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OCTOBER 7
:: Barcelona Travel » Barcelona Itineraries » The Waterfront


The Waterfront

The Waterfront




This itinerary begins at the Plaça del Portal de la Pau which is a square opening towards the sea where are located the Columbus Lookout, the Drassanes, the Customshouse and the main office of the Port of Barcelona, but the most atractive building is the Drassanes, the largest and most complete shipyard in the world that has survived from the Middle Ages and now is occupied by the Maritime Museum showing intricate reproductions of historical ships and an important collection of ancient drawings and maps. In the center of the square a 50 meter iron column is supporting the statue of Cristóbal Columbus, the discoverer of America.

Glancing towards the sea the old port discovers its beauty, popular tourist boats called "Golondrinas" depart from the Drassanes wharf and ferry sightseers around the harbor. To the left and parallel to the Passeig de Colom is the Moll de la Fusta (La Fusta wharf), one of the first areas reclaimed from the old port and nowadays transformed into a long promenade. The Rambla del Mar, a wooden drawbridge connects it with the Moll d'Espanya (Espanya wharf), where we find the Maremagnum (a large commercial and recreational complex), IMAX (Imax, Ominmax and 3D cinema), and L'Aquàrium(the largest in Europe).

On the left side of the Passeig Colom, there are two buildings which get our attention: the Capitanía General (Military headquarters) and behind it, the Church of La Mercé , the unique example in Barcelona of a curved Baroque façade; It ends at the Plaça de Antonio López, where is located the Main Post Office with a vestibule painted with frescos by the most famous Catalonian mural painters of the 20th century.Beyond the square, the Passeig de Isabel II begins and to our left, we find the Llotja de Mar, built in the 14th and 15th century and remodeled in the 18th century. The most attractive features here are the old orange tree courtyard and the large Gothic hall. The building is the current site of the Barcelona Stock Exchange Library and the Academy of Fine Arts.

From here we can take Passeig de Juan de Borbón which borders the port and the area called Barceloneta. The seafront area has the oldest beaches in Barcelona and are usually very crowded, a wide promenade connects it to the Olympic Village.

Of all the remodeling along the waterfront, the Olympic Village is the biggest, it was built in the 1992 for the Olympic Games, its design was inspired in the grid pattern of the Eixample and comprises about 2,000 dwellings designed by prestigious architects from all over the world. Soaring above the apartment blocks we see the twin 142 meter towers, one houses offices and the other a hotel, this village has a modern Olympic Port, a lively center with restaurants, cafés and bars where people enjoy during the spring and summer.

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