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La Boqueria Barcelona
By CruiseDirector | January 3, 2010
The Boqueria Market, as it is known these days, has been thru many phases of life. On the following words Iwill try and give a trustworthy description of that rich history as we understand it. Where this marketplace comes from is uncertain, what we are sure of is that it was born as a travelling market, placed in the Ramblas of Barcelona. La Rambla purchased growing importance as a pedestrian lane, and the marketplace was set in the number one place to attract the large amount of passers-by and local inhabitants.
Its location was threatened many times. In Catalunya, cities and cities have been set up around markets and the same rings true for La Boqueria. It originated as an open-air market, in front of one of the gates of the old town wall ( Pla de la Boqueria ) where fruit and vegetable traders from local towns and farms nearby would sell their products. The spaces inside the city at that time were too small to build a big market of the existing Boqueria kind and it was necessary to set them outside of the walls.
As the market’s popularity grew, farmers from neighbouring towns,for example Les Corts and Sarri were stopped from trading here. As the contest in the market grew increasingly fierce, there would be discussions and fights between the old grocers and the fresh ones. For convenience sake the markets from the 2 near squares were combined into one : La Rambla de Sant Josep. Fish shops, butchers, and bird shops were built surrounding the new space, forming streets by the side of the priory and the Virreina. In 1826 The Marquee of Campo Sagrado, general captain of Catalunya, started to control, for the 1st time, the successful market of La Boqueria. The new open-air market, in Rambla de Sant Jos was inaugurated on October 18th, 1827. In 1835 the destruction of the priory of Sant Josep took place. It got replaced by a square, which would’ve been the grandest square in Barcelona of its time. Surrounded by porches, with gardens and fountains, it was named Plaa del Treball. Architecturally, the high columns were monumental, with astrong allegorical sense to the work. When this regeneration was almost complete, and at the time when works were expected to start, it was thought critical to momentarily install the market in the old convent of Sant Josep and so be ready to remove it from the middle of la Rambla. This answers why the houses that surround and frame the market of the Boqueria form porches, which are unlike those in the present market. In 1836 when the priory of the Carmelitas vanished with its church of Saint Josep, the city hall planned the development of the market. The project was in the hands of the designer Mas Vil. On St. Joseph’s day in 1840 the 1st stone of the market of la Boqueria was placed. In 1848 an enclosure for the fishmonger’s shop behind the palace of the Virreina was made. The pavilion that would later become the office of the Direction and Veterinary Services was also built. In 1861 some of the fruit and vegetable traders were allowed to settle provisionally at piazza Sant Agust and it was from this point that la Rambla was to be kept solely for flower stands. Many sales representatives gave out a flower for the purchase of some of their products. The sale of flowers increased. In 1863 the retail places of fruit and veg settled underneath the porches. In 1869 the convent of Jerusalem, found behind the market, was demolished to allow for an extension to be built. In the Yuletide of 1871, the gas lighting was introduced to the market. In 1911 the fishmonger’s shop was built.
In 1914 the market with the metal roof was inaugurated. From there, it started to modernize and to enhance, not only at a sanitary level, but also classy, and ornamental. Over the years, La Boqueria has become the most emblematic market of all the network of markets in Barcelona. The structure, the situation, and the salesmen turn it into an obliged must-see for all the tourists who visit our town. This market has for the people of Barcelona, the recommendation of powerful family memories. It’s entangled with the town’s history, of all our families, their preferred customs and parties. The present salespeople are typically, of the 3rd and 4th generation of sales representatives of the market. Theyare the union of the past with the present. Trailblazers, full of projects and restoration concepts for La Boqueria : for the new Barcelona. The commercial supply is in spades and varies significantly : fresh fish and seafood ; salty fish ; tinned foodstuff ; butchery and offal ; birds ; game and eggs ; fruits and veggies ; herbs ; shop ; bread and pastries ; restaurants ; frozen items ; workman products ; charcuterie ; farmers’ shops ; wine ; and even a Greek and an Italian hand made pasta stall have joined the consortium/maelstrom that keeps La Boqueria alive. Of course , the market is all about its people! If you like to visit the Boqueria look for a Hotel Barcellona. A Hotel a Barcellona is a good starting point to get to the center of Barcelona.
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