A house that is two in one
Have you heard about “Casa de l'Aigua”? A visit explains everything you need to know about how water makes its way to your faucet.
It is a late modernist architectural ensemble that has earned it a place in the Barcelona Museum of History, but it is also a very important part of Barcelona's water distribution system. It is the “Casa de l'Aigua”, or rather, the houses of water. If you want to get to know them, make a note on your agenda on December 16 to come and visit the House of Water: Pipelines, Deposits & Sluice Gates or sign up for one of the events planned for the month of January.
In these visits you will discover how the water supply service works in the city by seeing installations that cover Barceloneta and Casc Antic amongst other areas of the city. You can see that getting water to come out of the tap requires a lot of technique.
You will see this by following a route that begins at the Casa de l'Aigua in Trinitat Vella, continues in an underground pipe that you might not have suspected existed and ends at the Casa de l'Aigua in Trinitat Nova. All three elements form a heritage complex, buildings commissioned to Pere Falqués i Urpí that were erected between 1915 and 1917.
At the Casa de l'Aigua de Trinitat Vella you can see the Casa del Guarda (Guardian’s House) and the water pumping pavilion, which came from the Montcada wells and had to be pumped to overcome a drop of about fifty metres. On arrival at the Casa de l'Aigua de Trinitat Nova, the water was treated and piped to the city.
The two facilities are linked by a tunnel that crosses the Meridiana underground. A few years ago it was recovered and reopened and now gives a clear idea of the whole. Ask around and they will surely explain that, very close to where you are, there are other infrastructures related to this water distribution chain, such as the 19th-century aqueduct which, since not long ago, has been part of a new park with the same name: the Ciutat Meridiana Aqueduct Park.
If you are curious to know how a city works, start by finding out how water runs. Now that the water is scarce, what you discover will make you appreciate this resource even more. Before you come, however, check the website of the Barcelona Museum of History for information on the visit the House of Water: Pipelines, Deposits & Sluice Gates and sign up for it