; ) is an extensive neighborhood of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
’s
Sant Martí district that borders the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
to the south,
Sant Adrià del Besòs to the east,
Parc de la Ciutadella in
Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella (, meaning in English "Old City") is a district of Barcelona, numbered District 1. The name means "old city" in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ''Ciutat Vella'' is nest ...
to the west, and
Sant Andreu to the north. Originally, it was a town entirely separate from Barcelona proper.
History
During the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
of the 19th century, Poblenou was the epicenter of Catalan and Iberian industry, earning it its
sobriquet
A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...
of the ''Catalan Manchester''. Surrounding the extensive cluster of factories stood mostly working-class residential areas. When the industrial buzz passed, the neighborhood fell into a state of abandon and after a period of decay, the neighborhood underwent a dramatic transformation. The
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
in 1992 were the main trigger for this massive transformation of El Poblenou. Many of the areas that have been developed — including the
Vila Olímpica, the
Diagonal Mar area, and the Fòrum area — arguably comprise their own neighborhoods. Completing its original, unfinished plan, The
Avinguda Diagonal
Avinguda Diagonal (; in Spanish language, Spanish: Avenida Diagonal) is the name of one of Barcelona's broadest and most important avenues. It cuts the city in two, diagonally with respect to the grid pattern of the surrounding streets, hence th ...
now stretches from Plaça de les Glòries to the sea. The massive
22@ plan is set to convert Poblenou into the city's technological and innovation district, as well as to increase leisure and residential spaces.
Alongside the newly built, upscale Vila Olímpica and Diagonal Mar areas, many artists and young professionals have converted the former factories and warehouses into lofts, galleries, and shops. Art & Design schools and studios have also opened, making the area known for its creative outlook.
Some of the old factory buildings are now declared historic monuments and are under protection. This is the case of the Factory Hispania SA, built by the Cuban-German merchant
Emilio Heydrich, and architect
Josep Graner in 1923, or the Valls, Teixidor i Jordana chemical factory.
The leafy
Rambla del Poblenou, which stretches from
Avinguda Diagonal
Avinguda Diagonal (; in Spanish language, Spanish: Avenida Diagonal) is the name of one of Barcelona's broadest and most important avenues. It cuts the city in two, diagonally with respect to the grid pattern of the surrounding streets, hence th ...
to the beach, is the main commercial street.
Life in El Poblenou
El Poblenou lies between the great beaches of Barcelona and city center, which allows its residents a great relaxed beach lifestyle and proximity to a huge variety of shopping centers, bars and restaurants. Due to its rising popularity, prices of flats in the area have increased dramatically. Besides good beaches, this neighborhood offers wide open spaces, green parks and relatively few tourists. Despite local efforts to maintain authenticity,
La Rambla de Poblenou is battling the effects of
gentrification
Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
and
mass tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...
.
The annual light art festival
Llum BCN is celebrated since 2012 every February in Poblenou.
Landmarks
Notable buildings of Poblenou include the
Torre Agbar ''Torre'' (plurals ''torri'' and ''torres'') means ''tower'' in seven Romance languages ( Portuguese, Spanish, Galician, Catalan, Italian, Occitan and Corsican) and may refer to:
Biology
* Muir-Torre syndrome, the inherited cancer syndrom ...
(
Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
),
Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. is an international architecture firm headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with additional offices in Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Munich, New York City, Paris, and San Francisco. Founded in 1978 by Jacques Herzog and ...
's
Forum Building (which houses Europe's largest scale model of a city), and the ME Barcelona Hotel (former Habitat Sky Hotel) (
Dominique Perrault). Major public spaces include the
Parc de Diagonal Mar (
Enric Miralles
Enric Miralles Moya (12 February 1955 – 3 July 2000) was a Spanish architect from Barcelona. He graduated from the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) in 1978. After establishing hi ...
), the
Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, the
Parc Central del Poblenou (
Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
), the beachfront
Parc del Poblenou, the vast
Parc del Forum, Oficines Diagonal 197 (
David Chipperfield
Sir David Alan Chipperfield, , (born 18 December 1953) is a British architect. He established David Chipperfield Architects in 1985, which grew into a global architectural practice with offices in London, Berlin, Milan, Shanghai, and Santiago d ...
), the
Media-Tic Building (
Enric Ruiz Geli -
CLOUD 9), the historic
Poblenou Cemetery as well as many kilometres of beaches.
Image:[email protected], View of construction in Poblenou, Barcelona, resulting from the 22@ urban renewal plan.
Image:RamblaPoblenou.jpg, Modernista building on a corner of Rambla del Poblenou (Barcelona).
Image:Poblenou-Contrasts.jpg, View of Carrer Pallars in Poblenou, showing renovation of underground infrastructure, as well as one of many former factories next to a modern building.
Public transport
*
Barcelona Metro line 1 stations:
Marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
,
Glòries
*
Barcelona Metro line 4 stations:
Selva de Mar,
Poblenou,
Llacuna,
Bogatell
*
Trambesòs stations: Glòries, Ca l'Aranyó, Pere IV, Fluvià
See also
*
Primavera Sound Festival
*
2004 Universal Forum of Cultures
References
External links
Online tour of Poblenou from the City's webWebsite of 22@ 'The Innovation District'Poblenou neighbourhood associationSant Martí council
{{coord, 41, 23, 57, N, 2, 12, 14, E, type:city(100000)_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title
Sant Martí (district)