Barcelona is a city with a rich and deep history, from its time as Bàrcino in the Roman Empire to the cosmopolitan city it has become today. Its neighbourhoods are full of places that demonstrate this, and Raval is a clear example. In this blog, we will highlight 5 landmark buildings that mark the origins and evolution of this neighbourhood. 

1. Monastery Sant Pau del Camp

The monastery of Sant Pau del Camp is a historical emblem of the neighbourhood, being the first important nucleus of the current Raval, surrounded by a small medieval village.

Its exact origin is unknown, although thanks to a tombstone that was discovered of Count Guifré Borrell in the 16th century it is assumed that, when he died in 911, the monastery already existed and was consolidated as a place with enough prestige to bury a member of the Barcelona county house.

Originally considered to be in Visigothic style due to the pre-Romanesque elements found in the door, the monastery has a single nave with a cross plan, and inside it has a tympanum with the image of Jesus surrounded by the apostles Peter and Paul. The exterior of the building, in Romanesque style, is decorated with paving stones decorated with fantastic animals and human faces.

The monastery is surrounded by gardens in which large grass flowerbeds extend, constituting a unique and relaxing green space. It is currently part of the Raval Cultural Project, an initiative that aims to make the artistic and cultural heritage of the neighbourhood accessible to everyone.

It is located about a 4 minute walk from Ravalora’t and the nearest metro stop is Paral·lel, with the L2 and L3.

2. Library of Catalonia (old Hospital de la Santa Creu)

For more than five centuries, between 1414 and 1926, the old Hospital de la Santa Creu was the most important health complex in the city. It was built around a large Gothic cloister and went through different phases of construction and expansion. The result is an imposing rectangular enclosure with a central courtyard and exits to Carrer del Hospital, in the south, and Carrer del Carme, in the north.

At the end of the 19th century, it was agreed to move it to the new Hospital de Sant Pau, which had just been built. Today, it is considered one of the most significant heritage complexes of Catalan civil Gothic architecture, and the different pavilions continue to serve the city: as is the case of the Library of Catalonia.

The history of Catalan bibliography cannot be understood without the task of acquiring, preserving and disseminating collections of great literary, artistic and scientific interest that the Library of Catalonia has carried out since its creation in 1907.

Both the creation of the library and its subsequent development took place in a political and social context of revaluation of the Catalan language and culture. The objective of the library was from the beginning the creation of a great receptacle of Catalan culture of all times. The cultural recovery, parallel to the dignification and normalization of the language, had in the national library an obvious symbol. The Library of Catalonia was born from the hand of Catalan institutions, such as the Provincial Council and later the Mancomunitat de Catalunya, supported from the beginning by the enthusiastic collaboration of civil society.

Its collection of approximately three million copies includes a collection of nearly 20,000 manuscripts and 500,000 letters. Also, noteworthy are the reserves of newspaper and sound heritage, as well as the graphic collections of engravings, drawings, maps and photographs from the 16th century to the present day.

7 minutes from the Ravalora’t coworking space and close to the Liceu metro stop on L3 and the Plaça Catalunya metro stop with the L1 and L3.

3. Palau Güell

The Palau Güell in Barcelona was the first commission made by Eusebi Güell to Antoni Gaudí in 1885. Located on the current street Nou de la Rambla, it was the first street in Barcelona built with pavements, sewers and two lanes of traffic. It was built with the dual function of a home for a large family and the hosting of social events, so it included both public and private spaces. With a total of 2,850 square meters distributed over seven floors to place all the rooms around the central hall.

Construction began in 1885 and was completed in 1890. With a sober and sparsely decorated exterior, it contrasts with the opulent interior. The rooms are distributed around a central hall that functions as an interior patio, which acts as a source of light.

Some typical Gaudí elements can also be found in later buildings, such as the ironwork at the entrance and the back of the building or the chimneys or ventilation openings in the roof. Inside, we find architectural details that reflect the spirit of the period. The stables in the basement with the grooms’ quarters, the master’s quarters and the staff quarters on the upper floor are perfect examples of this.

The Palau Güell is the only new building that Gaudí was able to finish completely and has the honour of being the best preserved thanks to never having undergone any essential modifications. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the main attractions of the neighbourhood.

About 10 minutes from Ravalora’t and close to the Liceu metro stop with the L3.

4. La Boqueria market

The San José Market, better known as “La Boqueria”, is a central municipal market located on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. It is the ideal place to buy fresh produce, although today the market has also become a striking tourist attraction. With dimensions of about 2,500 square meters, along which there are more than 300 stalls offering all kinds of typical products of Barcelona’s gastronomy.

What we know today as La Boqueria was inaugurated in 1836, it operated as an open-air market for farmers and street vendors. Until 1914, when the covered enclosure that we know today was built.

But its origins can be traced back to the 13th century, as there are documents that confirm the presence of meat sales tables in the Llano de la Boqueria, as part of temporary stall markets for the products of the inhabitants of the outskirts of the city.

Its iconic exterior is made of metal and glass structure. But it is inside where it stands out, with its stalls selling typical food and products such as vegetables, fruit, and fish. Even though it has become a tourist destination, it has still maintained its essence thanks to its high-quality, KM0 products. And of course, the owners who maintain the charm and charisma captivated by those who occupied their stalls in the past.

About 9 minutes from Ravalora’t and with the Liceu metro stop with the L3.

5. Drassanes Reials

The Drassanes Reials, located between the vibrant seafront and the foot of Montjuïc, serve as a remarkable reminder of Barcelona’s rich medieval maritime history. This vast area consists of a collection of massive shipyards and robust fortified structures, which were once places where large ships were manufactured and launched into the sea.

It was built alongside the city’s second medieval wall, as an imposing military fortification that served both a defensive and strategic function. This impressive architecture not only served as a defence mechanism, but also played an important role in the city’s maritime history. Today, the spacious courtyards surrounding the Shipyards still retain remarkable remains of the bastions that once formed part of the city’s defences, especially evident in Plaça de Santa Madrona.

They have been transformed and repurposed to house the Barcelona Maritime Museum, which has become one of the city’s most treasured cultural institutions. The large Gothic naves house the vessels from the museum’s permanent collection, such as the Royal Galley, the barque Republic or the lute Jean et Marie, providing an overview of shipbuilding between the 13th and 18th centuries. We can also find pieces such as figureheads preserved by the museum and marine instruments such as octants and sextants, mechanical sonars, compasses and nautical astrolabes.

12 minutes from Ravalora’t and with the Drassanes metro stop with the L3.

In summary

These are 5 of the most historically significant places in our neighbourhood. Do you think we have left any out? Leave it in the comments.

We feel very lucky to be surrounded by so many historical places that have marked the evolution of what we know today. If you are interested in a coworking space or a meeting room in the heart of the Raval, have a look at our website or get in touch for more information.