El Paral·lel, a topic for discussion

With the backdrop of the exhibition El Paral·lel, 1894-1939, Barcelona, l’espectacle de la modernitat, which opened last year on the 26th of October and continues up until the 24th of February in the CCCB, the same centre will be holding two round table discussions, on the 22nd and 29th of January, regarding the past and future of the urban area that accommodates this emblematic avenue of the city of Barcelona.

Political and cultural personalities will be discussing the development of this part of the city which, over the years, has had its fair share of social and urban-related difficulties. The debate begins at 7.30 pm and entry is free, though limited by the seating capacity of the venue. During the first part of the 20th century, el Paralelo was a hubbub of music and entertainment in which high brow performances mingled with the more popular, marginal elements. It was also a social and political thermometer in which intense cultural activity went hand in hand with the underbelly of the city and its less than desirable nightlife.

Seven speakers (Xavier Theros, Jordi Coca and Juan José Lahuerta, on the 22nd, and Albert Civit, Juan Carlos Iglesias, Maria Serrat and Josep Ferrando on the 29th) will present a portrayal of this glorious past and will speak about the financial, urban and cultural plans that are being promoted with the help of a number of associations, such as the El Molino Foundation, with the aim of giving the district back the prestige which made it a standard bearer for the modernisation process of one of the most active of Europe’s capital cities.