The Market With A Long Tradition In Barcelona
The Boqueria Market, as it is known these days, has been thru many phases of existence. On the following words I could try and give a trustworthy description of that rich history as we understand it. Where this market comes from is doubtful, what we are sure of is that it was born as a travelling market, located in the Ramblas of Barcelona. La Rambla purchased growing importance as a pedestrian lane, and the market was set in the best place to attract the giant numbers of passers-by and local residents.
Its location was threatened a lot of times. In Catalunya, towns and towns have been founded 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 plant traders from local cities and farms nearby would sell their products. The spaces inside the town at that point were too small to build a gigantic market of the current Boqueria kind and it was necessary to set them outside of the walls.
As the market’s popularity grew, farmers from neighbouring towns, such as Les Corts and Sarri were stopped from trading here. As the competition within the market grew increasingly unfriendly, there would be arguments and fights between the old greengrocers and the new ones. For convenience sake the markets from the two 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 convent and the Virreina. In 1826 The Marquee of Campo Sagrado, general captain of Catalunya, began to regulate, for the first 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 elimination of the convent of Sant Josep happened. It was replaced by a square, which would have 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 a powerful allegorical sense to the work. When this regeneration was nearly complete, and at the time when works were expected to start, it was assumed important to temporarily install the market in the old priory of Sant Josep and so be in a position to remove it from the middle of la Rambla. This answers why the homes that surround and frame the market of the Boqueria form porches, which are unlike those in the present market. In 1836 when the convent of the Carmelitas vanished with its church of Saint Josep, the town hall planned the construction of the market. The project was in the hands of the architect 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 assembled. The pavilion that would later become the office of the Direction and Veterinary Services was also built. In 1861 some of the fruit and plant traders were permitted to settle provisionally at square Sant Agust and it was from this point that la Rambla was to be kept solely for flower stands. Many salesreps gave out a flower for theacquisition of some of their products. The sale of flowers increased. In 1863 the retail places of vegetables and fruit settled beneath the porches. In 1869 the priory 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 began 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 of the network of markets in Barcelona. The structure, the situation, and the salesmen make it into an obligated must-see for all of the visitors who visit our town. This market has for the people of Barcelona, the proposal of powerful family memories. It’s entwined with the town’s history, of all our families, their popular conventions and celebrations. The present salespeople are mostly, of the 3rd and fourth generation of salesreps of the market. Theyare the union of the past with the present. Innovators, full of projects and restoration ideas for La Boqueria : for the new Barcelona. The marketable supply is in spades and varies greatly : fresh fish and seafood ; salted fish ; tinned groceries ; butchery and offal ; birds ; game and eggs ; fruits and vegetables ; herbs ; shop ; breads and pastries ; restaurants ; frozen items ; artisan 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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