Open house to discover La Model
The former penitentiary opens its doors so everyone can see what’s inside.
In June 2017, the legendary La Model prison of Barcelona stopped operating and instead became a space for all citizens. Since then, it has been hosting open houses so that everyone can see its inside, which was left exactly the way prisoners saw it day after day. For the past few months, La Model is letting everyone walk through its recently renovated outdoor courtyard from Monday to Saturday, but what impacts visitors the most is the inside, which can also be seen every week in a more limited timetable. Anyone who goes there can see the photography exhibition La Model per dins (The Model from the Inside) by the photographer Josep Maria de Llober, which documents what the prison interior was like at the time it was permanently shuttered.
You can visit the inside of La Model Fridays from 3 to 6 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm until 28 December, except all August. Visitors can freely walk around the former prison facilities in groups of at most 30 people every 15 minutes. You can see spaces like the entrance courtyard, the parcel service, the visiting room, the panopticon, galleries 4 and 5 and the sports courtyard. If you only want to visit the new inner courtyard, you are welcome from Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm.
This activity is totally free of charge and no reservation is needed. You can find complete information on the Barcelona City Council website.