EL BORN

Few areas in Barcelona have such a tumultuous history as the district of El Born. Its name, of enigmatic origin for most Barcelonans, means “the lists” or tilting ground. It dates from long ago when the place was used to hold jousts or medieval tournaments, Its streets witnessed several centuries of vitality (XIII and XIV), coinciding with the peak of Catalonia’s maritime expansion and trading activity in the Mediterranean, as well as times of decadence (XVIII) and recovery (XIX and XX) until it became today’s vibrant centre of culture, fashion and art.

Here they held the city’s most important markets and fairs, eas also the place where the crafts serving the aristocracy were concentrated, naturally enough, many of the street names bear witness to this, Argenteria (Silversmiths), Vidrieria (Glaziers), Espaseria (Swordsmiths) Mirallers (Mirrormakers), etc.