Get To Know Barcelona’s Sants-Montjuïc District
Sants-Montjuïc is the largest district in Barcelona, covering an area that is equivalent to almost one-fifth of the city’s municipal territory (21.35 square kilometers). It’s home to a vibrant and diverse community of inhabitants, as well as many cultural offerings.
The neighborhoods that make up the district are El Poble-sec, Hostafrancs, Sants, Sants-Badal, La Font de la Guatlla, La Bordeta, La Marina del Port and La Marina del Prat Vermell. Non-inhabited areas that also form a part of the district include the Zona Franca industrial area (or “free zone,” a reference to import-export tax exemptions), the Port of Barcelona and most of Montjuïc mountain. The limits of the district are bordered by the municipalities of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat to the west, El Prat de Llobregat to the southwest; Carrer de Berlin and Avinguda de Madrid mark the border between this district and Les Corts; Carrer de Numància, Carrer de Tarragona, Avinguda de Josep Tarradellas and Avinguda de Paral·lel separate it from L’Eixample and Ciutat Vella.
Much of the district was historically a part of the independent municipality of Santa Maria de Sants, which was annexed to Barcelona by royal decree in 1897 during a period of great urban expansion. Throughout the course of the next century, the area gradually absorbed the rest of the neighborhoods that comprise the district today, and adapted to the turning of the historical and commercial tides.
Large textile factories—such as Vapor Vell in Sants, Can Batlló in La Bordeta and Espanya Industrial in Hostafrancs—brought with them a whole new way of life as Catalunya experienced an industrial revolution at the beginning of the 20th century. The district saw the face of its population change for a second time due to high immigration starting in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, public housing projects on Montjuïc and low-cost housing for industrial workers near the Port and Zona Franca have been largely replaced by an influx of trendy brunch spots, hipster bars and co-working spaces as the city of Barcelona has become a popular destination for both tourists and expats.
The district, far from the center of the city, is also known for its independent nature and spirit of quiet rebellion. In 2017, the Sants-Montjuïc district launched a campaign to remove Franco-era plaques and street signs containing fascist symbols, as had several other districts in the city. Municipal brigades removed 117 such plaques, which are currently stored in the district’s official archive for historical purposes.
Montjuïc and El Poble-sec
The focal point of this neighborhood, and arguably of the entire district, is the 185-meter-high mountain of Montjuïc, topped by the Montjuïc Castle; the imposing structure served as a defensive outpost during various military conflicts, including the Spanish Civil War, and a political prison during the Franco era.
Today, it’s a popular tourist attraction. From the castle walls you can see panoramic views of the city and the sea, and imagine what it must have been like to man the cannons that defended the city centuries ago. Stone quarried in the mines of the mountain were used by the Romans to build their settlement of Barcino, and later in the Middle Ages, by the Christian population to build the church Santa Maria del Mar. The city’s most famous cemetery, the Montjuïc Cemetery, covers one flank of the mountain, and gives the mountain its name: mont (mountain) plus juïc (Jewish), so named after the city’s ancient Sephardic community bought land on the mountain to bury their dead.
In the post-Spanish Civil War period, Montjuïc was home to up to 35,000 people living in makeshift shacks, which were cleared out by the local authorities in the late 1970s.
The other sides of the mountain are occupied by a variety of cultural attractions connected by walking trails, parks and pine groves. These include the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), located in a neoclassical palace that has become a symbol of the city, and the Font Magic (magic fountain) directly in front of it; the Joan Miró Foundation, with its unique collection of art in an equally unique setting; the Botanical Gardens; the beautiful outdoor Grec theater; the open-air cultural and architectural museum Poble Espanyol with its artisan shops, live concert offerings and other activities; even a hard-to-locate mountain chiringuito overlooking the port, which sometimes features live DJ sets on the weekends. Many of these attractions—not including the chiringuito, of course—date back to the 1929 International Exhibition held in Barcelona.
The mountain also contains more modern historical relics, such as the Olympic Ring (built for the Olympic Games in 1992), Palau Sant Jordi and the Olympic and Sports Museum. At the foot of Montjuïc, between Plaça d’Espanya and MNAC, is the Fira de Barcelona, a massive building which is frequently the setting of international trade fairs such as the Mobile World Congress.
The residential part of El Poble-sec reaches from the base of the mountain to below Avinguda del Paral·lel. It was the first “spill-over” area of the city, when the population was permitted to expand beyond the medieval city walls in the 19th century, which predated by several years the urban expansion planned by Ildefons Cerdà. (Part of the old wall can still be seen at the end of Avinguda del Paral·lel.) As this formerly purely agricultural part of the city was not included in the city’s official urban expansion plan, the area’s residents divided up the land as they saw fit. The old neighborhoods of Santa Madrona, Hortes de Sant Bertran and França Xica were composed mostly of simple houses built for workers; these neighborhoods were later consolidated into El Poble-sec. The Barcelona City Council would copy Cerdà’s charter system to officially urbanize the neighborhood in 1894.
The area has traditionally been a mix of blue-collar workers and the city’s historic theater district, which gives the streets a distinctive character that you won’t find anywhere else in the city. Famous theaters and music venues such as El Apolo, El Molino, Teatre Victoria, Teatre Condal and others dating back to the first years of the 20th century—as well as bars, cafés and bodegas that have traditionally served both performers and patrons—line the avenue of Paral·lel, and are an important part of the local culture. Until the 1960s, these Bohemian cabarets represented not only entertainment, but also a relatively safe space for personal expression during the repressive Franco era. Now, modern discotecas and bars are interspersed with places that still preserve their old-world charm.
Other spots worth visiting in El Poble-sec include the air raid shelter, MUHBA Refugi 307, built by the local community during the Spanish Civil War. The neighborhood is also famous for its tapas restaurants, such as Quimet Quimet or the strip of bars along Carrer de Blai.
La Font de la Guatlla
Before urbanization—even as late as 1910—this neighborhood was a patch of rural land populated by approximately 80 farmhouses. Fifty-one of these houses at the foot of the Font de la Guatlla hill still exist; they were protected by the Barcelona City Council when local residents launched a campaign to save them when the city expanded its urban planning. Their sheltered tranquility offers a contrast to the nearby busy Plaça d'Espanya and Plaça d’Ildefons Cerdà.
The area, which is located between the mountain of Montjuïc, Plaça d'Espanya, Torrent de la Magòria (a.k.a. Carrer de la Minería) and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, has at times been claimed by Hostafrancs, and others by El Poble-sec. The neighborhood is sometimes referred to simply as La Font de la Guatlla, and sometimes as Magòria i La Font de la Guatlla. The most important streets for cultural life have traditionally been Sant Fructuós and Sant Jacint; the two halves of the neighborhood are divided by Carrer de Trajà.
Even though it’s a small and relatively remote neighborhood, its sense of community is strong. Its first community recreational entity, Els Hereus, dates back to 1899, followed by the creation of El Recreo one year later. In 1910, the Nova Lira amateur choir was founded, and another recreational organization, la Panxeta, in 1912. Most of the people who participated in these cultural organizations worked in the nearby factories, and came together to great music and social events in their few free hours after a long work week.
The cultural tradition of the neighborhood is still strong today, thanks in part to the presence of the CaixaForum Foundation; located on Avenida de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, the iconic building that houses the foundation used to be the Casaramona textile factory, which provided hundreds of jobs for local workers at the time. It was built in 1912 by famed modernista architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and remains a Barcelona landmark.
The neighborhood is also known for its educational facilities, such as the La Muntanyeta school, the Rubió i Tudurí institute (which specializes in gardening and urban landscaping), and the Centres Educatius Jam Session: one of the only four schools in Catalunya where one can earn a Superior Degree in Contemporary Music.
Hostafrancs
The current Plaça d'Espanya marks the outer edge of the neighborhood of Hostafrancs, as well as the border between the Sants-Montjuïc district and Eixample. Since the Middle Ages, this has been an historically notable site. Known as el coll dels Inforcats, the name refers to the Latin term for “crossroads,” and marked the intersection of multiple important roads in and out of the city. It was a popular refuge when people living inside the medieval city fled from the frequent pandemics that broke out inside its walls.
In 1344, a cross was erected at the site, and this cross was later covered with a small temple; it was later destroyed, rebuilt, then stolen. This site, dubbed “La Creu Coberta” (“the covered cross”), became a gateway to Barcelona, with military operations and even executions taking place there. The old Carrer de la Creu Coberta cuts through the middle of the wedge-shaped neighborhood of Hostafrancs to reach Plaça d'Espanya, where it meets the other major streets that frame the neighborhood: Carrer de Tarragona and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes.
Hostafrancs was part of the independent municipality Santa Maria de Sants until 1839. When Cerdà created his urban expansion plan for the city, Hostafrancs was left out, which meant it was free to find its own way in terms of urbanization. The respective constructions of the Hostafrancs Market (built in 1888) and the Vinyeta Slaughterhouse (built in 1891) helped to boost commercial activity in the neighborhood, as did the opening of shops to support the people who made their living working in the textile mills located in adjacent neighborhoods.
The neighborhood has historically been, and still is, populated by mostly working-class people and their families, including members of the gypsy community as well as immigrant families. The Casinet Civic center is an important focus of neighborhood social and cultural activities, as is the Plaça de Joan Pelegrí.
Today, one of its most notable landmarks is the popular picnic spot Parc de l’Espanya Industrial, which is guarded by a twelve-meter-high and 32-meter-wide dragon sculpture, which doubles as a slide for kids. The park opened in 1985, and the sculpture, created by Basque artist Andrés Nagel, is only one of many pieces of art on display in the park: a number of works created for the 1929 International Exhibition were installed in the park by the city.
Carrer de la Creu Coberta’s name changes to Carrer de Sants as it leads west; this wide stretch of road lined with retail stores is Europe’s longest shopping thoroughfare, stretching for over four kilometers.
Sants
The historic town of Sants, located above what is now Gran Via, has existed since the 11th century. An ancient rural path that wound through the fields, following the camí reial (the “royal road”), led from the countryside into the city of Barcelona. This would eventually be transformed into a bustling street filled with retail outlets, Carrer de Sants.
The neighborhood’s significant retail and cultural presence has continued to grow over time, yet the area still retains the feeling of being a village, and its inhabitants are known for their down-to-earth attitude.
As with the rest of the district, industrialization and commercialization has played an important role in reshaping the neighborhood over the past century, replacing wheat fields and farmhouses with textile mills and shops; during the first half of the 19th century, factories and workshops offering goods to meet the needs of the textile mill workers changed the town. However, in this case the change had as much to do with transportation as with industry and commerce. Sants Estació was and continues to be one of the most important travel hubs in the city, and helped bring an influx of people looking for work in the newly industrialized region.
The Sants and Hostafrancs markets are both important centers of social and commercial life; the massive metal modernista construction designed by Pere Falqués that houses the Sants Market was built in 1913 to cover the chaotic collection of market stalls that ran along the street of Sant Crist, and to this day offers a wide variety of food items. And the historic industrial buildings in the neighborhood—most notably, a former steam-driven textile called El Vapor Vell—have been put to new use in modern times: El Vapor Vell is now a municipal library.
Many small bars as well as larger community spaces such as Lute, Sinestesia, El Deskomunal, or Castinet d’Hostafrancs and the Centre Cívic de les Cotxeres de Sants, also play an important role in shaping the character of the neighborhood today, offering live music and other types of cultural activities.
Sants-Badal
Sants-Badal is bordered by the Avenida de Madrid, Rambla de Brasil-Badal and Carrer de Riera Blanca. It was formerly the westernmost part of Sants—the presence of the Sants railway station played a part in the neighborhood’s development—but later, Ronda del Mig formed a barrier that resulted in the development of two very different neighborhoods. However, the construction of the pedestrian streets Rambla de Badal and Rambla de Brasil, as well as the elevated walkway above the train tracks and the Rambla de Sants, have all helped to overcome the architectural barriers that formerly separated Sants from the other neighborhoods in the district.
In addition, the 20,000-square-meter green space that is the Rambla de Sants gardens has not only also helped to reconnect the two neighborhoods, but has also provided a much-needed recreational area that has improved the overall quality of life of both.
The neighborhood of Sants-Badal is closer to the adjoining municipality of Hospitalet than to downtown Barcelona, and arguably has more in common with Collblanc (which is on the other side of Riera Blanca) than most of the rest of the Sants-Montjuïc district. The offerings of the shops on Carrer de Sants and the connection to the train have both been a source of energy and income for the neighborhood, preventing it from becoming isolated from the rest of the city in spite of its distance from the center.
Sants-Badal is also known for being home to a number of education facilities; one example is the Institut Lluís Vives, which is located right next to the social focal point of the southern half of the barri, the Plaça de la Olivereta. This organization works to help children not only make the most of their education, but also integrate into society and find a place in their local community. The Institut aims to help students build connections to the neighborhood and to the world around them.
Other centers focused on education and social integration include the Agrupament Escolta Skues, which was founded in 1965 and functions similarly to the American Boy or Girl Scouts, and also organizes leisure activities for young people. Another organization that promotes social inclusion via a variety of activities, such as summer camps and excursions, is the Esplai Xiroia, which was founded by the Mare de Deu dels Dolors parish in 1984.
The neighborhood also prides itself on its sportsmanship: the Club Deportivo Mediterrani, which was founded in 1931, is located in the former Serra i Batet textile factory, just on the other side of the Plaça de la Olivereta. It has had particular success with its water polo and swimming teams.
La Bordeta
The largely working-class neighborhood of La Bordeta covers approximately 50 square hectares, from Carrer de Moianès to Carrer de Riera Blanca, and from Gran Vía de les Corts Catalanes to the intersection of Plaça de la Farga, and Ferrería, Noguera Pallaresa and Andalusía-Manzanares streets. The train tracks separate Sants-Badal from La Bordeta.
In 1801, the neighborhood was confined to just a single street, which was formerly part of the Roman Via Augusta, and which connected the Roman settlement of Barcino to Tarragona. Now, the road is named after the neighborhood—Carrer de la Bordeta—and changes its name to Carrer de Gavà and Carrer de la Constitució as it gets farther away from Plaça d'Espanya. The road lost some of its relative importance in the district when the Molins de Rei bridge was built in 1768; the bridge connected to Carrer de Sants. This helped the Sants neighborhood grow, while La Bordeta wasn’t able to begin to expand as either an agricultural region or an industrial district until the construction of the Infanta Carlota Canal some 50 years later.
Today, the neighborhood’s residents remain largely working class. Its social life is concentrated around the parish of the Sant Medir church on Carrer de la Constitució, as well as Can Batlló, near Plaça d'Ildefons Cerdà. The church was an important meeting point for the clandestine workers’ movement in the 1960s, and is an example of local churches working with labor unions to try to improve working and living condition in their communities; it now houses the Sants 3 Ràdio broadcasting studio in some of the rooms in its upper floors. The former industrial complex of Can Batlló is a spread of facilities that Joan Batlló i Barrera built around his textile factory in 1878. It was re-inaugurated in 2011 by the local community, and now houses an array of spaces designed to promote cultural, educational and leisure activities: sports areas, dog parks, urban gardens, events spaces, the Municipal Archive, the EMAV School of Audiovisual Media, an ecological consumer cooperative and more.
La Bordeta is also home to Barcelona and Hospitalet’s Ciutat de la Justícia—where all kinds of legal and commercial procedures and transactions take place and which sees approximately 13,000 civil servants, judges, lawyers, businesspeople and residents come and go every day—and which was constructed on the border between Barcelona and Hospitalet in 2009.
La Marina del Port and La Marina del Prat Vermell
The marina of Sants was the area surrounding what is now the promenade in the Zona Franca area of the city. Like the other neighborhoods that make up the Sants-Montjuïc district, it was largely an agricultural zone, with orchards, fields, vast grazing areas for livestock, as well as fishermen working to reel in their daily catch down by the water’s edge.
The 1800s brought big changes to the area: when the Canal de la Infanta was constructed in 1819, it was the first step towards industrialization. Large companies began acquiring the land, which was conveniently located near the water, making it the perfect setting for textile factories. A law was passed in 1846 that made it illegal to build factories inside the urban zone of the city, which led to even more industrial development on its outskirts. The area rapidly transformed from farmland to an urbanized area.
Today, the Zona Franca promenade runs right through the middle of the area, serving as the main artery connecting the various small communities that today are collectively referred to as La Marina del Port and La Marina del Prat Vermell. These communities—Port, Can Clos, Polvorí, Sant Cristòfol, Estrelles Altes, La Vinya, Plus Ultra and others—were built to be residential areas for workers in the Zona Franca, some as recently as the 1950s and 1960s, when a SEAT factory was installed there in 1955. Other companies soon followed, including Motor Ibérica and ENASA; with their arrival came the construction of more housing, schools and other facilities.
After the area adapted to the economic benefits brought on by industrialization, the residents began to place more importance on other considerations that improved their quality of life as well. The urban parks of Can Sèbio, Can Farrero, Can Sabater, Pont Romà and Mediterrània were built on the sites of former workers’ housing. The multifaceted complex located in the La Báscula, which was inaugurated in 1988, is dedicated to fomenting art and culture amongst young people; it is the site of the Municipal Sports Complex, a concert hall (which features everyone from local bands to American pop-punk superstars Green Day, in 1991), rehearsal rooms, theaters and spaces for other cultural activities. Other important centers include the Francesc Candel Library in the now-defunct Lampas Z factory; the Marina Market and the Plaça de la Marina are the twin social hearts of the neighborhood. The Enric Granados School is also located on the Passeig de la Zona Franca, as is a large skatepark.
The two neighborhoods were simply referred to as “La Marina” until 2005, when the city legally separated the two neighborhoods for administrative purposes. La Marina del Prat Vermell is the name that was given to the lower portion of the Sants marina, located between the Zona Franca and La Marina del Port, and which includes the smaller communities of Santiveri and Bausili. Its nucleus is the Plaça del Nou.
Though relatively large in terms of surface area, it’s population is sparse when compared to some of the other neighborhoods in the district. Vermell means “red” in Catalan; such a large quantity of cotton fabrics were dyed and spread out on the ground to dry around the Bertrand i Serra factory—a family of fourth-generation industrialists that built one of the most important textile production facilities in Catalunya at that time—that the earth reportedly took on a reddish color.
With its designation as a separate neighborhood from La Marina del Port in 2005 came a grand plan to build approximately 11,000 sustainable homes to house around 30,000 people, 11 hectares of community facilities and 13 urban green spaces. This massive urban overhaul is still in progress today.
Both neighborhoods’ relative isolation from the bustle of downtown Barcelona means that the area functions more like a small town than a neighborhood, though the recent construction of the L10 metro line means that it is more connected to the rest of the city than ever before.