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Photograph taken by Josep M. Marqués of the Comerç street and the Born market, the year 1934 (Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona)
Current state of the old Born market, with the 1714 archaeological site

El Born, 700 years feeding Barcelona

El Born Centre de Cultura i Memoria is proposing a guided tour to learn about the history of the city's central market between 1876 and 1971.

Last August was the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Born wholesale fruit and vegetable market and its transfer to Mercabarna. The facility, now converted into a Cultural and Heritage Centre, is offering a two-hour guided tour to learn about its history.

The area where it is now located had been occupied by the Explanada promenade, which was a security space between the Bourbonic fortress of the Ciutadella and the city. When it was demolished in 1869, the city council commissioned Josep Fontserè to design a project inspired by the buildings of the Halles in Paris.

The Born market, inaugurated in 1876, was the first great example of iron architecture in Barcelona, and it functioned as the market of the Ribera district until 1921. The increase in wholesale trade, the congestion in the Boqueria market — which was at the time the central market—, the logistical location of the Born and the growth of the city in the first half of the 20th century led to the concentration of all of Barcelona's fruits and vegetable wholesalers.

This arrangement, which was supposed to be temporary, lasted 50 years. During this period, the number of markets in Barcelona doubled, and the time came when the Born, as the central market, could no longer provide all the necessary services. For this reason, it was moved to the Zona Franca within the Mercabarna complex in 1971, a logistics site that represents a massive change of scale: it occupies 90 hectares, concentrates 700 companies and employs more than 7,000 workers.

But the Born's history is much older: in the Middle Ages, it changed from a fence where tournaments took place to a daily open-air market square. The construction of the metal structure made it possible to increase the number of stalls from 56 to 124, and to add another 28 in 1885,

If you want to learn more, sign up for the guided tour in Catalan on 2 January here. If you'd prefer, you can also book in advance through this e-mail, reserveselbornccm@eicub.net, or by calling +34 93 256 68 50 (Mondays to Fridays, from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.).

Publication date: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
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