Itineraries

On the left-hand side of the Passeig Colom, there are two buildings which capture our interest: the Capitanería(61) (Military headquarters), with a lovely 17th century courtyard and behind it, the Church of La Mercé(62), the only example in Barcelona of a curved Baroque façade. The Passeig de Colom ends at the Plaça de Antonio López, where we find the Main Post Office(63) with a vestibule adorned with frescos by the most characteristic Catalonian mural painters of the first half of the 20th century. Beyond the square, the Passeig de Isabel II begins and to our left, we find the Llotja de Mar(64), a 14th and 15th century Gothic structure remodeled in the 18th century. The old orange tree courtyard, with its neoclassical marble sculptures, and the large Gothic hall are the most interesting features. The building is the current site of the Barcelona Stock Exchange Library and the Academy of Fine Arts. The main façade of the Llotja faces the Pla del Palau, where we find the Porxos d'en Xifré (Xifre's porches), the Casa Carbonell-Collaso, neoclassical work and former Customshouse(65), now belonging to the Civil Government. The main hall contains the most important neoclassical murals in Barcelona.

From here we take Passeig de Juan de Borbón which borders the port and the area called Barceloneta. The waterfront of this popular district forms a wide esplanade which is to undergo urban planning measures similar to those at Moll de la Fusta. The seafront area has the oldest beaches in Barcelona which are usually very crowded. A wide promenade connects it to the Olympic Village.

Of all the remodeling along the waterfront, the Olympic Village(66) is the grandest. Built for the 1992 Olympic Games, its design simulates the grid-like pattern of the Eixample. It comprises approximately 2,000 dwellings designed by prestigious architects from all over the world. Soaring above the apartment blocks are twin 142 m towers; one houses offices and the other a hotel. The Village has a modern Olympic Port(67), a lively center with restaurants, cafés and bars where the Barcelonans congregate during the spring and summer. The Promenade and large green parks that hug the three recently rejuvenated beaches complete the urban planning project. Efforts to recuperate the waterfront are still continuing with the transformation of the old industrial district of Poble Nou into a residential area.
Metro: Line 3 (Drassanes) and Line 4 (Barceloneta).

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