The opening of the Via Laietana
The MUHBA has organised tours which recall the construction of the thoroughfare that connected the Eixample district with the port
In the first decades of the 20th century, the ‘Reforma’ project, initiated by the Barcelona City Council, carried out a series of urban reforms which allowed for the construction of the Via Laietana. The aim of the project was to clean up the old quarter of the city and allow more light into the dark streets of the historic urban centre that, in some cases, retained its medieval structure.
Over the years the avenue, which gets its name from the Iberian people of Layetania, became an important hub of tertiary activities, originating a particular building typology that took its inspiration from the Chicago School of architecture.
On Saturday, the 6th of September, the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA) will be hosting an itinerary titled L’obertura de la Via Laietana i la creació del barri Gòtic (The opening of the Via Laietana and the construction of the Gothic district) which will recreate the construction and history of this emblematic street. In two and a half hours the participants will cover the length of an avenue that signified the ‘monumentalization’ of the centre of Barcelona. Participants must book beforehand.
From the Caixa de Pensions building, designed by architect Enric Sagnier, to the Casa Guarro Puig i Cadafalch, taking in the remodelled Santa Caterina market, the opening of the Via Laietana, one of the most emblematic of the city’s streets, provides an elegant portrayal of Barcelona at the beginning of the last century.
The route The opening of the Via Laietana and the construction of the Gothic district will take part from the MUHBA on September 6 at 18:30 pm. It costs 8.45 euros and pre-registration is needed at reservesmuhba@bcn.cat.