We continue unveiling Barcelona districts: el Poblenou
Introduction: The Poblenou district: location and limits in Barcelona
Would you like to experiment a virtual tour in Poblenou? You're lucky we're doing it right now!
The neighborhood is included in the big district of Sant Martí and its emblema is the elegant 'Rambla del Poblenou' (photo 1).
We can see the streets that delimit the quarter:
- To the north 'Bac de Roda and Passeig de Taulat'
- To the south 'Avila'
- To the east, 'Taulat and Icària Avenue'
- To the west, 'Pere IV and Diagonal avenues'
1. Poblenou's history
History always helps to put the present in perspective.
1.1 1843-1897: The birth of the "Catalan Manchester"
In 1843 the Budget and Public Administration Minister Laureà Figuerola named the future area of the neighborhood 'Pueblonuevo (in Spanish)'. In 1849, it would begin to take shape and in 1853 and 1854 the first industries were already installed there. What are the reasons that explain that in a decade the population began to settle?
First of all, Poblenou was in a marshy area, therefore, we are talking about a very cheap land. Secondly, the area was depopulated because it was of little interest for the agricultural economy of the Middle Ages. Thirdly, the historical context was one of social optimism because in 1854 Barcelona would gain space by demolishing the medieval walls. In fourth and last place, as Horta neighborhood analyzed in 2022, Poblenou, is an area marked by water. However, if in the case of horticulture, the presence of liquid water was the basis for agricultural fields, in Poblenou it was the basis for the secondary sector.
How important was the industry in Poblenou? It was the first industrial concentration in the country, hence it was considered the Catalonian Manchester. In the 19th century, 40% of the Catalan cotton industry was located at Poblenou. In addition there were three auxiliary industries: printing, bleaching and dyeing. In April 1897 Sant Martí de Provençals, the municipality where Poblenou was contained, joined Barcelona, which could not grow without the largest country industrial center.
1.2 1897-1975: prosperity, social aspirations and political violence
This great industrial concentration occurred at the right moment: when the secondary sector was taking over from agriculture.
The industrial sector occupied many workers. This is the image that lingers in the collective mind when the right and the left demand the 'Western World reindustrialization '. This enthusiasm cannot make us forget that in the 19th century and almost all of the 20th century, there was no prevention of occupational hazards, food was scarce and health was very poor.
For this reason, the neighborhood has always been at the center of many social demands and has had a turbulent political and social history: during the 'Tragic Week' in 1909 religious centers were burned and in 1936 it was the territory of the anarchist CNT-FAI. Later the dictatorship turned it into a virulent focus of repression.
1.3 1990-1923: El Poblenou looking to the future: cluster of Information and Knowledge Technologies
If the 19th century gave rise to a Poblenou that was devoted to the secondary sector, in the 21st century the neighborhood, with tourism and the birth of the Internet, is very based in the thiird sector. However, Poblenou, continues betting on the same as when the first industry was established there in 1853: to be a leader in the strategic sector of the moment in the Catalan economy.
For this reason, it is now actively working to become a 'cluster' of the information and knowledge technology industry (KTI). The emblem of this will is the '22@ district' where there is a lot of concentrated research capacity:
- The Interdisciplinary Hub for Research and Innovation of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (from 2022).
- The Can Jaumandreu building belonging to the University of Barcelona
- The Institute of Information Technology, which will open from 2023-24.
- The new campus of the School of Design and Fashion
- The Communication Campus of the Pompeu Fabra University.
Is 22@ limited to being a space dedicated to large-scale research? No. There are some 1,500 companies installed in this link you can access the network that they form.
As a result, in 2021 Barcelona obtained the seventh position as the most promising city for emerging technology companies in the ranking 'Top Tech Cities of the Future 2021', elaborated by the magazine fDi Intelligence. In addition to the fifth place in direct foreign investment in technology projects.
Source: Barcelona's Townhall
2. We usually offer real estate products close to Poblenou. A place like 22@ revalues your real estate product.
Our website is the gateway to our real estate products: click here to access. By the way, it is very frequent that we offer apartments in Poblenou or nearby.
Is your flat or premises close to 22@? Yes? Then you are a lucky person.
Let's explain: an educational and business center like this makes your property more affordable and expensive.
In fact, in this article from last March 22@ was one of the examples we tried to illustrate an explanation of how urban planning can revalue the real estate where we live. Moreover, areas like this one attract qualified people with a good soul: they are potential tenants with a high ability to pay.
3. Poblenou's main monuments
- 'Can Ricart' factory complex (photo 2): built in 1853 by the architects Josep Oriol Bernadet and completed by Josep Font-Serè is a neoclassical building. The most outstanding elements of the ensemble are the xemeneies, the tower of the rellotge and the naves from before 1930. Since 2008 it is a Cultural Asset of National Interest, this building was the starting point to turn it into the industrial heart of Catalonia.
- 'Ca l'Aranyò' factory (photo 3): built between 1872 and 1874, it has a particularity, although it was designed by the Catalan architect Josep Marimón i Cot, it was built according to a project of the company Prince Smith and Son, the British provided: plans, machinery, structure and technicians. According to the experts, it synthesizes the English style in the structure and the Catalan style in the construction.
- 'Poblenou graveyard' (photo 4): it is a Cultural asset. The first version was destroyed in 1775, as a result of the French war, it was rebuilt in 1819 by Antonio Ginesi and the construction is of neoclassic style. Due to its function it mixes classical allegories with symbols of the Christian tradition. Thus, the semicircular entrance square is delimited by a hemiscicle-shaped grid that presents the base and the stone pillars, decorated with crowns of death and pomegranates (attributed to Proserpina, goddess of life, death and resurrection). The main portal is flanked by two tall obelisks.
- "L'escocesa" Factory (photo 5): it is a local Cultural Asset. It is a factory complex with annexed dwellings from the same period and some earlier ones. These two uses form a compact complex where the houses line the street of Pere IV and the industry is behind. The houses, most of them ground floor and two floors, are of popular style. The industrial buildings have different heights, ranging from ground floor to ground floor and three floors.
- "Torre de les Glòries or Torre Agbar" (photo 6): we finish our review of the monuments of Poblenou with a modern building from 2005. It is currently owned by Merlin Properties. We refer to the iconic "Torre de les Glòries" skyscraper, by the way, according to its architect Jean Nouvel, it is a geyser. Regarding the materials of the façade, it has a double structure, with the exterior of reinforced concrete covered with glass plates, and the interior with glass slats at a certain distance. With 134 meters and 42 floors, it overlooks the skyline of the '22@ district', the building changes color depending on the time of day thanks to its LED lights. In addition, the building has a viewpoint that offers a privileged view of the urban fabric of Barcelona.
We hope you have been interested in discovering Poblenou.