A Tumultuous History
Located on a large section of land where an old machinery and automotive components factory once stood, the Harry Walker Workers’ Square in La Prosperitat neighborhood has a history of workers’ and neighborhood strife behind it.
The factory that occupied the site until the 1970s was the scene of one of the most important strikes in the city under the dictatorship. For 62 days, factory workers protested low wages and deplorable working conditions.
On seeing police terrorize strikers, local residents joined the workers' cause. Already fed up with the factory's excessive pollution and noise, the two struggles merged, unifying the neighborhood in a common goal. Today it is celebrated as one of the longest and most successful strikes of the late Franco era.
The Harry Walker Factory moved to Poland in the late 1970s leaving vacant a huge piece of land that the city initially planned to fill with apartment buildings. But the residents had another goal: to create a public space for the neighborhood and to honor the workers’ struggle. Thus this square was born, initially baptized as Harry Walker Square, much to the chagrin of locals.
One of the first demands of the neighborhood's centenary commission in 2019 was name change to Plaça de les Treballadores i Treballadors de la Harry Walker (Harry Walker Workers' Square).
Children's Water Play Area
The jocs d'aigua (water play areas) installation consists of a "waterfall" that children can activate by pressing a device that makes the water flow for between one and two minutes. The circuits work by means of a push button that prevents a new cycle of jets from being activated until the previous one has concluded, minimizing the volume of water used. Operational from 10:00 to 20:00 during the months of June to September, the play areas are recommended for children from age five and up. Shoes are required, and pets are prohibited.
The water games are part of the city's Heat Plan strategy to adapt the city to high temperatures and protect the most vulnerable people from rising temperatures. These spaces belong to the Barcelona Climate Shelter Network and they also form part of the Game Plan, which provides infrastructure that offers children and adolescents greater opportunity for outdoor play. These improved outdoor areas promote physical activity, emotional well being and social cohesion in the neighborhoods.
