El Born is a part of La Ribera neighbourhood, but sometimes – because of its relevance – the entire barrio is called El Born. Its antique name was La Ribera del Riego Condal – because of the irrigation channel that passed through it, whose remains are conserved in Mercado del Born.
El Born is delimited by Paseo de Picasso, calle de la Princesa, calle del Riego, el Paseo del Borne, Sant María de Mar, el Pla de Palau and avenida del Marqués de la Argentera. More easily, it covers the area between Via Laietana and La Barceloneta, so it has a strategic position, being close to the city-centre (La Rambla) and to the sea at the same time.
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| Paseo del Born |
El Mercado del Born – that, as the name suggests, was traditionally a market – has been transformed into El Born Centre Cultural, since it bears the signs of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). During this conflict, the neighbourhood had been almost completely demolished in order to build la Ciutadela, whose purpose was to allow Felipe V to dominate the city after conquering it on September 11th 1714. La Ciudadela was a really huge fortress, between the biggest ones in Europe, and it was built together with Montjuic castle to allow Felipe V to rule over the city. 1,200 houses and convents of St. Augustine and Santa Clara were demolished in order to build the fortress, and the Riego Condal deviated. In total, about 4,500 people were evicted, they did not receive any compensation and were abandoned to their fate.
La Ciutadella was eventually demolished during the Revolution, in 1868, and El Parque de la Ciudadela was built in its place for the EXPO, in 1888.
El Mercado del Born is important for its Modernist structure, too. It is a striking example of the Cast-iron architecture, typical of Modernist movement and very popular in Catalunya.
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| Mercado del Born |
El Mercado is not the only thing that makes El Born an attractive and interesting neighbourhood: El Born is one of the most sophisticated and modern area of Barcelona, without losing its antique charm. It is full of cafes and bars in which you can taste tapas and drink cerveza, sangria and mojito. Moreover, if you like exclusive shopping, there are very nice, vintage shops – even if quite expensive.
El Born hosts art and culture, too: you can visit Museo Picasso, Museo Textil - which is located in this district because of its long-time tradition of textile guilds, and the beautiful cathedral Santa María del Mar.
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| El Born: Santa María del Mar |
I love this barrio: it’s antique, but up to date; it’s lively, but quiet; it’s sophisticated, but not snobbish. And, if you are a hearty eater, there is another place in Born where you should absolutely go: it is a self-service chain called La Paradeta – the others are located in Sants, Sagrada Família, Meridiana and Sitges. It is close to El Mercado del Born and you can eat fresh fish at cheap prices: you can choose the type of fish you prefer (mussels, shrimps, prawns, tuna etc.) and they will cook it as you like. It really deserves a visit, because of its high quality and the cheap price! I advise you to go to the Born’s one because, after a huge dinner, you can walk around the barrio and drink something there ;)
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