A little history.

Even though la Barceloneta is of recent construction, its first inhabitants arrived there in 1755. It was from the beginning a deep sea oriented quarter with activities and craftwork related to the Port and the sea. Around 1791 the small shipyards employed many families from la Barceloneta. During the 19th century, these families, like the Missé, became powerful shipbuilders, working on projects, sometimes risky, such as Narcís Monturiol’s Ictíneo.On the other hand, we cannot forget the business establishments set up firstly on the ground floor of the traditional houses, composed of ground floor and first floor, which usually were the trader’s dwelling.

In the 19 century, la Barceloneta starts to attract industries because of its situation outside the walls, near the city, near the port... This is why many important companies such as la Nueva Vulcano , La Maquinista Terrestre i Marítima, la Catalana de Gas or la Farga Lacambra set up there. Because of this situation, we can consider la Barceloneta as the cradle of the Catalan industry.

La Barceloneta would become as well a leisure and free time area for Barcelonians. The first baths were built at the beginning of the 19th century; the success was such that others were added, among them Banys Orientals, l’Astillero, San Miguel and San Sebastián, many of them survived until the end of the eighties in the 20th century.

The restaurant activity became important from 1910 on. The little restaurants on the old Passeig Nacional and in la Barceloneta inner area were basically for the workers of the port and of the industries, but they soon became popular among the people of Barcelona. On the beach many refreshment stalls were born from some sea people’s idea of offering fisherman style cooking with fresh fish and which survived like the Chiringuitos of la Barceloneta until their disappearance in the nineties; those more traditional were linked up the district by setting up in new locations mainly on Passeig Joan de Borbó.

During the 20th century the practice of sea sports in the waters of the port spread, and two clubs, the Natació Atlètic Barceloneta and the Club Natació Barcelona were open doors for the city to the beach. The latter promoted, together with sport men from Badalona and Poble Nou, the Catalan sail pedal boat races.

With this intense commercial and social history it is clear that la Barceloneta has adapted itself to the times combining tradition and modernity and becoming an area where it is a pleasure to walk in the streets, to practise sport, to go to the beach or, of course, to taste its more traditional cuisine.

Info: Tv Catalunya