicated to leisure, culture, social and environmental sustainability. With […]
A tapas district
There are many theories about the origin of tapas. Some say that they were portions of food from the previous day that, before becoming hard and had to be thrown away, were used up by giving them away with the drink. Others attribute a more functional origin, claiming that they were slices of ham or […]
From the Infectious Diseases Hospital to the Hospital del Mar
The Hospital del Mar, with more than a century of existence (1914), has always been very focused on the study to combat infectious diseases and the control of viral and bacterial plagues of epidemics and pandemics. Today, it continues to be a point of reference for study, teaching and scientific medical research, as well as […]
The only stronghold of the active primary sector in the city of Barcelona
The Cofradia occupies the area of the Port of Barcelona where the fishermen are. It has been located in the Moll del Rellotge since the mid-18th century. At present, the Barcelona Fishermen’s Guild has 22 boats and some 220 workers. The fleet is divided into 3 types: – 11 spider-web or hoop boats, which fish […]
Meeting point of the history of Catalonia
The Muse u d’Història de Catalunya ( MHC) was created in 1996 to preserve, exhibit and disseminate the history of Catalonia as a collective heritage and to make Catalan history and culture known on a national and international scale. At its facilities we can enjoy regularly scheduled temporary exhibitions and the permanent exhibition “The Memory […]
The Beach by Lluís Artús
After living more than a decade in London, photographer Lluís Artus came back to Barcelona, and he found a city much different from the one he left when he left in the mid-90s. Now with the beginning of the tourism boom and new immigration one of the places where these new changes were most evident […]
Handball in Barceloneta
On a sporting level, Barceloneta is a neighborhood world-renowned for water polo, but in addition to “polo” and soccer (which we will talk about in the future reports) there was a time in which it stood out at a very high level in handball. In this report we want to recall this time. We go […]
Long-established businesses
Establishments that have been in the neighborhood for decades and generations. Not so long ago, or maybe too long ago, the neighbors bought everything, or almost everything, in the neighborhood and only had to ‘”go to Barcelona” on specific occasions to do some shopping by car, driving the 45 or on foot Via Laietana up, […]
Barcelona, the protagonist of the year of sailing
During 2024, never better said, Barcelona sails at full sail. It is a unique event that the Barcelona Nautical Capital Foundation and the Catalan Sailing Federation are taking advantage of to present several joint projects to promote sailing. The projects are focused on four axes: inclusive sailing, support for Mini class sailors and training and […]
El Torín
There are very few people left who remember that there was a bullring in Barceloneta called the Torín. It was the first fixed bullring in Spain and was located where the Torre Mare Nostrum now stands, headquarters of Gas Natural Fenosa, a building by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue. It was promoted by the Junta […]
More activities, more space, more Christmas than ever at the Port of Barcelona
From December 5 to January 7, Barcelona’s Port Vell will host the fifth edition of “Nadal al Port” (Christmas at the Port) which, this year, will feature more activities and spaces than ever. This new edition will extend beyond the Bosch i Alsina dock (Moll de la Fusta) and both the lighting and the activities will […]
The militia women of The Barceloneta Neighborhood
On October 26th, the Barceloneta History Workshop gave a lecture at CB1761, a research project. Still in embryonic form, with the aim of recovering the lives of women in the Barceloneta neighbourhood, in the periods of the Republic, the Civil War and the Postwar period. Little do we know about these women, our neighbours, and […]
A reference
We are in the high season of leaders -or pseudo-leaders- of the most varied kind. They are presented to us in the form of politicians, influencers, tiktokers, coachings and panelists, among other appearances. They usually approach us "with premeditation and malice aforethought", through screens, TV, tablet or mobile. They are characters who try – and often succeed – […]
Barcelona, headquarters of the World Ocean Council
The World Ocean Council (WOC) opens its new headquarters in the Port of Barcelona, reaffirming the city as a hub of reference in blue economy and making the Port of Barcelona its epicentre. The World Ocean Council (WOC) is the leading international business organization that aims to promote sustainable maritime economy, addressing all aspects and […]
The Nuevo Vulcano Workshops
The Nuevo Vulcano Workshops, one of the most important factories in our neighborhood, together with the Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima, was the first factory dedicated to the construction of steam engines. The history of more than a century, will reflect all the social and economic events that occurred between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The […]
If only they hadn’t been demolished…
In 30 years, things change a lot and, if you look at old photos, you will see that people change even more. But it’s not our job to depress anyone. Our only intention is to throw a little imagination and think about what our picnic areas could have become if they had managed to stay […]
Coros
Joy. Tradition. Feeling. Music… Much more than a party. They are the Coros, the most deeply rooted celebration of the neighborhood. A spectacle! GET TO KNOW THE COROS Why Coros Muts? Because it is no longer sung, as it was originally. When? Departure parade on the Saturday before the Pentecost and the return and procession […]
70 years in Barceloneta
“From the Somorrostro to the beach, her star has gone out. Her wall collapsed, like the wall of Jericho… Carmen, Carmen, Carmen… Carmen! … Carmen gypsy born of a vine shoot and a coral…” This is how in 1963 people bid farewell to the flamenco singer Carmen Amaya, born in Somorrostro … unknowingly, a premonition […]
Fisherman’s neighborhood seafood cuisine
To talk about the gastronomy of Barceloneta is to talk about a basically fisherman’s cuisine. It is a neighbourhood where the men went out daily to fish and the women were in charge of placing the fish in “pilas”, which were column-shaped piles with the recently caught fish and seafood assortment, or in “capazos” (baskets). […]
Los Coros. One must feel it
One must feel it. “A festival like the Coros could only exist here. Barceloneta is so much Barceloneta. I have been coming out here for more than 40 years”. Julio Emperador. 52 y.o. ACH La Festa. “It is a feeling. If you don’t feel it, you can’t understand it. It is the tradition of […]
The Port Vell begins a profound transformation with a total of 19 initiatives
The Port Vell of the Port of Barcelona will receive more than 120 million euros of public and private investment in the next few months, corresponding to 19 initiatives that will significantly transform this port-city area. These 19 projects, which are being carried out between 2023 and 2024, will modify the physiognomy of the most […]
Cova Fumada: the bomb was born here
Mrs. María María Pla Segura arrived in Barcelona from her native Tortosa in 1914 and got married to Magí Solé. Taking advantage of the experience of having worked in her family’s bars there, she set up a “puda” in front of the Barceloneta beach, very close to the Oriental Baths. Tired of the Levante storms […]
La Repla
All neighbourhoods have some emblematic enclaves where the history of this community and many of its inhabitants has developed. But on too many occasions there comes a day when this place disappears physically to remain alive only in our memory. One such place is La Repla, our own Rellena. Demolished in the summer of 1998. […]
A fish market open to the city
With a budget of 7,563,000 euros and a completion period of 17 months, the project includes a new 3,233 m2 building, open to the public, which, together with an area of 24,103 m2 for development, will promote and make the fishing activity that takes place in Barcelona more visible The new fish market will be […]
We are from the sea
Born of the sea. Surrounded by the sea. With the smell of the sea. Barceloneta is the sea. It could have been built on the coast, as all seaside towns are, but it insisted on being born by the seaside, on land stolen away from the Mediterranean. Later, it was the sea that brought many […]
Eva Estébanez-Perpiñá
“We are working to fight prostate cancer” She does not boast of having two degrees which she did at the same time, nor of being an internationally recognized scientist, nor of leading a research group to, among other projects, fight that damned prostate cancer that worries those of us who are already 50 years old […]
Light at the Port for Christmas
The Port of Barcelona organizes a new edition of “Christmas at the Port” at the Moll de la Fusta From December 5 to January 6, the Moll de la Fusta will host the fourth edition of “Christmas at the Port”. The Port’s objective is to actively join Barcelona’s Christmas offer and, at the same time, […]
Ta-ka-tá, Barcelona’s only indigenous sport
Barceloneta beach was once again witness to a unique birth: the Ta-ka-ta. A sport that was invented in 1915 by a group of swimmers from the Club Natació Atlètic to keep fit in the winter months when the sea water and the swimming pool, at that time uncovered and of course not heated, were not […]
The tapas bars our grandparents used to go to
In Barceloneta we can still find establishments where not much time has passed. Tapas bars, heirs to the taverns and pudas* that originated in the neighbourhood. Preserved by their current owners, some of them are still going strong, some with decades or more than 50 years, respecting in many cases their original name and their […]
The first announcements in the neighbourhood
“Good quality leeches are available” Since its beginnings in 1753, Barceloneta has been an active neighbourhood full of anecdotes and curiosities. Its links with the main commercial centre and gateway to the city, the Port, conditioned both the type of residents who settled here and the activity that took place there. A combination that makes […]
“3 flutes (medium beer glass) and 2 philos (large beer glass) coming right up!”
El Vaso de Oro turns 60 years old. The project that Gabriel Fort and his wife Gloria started with so much hope, is 60 years old and in good health. The secret is perhaps, knowing how to preserve the personality that has made it unique. The bar that Gabriel and Gloria dreamed of, has been […]
The only fishermen’s quarter
Barcelona Fishing Guild is the last bastion of the primary sector still active in the city. Located since the Eighteen Century in the Moll del Rellotge – the Clock Tower Port –, the fishermen leave every day with their boats, and they come back with their fishing to be sold at the fish auction. Currently […]
Barceloneta, the birthplace of water polo
Barceloneta beach has witnessed some truly historic events. Among others, the birth of water polo at the national level. The first water polo match ever played in Spain happened on July 12, 1908, and the referee of the game was Bernat Picornell. It took place in the sea, in front of the current swimming clubs […]
