Mercat del Born

Absolute Gem of a place, again always finding something new in Barca to do. I fluke found this building when i decided to go for a random no general destination kind of walk.
I almost did not go in but i needed a washroom and i was like WOW, the whole inside is an archaeological site. Being a fan of history I ended up spending 2 hours in here. Walking around the ruins you can read all about the history of the area and the building. So much to learn!
If I remember there is a café and shop within the larger building. It was quiet when i went which is perfect, no selfie sticks in site. Not sure if they charge for a tour or anything.
This should be on everyone’s must visit list when in Barcelona.

This was a surprise discovery for us. We were just wandering through the El Born area looking for somewhere to have a café con leche, when this giant building appeared round a corner.
The Mercat Del Born is now a free museum — with excavated ruins sub street level. The ruins show how the merchants of Born, used to live and work. And there’s lots of historical facts about civil wars and effects of the city etc dotted all around.
There’s also a café and some work rooms at the far end of the building.
Well worth a visit — and it’s all lit up at night, and surrounded by some awesome bars and restaurants.

Un lieu historique d’el born à visiter absolument ! Vu de l’extérieur, l’ancien marché couvert est semblable à un grand hall metallique avec de jolies mosaiques. Mais à l’intérieur, on découvre un site archéologique avec plein de panneaux explicatifs (vous pouvez aussi prendre un audio guide). Déjà j’ai trouvé le lieu magnifique avec ce mélange de metal et de ruines en pierres. Mais on apprend aussi pas mal de choses sur l’histoire de l’ancien marché, mais au delà de la ville, la catalogne et l’espagne.
Cet ancien marché tombait un peu à l’abandon lorsque les habitants ont réclamé sa rehabilitation. Plusieurs projets se sont fait concurrence et finalement l’idée d’une bibliothèque a été choisie. Mais lors des travaux, ces ruines ont été découvertes, et l’endroit a été transformé en ce beau site archeologique protégé par cette magnifique halle. En gros, les bourbons ont detruit après leur victoire de 1714 toute une partie de la ville (17%.) et ont construit une citadelle au dessus. Donc vous apprendrez aussi des choses sur la guerre de succesion d’espagne. Les explications ont un parti pris prononcé (très emphatique) amusant.

This thing is amazing! I just saw it for the first time while on a business trip. They’re still doing work around it, but what a structure. I peeked inside at the old ruins that will be a new city museum. It was an old market in Barcelona, but it closed down years ago. Now, it’s going to be a cultural center for the neighborhood and a museum. Plus, the area and buildings around it will be a huge plaza. Seriously awesome work, even though Spain is having such trouble now. Love the attention to history!