El Raval () is a neighborhood in the ''

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 ...

'' district 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 ...

, the capital city of

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

. The neighborhood, especially the part closest to the old port, was formerly (informally) known as ''Barri Xinès'' or ''Barrio Chino'', meaning "

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

". El Raval is one of the two historical neighborhoods that border La Rambla, the other being the Barri Gòtic; it contains some 50,000 people. Indiocarrerdelcarme

An area historically infamous for its nightlife and cabarets, as well as prostitution and crime, El Raval has changed significantly in recent years and due to its central location has become a minor attraction of Barcelona. It currently has a very diverse immigrant community (47.4% of its population was born abroad, ranging from

Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...

South Americans South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, and

Pakistanis Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

, to a more recent

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

an community, especially from

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

). It is home to many bars, restaurants, and night spots.

Delimitations

The northern border of the neighborhood is marked by Plaça Catalunya and Plaça Universitat, and the street which connects them, Carrer de Pelai. It ends in the east with La Rambla, and in the west and south, the neighborhood is delimited by Ronda de Sant Antoni, Ronda de Sant Pau and

Avinguda del Paral·lel Avinguda del Paral·lel (; 'Avenue of the Parallel') is one of the main streets of the city of Barcelona, dividing Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Sants-Montjuïc districts. It receives this name because it is (unlike any other street in Barcelon ...

Crime

El Raval is one of Barcelona's most dangerous neighborhoods, with frequent robberies. There is substantial police concern about drug crime and fighting. The police have been struggling to control the use and sale of heroin in the neighborhood where it has taken a foothold among marginalized residents. 40% of the residents of the Raval live at risk of

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

Landmarks

There are a few historical monuments such as the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp, as well as newer additions such as the Rambla del Raval, and the MACBA (the Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona) or the

Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (also known by its acronym, CCCB) is an arts centre in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated in the El Raval, Raval district, the centre's core theme is the city and urban culture. The CCCB organi ...

. Near the museum is the mural ''

Todos Juntos Podemos Parar el SIDA ''Todos Juntos Podemos Parar el SIDA'' (English: ''Together We Can Stop AIDS'') is a mural created by American artist and social activist Keith Haring in 1989. The mural was painted to raise awareness to the Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, AIDS epidemic ...

'', originally created by American artist Keith Haring in 1989. In the southern part of the neighborhood an old wall and gate of the medieval city called Portal de Santa Madrona still exists as part of the

Maritime Museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navy, navies and the m ...

. The Raval is also known for its large statue of a cat by

Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (19 April 1932 – 15 September 2023) was a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...

, located on the Rambla del Raval. The city's most famous market,

La Boqueria The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria (; ), usually simply referred to as La Boqueria, is a large Marketplaces#Types, public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks, w ...

, is also situated in the Raval. In the eastern part of the neighborhood,

Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( , ; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalans, Catalan architect and designer from Spain, widely known as the greatest exponent of Catalan ''Modernisme''. Gaudí's works have a style, with most located in Barc ...

's Palau Güell is located on the Carrer Nou de la Rambla.

Transport

Barcelona Metro

* Drassanes ( L3) *

Liceu The Gran Teatre del Liceu (; ; ), or simply Liceu, is a theater in Barcelona, Spain. Situated on La Rambla, it is the city's oldest theater building still in use for its original purpose. Founded in 1837 at another location, the Liceu ope ...

( L3) * Paral·lel ( L2, L3) *

Sant Antoni Sant Antoni is a neighborhood in the ''Eixample'' district of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Its non-official centre, the Mercat de Sant Antoni, marketplace of the same name—designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias and built between 1872 and 1882—i ...

( L2)

Cultural depictions

* Josep Maria de Sagarra's 1932 book '' Vida Privada'' *1937 film '' Barrios Bajos'' *

Rafael Gil Rafael Gil (22 May 1913 – 10 July 1986) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. His film ''La guerra de Dios'' (1953) won the Bronze Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1953 and also won best film and best director at the San Sebastián ...

's 1948 film '' La calle sin sol'' *

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

's 1949 book, ''

The Thief's Journal ''The Thief's Journal'' (''Journal du voleur'', published in 1949) is a novel by Jean Genet. Although autobiographical to some degree, Genet’s exploitation of poetic language results in an ambiguity throughout the text. Superficially, the nove ...

'' (Journal du Voleur) * Joan Colom's photos of the neighborhood in the 1950s * Eduardo Mendoza's 1975 book '' La verdad sobre el caso Savolta'' *

Terenci Moix Terenci Moix (; real name Ramon Moix i Meseguer; 5 January 1942 – 2 April 2003) was a Spanish writer, who wrote in the Spanish and in Catalan languages. He was the brother of poet/novelist Ana Maria Moix. Life and work Moix was born and ...

's 1976 book '' La caiguda de l'imperi sodomita'' * José Antonio de la Loma's 1977 film '' Las alegres chicas de El Molino'' * Ivà's comic strip '' Makinavaja'', started in 1986. * Francisco Casavella's 1990 book '' El Triunfo'' * Maruja Torres's 1997 book '' Un calor tan cercano'' * Francisco Casavella's 1997 book '' Un enano español se suicida en Las Vegas'' *

Roberto Bolaño Roberto is an Italian, Portuguese and Spanish variation of the male given name Robert. Notable people named Roberto include: * Roberto (footballer, born 1912) * Roberto (footballer, born 1977) * Roberto (footballer, born 1978) * Roberto (footb ...

's 1998 novel '' The Savage Detectives'' * José Luis Guerin's 2001 documentary '' En construcción'' *

Carlos Ruiz Zafón Carlos Ruiz Zafón (; 25 September 1964 – 19 June 2020) was a Spanish novelist known for his 2001 novel ''La sombra del viento'' ('' The Shadow of the Wind''). The novel sold 15 million copies and was winner of numerous awards; it was included ...

's 2001 novel '' The Shadow of the Wind'' * Francisco Casavella's 2002-2003 book trilogy '' El día del Watusi'' * Cesc Gay's 2003 film '' En la ciudad'' * Pau Miró's 2004 play '' Llueve en Barcelona'' * Joaquim Jordà's 2005 film '' De nens'' * Juan Marsé's 2005 book '' Canciones de amor en Lolita's Club'' * Mireia Ros's 2005 film '' El Triunfo'' * Ferran Aisa i Mei Vidal, 2006 book ''El Raval, un espail al marge'' * Antoni Verdaguer's 2006 film '' Raval, Raval...'' * Fernando Gómez's 2008 book '' El misterio de la Calle Poniente'' * Marc Pastor's 2009 book '' La mala dona'' * Francesc Betriu's 2009 documentary '' Mónica del Raval'' * Jo Sol's 2009 film '' The Runner's Salary'' * Javier Calvo's 2009 novel '' Corona de Flores'' * Maruja Torres's 2009 book '' Esperadme en el cielo'' *

Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker primarily known for making modern psychological drama (film genre), psychological drama films about the human condition. His most notable films include ''Amores perros ...

's 2010 film '' Biutiful'' * Javier Zuloaga's 2011 novel '' Librería Libertad'' *

Mathias Énard Mathias Énard (born 1972) is a French novelist. He studied Persian and Arabic and spent long periods in the Middle East. He has lived in Barcelona for about fifteen years, interrupted in 2013 by a writing residency in Berlin. He won several aw ...

's 2012 novel ''Rue des voleurs'' * Xavier Artigas and Xapo Ortega's 2014 documentary '' Ciutat morta''

People from Raval

Enriqueta Martí Enriqueta Martí Ripollés (1868 – 12 May 1913) was a Spanish child serial killer, kidnapper, prostitute and Procuring (prostitution), procuress of children. She was called "The Vampire of carrer Ponent", "The Vampire of Barcelona" and "The Va ...

, serial killer known as ''the Vampyre of Barcelona''. *

, writer. * Peret, singer. * Maruja Torres, writer. * Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, writer. * Andreu Jacob, film music composer

References

External links

Ravalnet.orgEl Raval SolidariFundació Tot RavalCasal dels Infants del RavalRavalear: guide to visit "el Raval" day and night
{{Barcelona Raval, el Raval, el Little Pakistans Entertainment districts in Spain Restaurant districts and streets in Spain Red-light districts in Spain