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Masthead BCN Metro no.1
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Photo by Teresa Isasi
Almodavar in Barcelona
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Photo by David Robinson
150 issue cake
We celebrate our 150th edition
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Photo by Esperanza Moya
Barceloneta
Suzanne Wales looked at plans to revamp Barceloneta and discovered strong resident reactions - August 2007
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Leonardo Faccio
Tango in Barcelona
Photographer Leonardo Faccio documented the popularity of tango in Barcelona - February 2005
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Photo by Lee Woolcock
Isabel Coixet
Hannah Pennell interviewed leading Catalan film director Isabel Coixet - August 2008
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Javier Augusto Pineda
Portraits from Prison
Javier Augusto Pineda used his time in the Modelo prison to take intimate photos of his fellow inmates - April 1998
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Jan Spivey
Grafitti in Barcelona
In her photo essay, Jan Spivey recorded some of the best Barcelona street art - November 2000
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Photo by Lee Woolcock
Tattoos of Barcelona
We took a look at the trend for tattoos in Barcelona - September 2008
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Photo by Teresa Isasi
Almodóvar in Barcelona
Justin Webster interviewed Spanish film great Pedro Almodóvar while he was filming 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre' here - March 1999
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Photo by Archie Macias
Monk parakeets
Urban birdwatching revealed some surprising sights - April 2004
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Photo by Helena Todorovic
Disability in Barcelona
Nicola Thornton investigated how accessible the city is for people with disabilities - November 2007
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Photo by Neva Martelanc
Speaking in tongues
Photographer Neva Martelanc documented foreign schools in her photo essay - November 2003
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Photo by Joan Martinez Duque
Surfing in Barcelona
Barcelona's disappearing waves were explained by Jonathan Bennett - November 2008
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Photo by Rafel Royes Lopez
Mayor Jordi Hereu
Hannah Pennell spoke to Barcelona Mayor Jordi Hereu about his first year in office - September 2007
Thirteen years of publication means a lot of articles, long and short, serious and light-hearted covering all aspects of city life from politics and history to culture and personalities. We’ve selected a few of the stories that have stood out for us; let us know if you agree with our choices.
Remembering the vigilantes (October 1998)
This one-pager looked back to a time when the city’s streets were watched over by men called serenos or vigilantes. As its author Alex Scott explained, “paid for by local residents and businesses, the vigilante generally held spare front door keys to most apartment buildings and local shops and offices—as most people left their flat doors unlocked, the sereno could let you into the street door after he recognised you.”
Chosen by Richard Schweid, Assigning Editor
The fight by some to help vulnerable creatures injured as a result of fishing and pollution was tackled in this feature by William Truini. The Centre for Conservation and Recovery of Marine Animals (CRAM) on the Maresme coast has worked since 1996 to help sea turtles and dolphins, among other creatures, to recover after swallowing items such as plastic bags, tampons and fishing-hooks.
Selected by David Robinson, Art Director
This article focused on the new terminal at Barcelona airport, which finally began operations just last month. Writer Alice Ross reported on the difficulties involved with the building’s construction, as well as the opposition to the expansion from local resident groups and environmental organisations: “It’s led to the disappearance of 20 to 25 percent of the Delta’s wetland areas, some of which were extremely important.”
Chosen by Rainer Hobrack, Sales Director
Cultural differences between Spain and some other countries came under the spotlight in this story about attitudes to certain representations of black people. Historical factors and “unawareness” here mean that images such as black faces with oversized lips, which have long been unacceptable in places including the UK and US, can still occasionally be seen here to the shock of many foreign residents.
Selected by Heather Anderson, Sales Executive
REALLY?
Over the past 13 years, Barcelona Metropolitan has covered a lot of different city stories. Looking back through the archive, it is notable to see how much has changed in that time, and how much hasn’t:
- in a sign of the times that were, in our first year we featured a story about the new concept of low-cost airlines and in particular two recently-launched companies, easyJet and Debonair.
- in 1997 we published an article about the imminent move of the Encants flea market. More than a decade later, in March of this year, the market still hadn’t moved and we ran another story about its (probable) new home.
- in February 1998, Metropolitan featured a news item about immigrants in the city, which included the statistic that in 1996, non-Spanish residents accounted for 2.3 percent of Barcelona’s population. On January 1st 2007, it was over 15 percent, around 246,000 people.
- also in 1998, the June issue included a report about child labour, marking the fact that a Global March against under-age workers was passing through Spain. While formal statistics about the situation of child labourers in Spain was unclear, due to the lack of an official study, different sources, including UNICEF, claimed there could be between 500,000 and 800,000 young workers here.
- And then there’s the question of trains. In November 2001, we confidently reported that in 2004, the AVE high-speed train would come into being and significantly improve the rail connections between Barcelona, the rest of Spain and Europe. In fact, AVE services to and from Barcelona commenced in 2008, and the connection with France is still under construction and now due in 2012. In addition, our August 2003 cover story looked at the metro system, including an interview with a metro driver, and noted that the two new lines L9 and L12 were due to be fully operational in 2010; the latest information suggests the L9 will be under construction until 2013 whereas there is no obvious start or end date for the L12.
For an additional look back at Metropolitan, click on the slideshow