LIVING

The avenue was originally laid out in 1859 as part of l’Eixample, Ildefons Cerdà’s great project for expanding Barcelona. After planning the characteristic blocks of his grid pattern, he then grandly drew two great avenues perpendicular to the grid: La Meridiana (running north-south) and El Paral·lel (running east-west). Cerdà himself seems to have named the avenue, noting that, unlike any other street in Barcelona, it ran parallel to the Equator (41º22’34’’ north). He had intended it as a fine ceremonial boulevard like Gran Via or Diagonal, but its proximity to the port and because it cut through the working-class quarters of El Raval and Poble Sec meant that it was always destined to become the centre of Barcelona’s popular, if not sleazy, nightlife.

Since the Middle Ages, the city’s working -class entertainment had been centred on the area around where Plaça Catalunya is today, and along the old road connecting Barcelona to the village of Gràcia, but with the building of Passeig de Gràcia came gentrification and stalls and fairs gravitated towards the new plots opened up along Paral·lel. When the street was officially opened in October 1894, it was already home to a burgeoning entertainment industry of cafés, music halls and, particularly towards the port end, brothels. By the early 20th century, it had as many as 10 theatres and several music and dance halls along a stretch of barely 300 fun-laden metres, leading to the avenue’s nickname of the ‘Montmartre barcelonés’.

One particularly rough-and-ready tavern, which would become the most famous building on the street, was called La Pajarera, a haunt of drunken sailors and unruly workers. Its owner grew tired of their antics and sold the business to an Andalusian who had recently arrived in the city with the aim of making his fortune. He set up a precarious platform at the back of the bar, initially offering flamenco shows, but soon expanded the repertoire to include zarzuelas (Spanish musical comedy) and the performances of a remarkable ventriloquist. The hall was sold again in 1905 and renamed the Gran Salón del Siglo XX, which alternated variety shows with the latest technological wonder: a cinematograph. Three years later, its name was changed again to the Petit Moulin Rouge. The idea was to bring Parisian-style cabaret shows to the city. In 1929, coinciding with the International Exhibition, the façade was renovated, whimsically adding the sails of a windmill, which have become its trademark.