Description
El Born is the stylish quarter at the eastern edge of Barcelona's old city, built around a grand iron market hall, the Mercat del Born, and a long promenade lined with bars, small shops and art boutiques. Beneath the hall lies a buried neighborhood.
The Mercat del Born was designed in 1873 by Antoni Rovira i Trias and opened in 1878, a cathedral of cast-iron columns under two great intersecting domes. It served as the central market until 1971, then sat in limbo for decades.
Today the hall is a cultural center. Under the iron roof, the excavated streets of the 1700s lie open to view: house walls, ovens, lanes and cellars, with exhibits on the siege of 1714 and what followed it. You can also walk straight through the hall to Ciutadella Park.
Outside, the Passeig del Born ends at the great Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar. Medieval palaces line nearby Carrer de Montcada, among them the Picasso Museum, and the small streets fill with cocktail bars at night.
For centuries Barcelona came to this promenade to watch knights joust. From the 13th century it hosted tournaments, fairs and festivals, and around 1700, according to the historian Albert Garcia Espuche, it was in effect the city's main square. In the 16th century the Inquisition executed its victims here too.
Then came 1714, and the neighborhood paid dearly. After the siege, Philip V had a large piece of the Ribera district razed to build a fortress against the rebellious city. Its streets vanished for almost three centuries.
In 2002, work began to turn the market hall into a library. Under the floor, the diggers found the demolished streets, and the library went elsewhere. The restored market opened on 11 September 2013, with the ruins on show.
Strictly speaking the area is La Ribera, and the name El Born came from the market. These days it is one of the liveliest and most visited corners of the old city.
The Mercat del Born was designed in 1873 by Antoni Rovira i Trias and opened in 1878, a cathedral of cast-iron columns under two great intersecting domes. It served as the central market until 1971, then sat in limbo for decades.
Today the hall is a cultural center. Under the iron roof, the excavated streets of the 1700s lie open to view: house walls, ovens, lanes and cellars, with exhibits on the siege of 1714 and what followed it. You can also walk straight through the hall to Ciutadella Park.
Outside, the Passeig del Born ends at the great Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar. Medieval palaces line nearby Carrer de Montcada, among them the Picasso Museum, and the small streets fill with cocktail bars at night.
For centuries Barcelona came to this promenade to watch knights joust. From the 13th century it hosted tournaments, fairs and festivals, and around 1700, according to the historian Albert Garcia Espuche, it was in effect the city's main square. In the 16th century the Inquisition executed its victims here too.
Then came 1714, and the neighborhood paid dearly. After the siege, Philip V had a large piece of the Ribera district razed to build a fortress against the rebellious city. Its streets vanished for almost three centuries.
In 2002, work began to turn the market hall into a library. Under the floor, the diggers found the demolished streets, and the library went elsewhere. The restored market opened on 11 September 2013, with the ruins on show.
Strictly speaking the area is La Ribera, and the name El Born came from the market. These days it is one of the liveliest and most visited corners of the old city.