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Barceloneta · History

Barceloneta, kept low for the cannons

In Barceloneta the houses were kept low on purpose, so the army's guns could fire over the roofs.

Checked: true

The story holds up against the record.

Published · checked against 5 sources
Part one · in the video's collage style

The legend says

In Barceloneta, the houses were kept low. On purpose. So the army's guns could fire over them.

First came a fortress. To build it, a whole neighbourhood was torn down.

Decades later, a new one was laid out on the beach.

Long, narrow blocks, for people who lived off the sea.

And a rule for every house. Never higher than two storeys.

The guns needed a clear line, straight over the roofs.

Then the fortress came down. Today, it's a park.

And the houses? Floor by floor, they grew.

Taller now. But on the same narrow streets, drawn so the guns could fire over them.

This is the story as it is told. We tell it as a story. Below is what the record holds.

But
Part two

The record shows

9 facts, each checked against a source we opened. Tap a source to read the line that carries it.

  1. 01

    Barceloneta's houses were held to ground floor plus one (two storeys) so they would not block the guns' fire

    1enciclopedia.cat, "La Barceloneta"
    planta baixa i pis —per tal que no impedissin l'acció de les bateries de la Ciutadella
    2ca.wikipedia, "La Barceloneta"
    no podien impedir la visibilitat i el tir de l'artilleria
  2. 02

    The neighbourhood was laid out from 1753 by a military engineer (Juan Martín Cermeño)

    1enciclopedia.cat, "La Barceloneta"
    No fou fins quaranta anys més tard, el 1753, que, de manera definitiva, s’urbanitzà la Barceloneta. … El nou barri va ser obra de l’enginyer militar Juan Martín Cermeño
    2ca.wikipedia, "La Barceloneta"
    construït el 1753 i projectat per l'enginyer Juan Martín Cermeño
  3. 03

    It was built on the beach, on sand that had built up behind the port

    2ca.wikipedia, "La Barceloneta"
    solars de la platja
  4. 04

    Decades earlier (from 1715) the Ciutadella fortress was built on part of La Ribera, and those houses were torn down

    3enciclopedia.cat, "La Ciutadella i la Barceloneta"
    l'enderrocament de prop de nou-centes cases de la Ribera
    4en.wikipedia, "Parc de la Ciutadella"
    A substantial part of the district it was constructed in (La Ribera) was destroyed to obtain the necessary space, leaving its inhabitants homeless.
  5. 05

    The blocks were long and narrow, every house opening onto two streets

    1enciclopedia.cat, "La Barceloneta"
    illa de cases allargada … obertes a dos carrers
    2ca.wikipedia, "La Barceloneta"
    illes rectangulars i estretes
  6. 06

    The first residents were mostly people who worked the sea (fishermen, caulkers, shipwrights)

    1enciclopedia.cat, "La Barceloneta"
    pescadors, calafats, mestres d'aixa
    2ca.wikipedia, "La Barceloneta"
    activitat relacionada amb el mar
  7. 07

    The fortress was later demolished; its ground is now the Parc de la Ciutadella

    4en.wikipedia, "Parc de la Ciutadella"
    some buildings were demolished under Catalan orders … with the rest of the site being turned into the contemporary park by the architect Josep Fontserè in 1872
  8. 08

    Over time the houses gained floors

    2ca.wikipedia, "La Barceloneta"
    van anar guanyant alçada
    1enciclopedia.cat, "La Barceloneta"
    baixos i quatre pisos
  9. 09

    The original street plan still stands

    1enciclopedia.cat, "La Barceloneta"
    conservà la trama urbana original
    5barcelo.com guide
    narrow streets drawn up in the eighteenth century

Timeline

On recordTradition only
  1. 1715The Ciutadella fortressThe fortress goes up on part of La Ribera, and those houses are torn down.
  2. 1753Barceloneta laid outA military engineer, Juan Martín Cermeño, lays out the new neighbourhood on the beach, two storeys at most.
  3. TodayThe same streetsThe fortress is gone and its ground is the Parc de la Ciutadella; the houses are taller, the 18th-century street plan still stands.

Left out on purpose

What we chose not to say in the video, and why. If a comment says "you forgot…", the answer is probably here.

How many Ribera houses were torn down

The sources disagree (about 900 vs 1,200).

The year the height limit was lifted (1837 in one search snippet, 1872 in the Enciclopèdia) and the original house count (329)

One source each, and over the number limit.

"Europe's first planned neighbourhood"

Seen only in search snippets, never on an opened page.

Names beyond Barceloneta: Cermeño, Ribera, Ciutadella

Fewer names, nothing hard to pronounce. The park is shown, not named.

That the new neighbourhood was built for the displaced Ribera families

The sources say the plots went to people working the sea, so the narration only says "a new one".

From DornyxDornyx Stories Interactive history you can live through. Barcelona and beyond.Explore Dornyx Stories →
Read the video's transcript

Leo In Barceloneta, the houses were kept low. On purpose. So the army's guns could fire over them.

Sara First came a fortress. To build it, a whole neighbourhood was torn down.

Leo Decades later, a new one was laid out on the beach.

Sara Long, narrow blocks, for people who lived off the sea.

Leo And a rule for every house. Never higher than two storeys.

Sara The guns needed a clear line, straight over the roofs.

Leo Then the fortress came down. Today, it's a park.

Sara And the houses? Floor by floor, they grew.

Leo Taller now. But on the same narrow streets, drawn so the guns could fire over them.

Sara Stories first, facts follow. Follow Dornix.

Sources

  1. enciclopedia.cat, "La Barceloneta"
  2. ca.wikipedia, "La Barceloneta"
  3. enciclopedia.cat, "La Ciutadella i la Barceloneta"
  4. en.wikipedia, "Parc de la Ciutadella"
  5. barcelo.com guide

Found a mistake? Send us your source. If it holds, we correct this page and note the change here.