News
from: Tourist Office of Spain (New York)
www.okspain.org
Source: Pilar Vico, Meredith Pillon
Published: May 31, 2007

LEFT: The Càdiz, Andalusia quarter of el Poble Espanyol, which was created for the Barcelona World's Fair in 1929. INSET BELOW: Toledo, from the Castilian quarter.

Barcelona's El Poble Espanyol recreates Spain in a "living village" of 117 buildings, streets, and squares

BARCELONA, Spain – Welcoming more than 1.5 million people a year, el Poble Espanyol is the fourth most visited site in Barcelona. Complete with colonnaded main square, manor houses, fountains, a Romanesque monastery, a town hall from Aragón and narrow white-washed streets that resemble an old Andalusian quarter, this harmonious "living" village has been attracting residents and tourists for almost 80 years.

Visitors can stop by some of the 40 craft workshops, view paintings by Picasso, Miró and Tàpies, sample a typical Catalan dish or stroll through the expansive plaza mayor. With Barcelona now the most popular city in Spain for Americans, the Spanish Village is sure to become better known. This year for the first time, Disney Cruise Line is offering its passengers an excursion here.

Nestled into the side of Barcelona's famous Montjuïc hill, el Poble Espanyol is a beautiful walled village that offers superb examples of Spain's regional architectural styles, a stunning collection of modern art, 12 restaurants, 40 crafts workshops, 22 shops, cafes and tapas bars, a flamenco tablao and a club with a cabaret show.

Built in 1929 as the arts pavilion for the Barcelona World's Fair, it was meant to be temporary, like another famed structure, the Eiffel Tower. This 12-acre open-air museum was the brainchild of Modernist architect Puig i Cadalfalch who dreamed of an architectural synthesis of monumental Spain. For two years a team of artists and architects traveled the length and breadth of Spain visiting 1600 towns and villages. Collecting the most representative architectural styles of each region and period, they reproduced 117 buildings, streets and squares to scale.

One of the chief attractions is the "City of Craftsmen," a collection of open workshops where high-quality, handmade crafts are made. At more than 40 workshops, craftsmen demonstrate the art of glass blowing, forging, mask making, basketry, embroidery, glass painting, puppet making, sculpture, engraving, ceramics and more.

The Fran Daurel Foundation exhibits modern and contemporary art by such renowned artists as Picasso, Miró, Tàpies and Miralles from a collection of more than 300 works. This year the Sculpture Garden which adjoins the Foundation is being expanded. Currently 27 sculptures are displayed in the garden and plans call for the space to double to 16,000 square feet.

As a first for Barcelona, el Poble offers a Nordic Walking Tour for its active visitors. And while all types of travelers will enjoy the village, it is an ideal place to take the family. The Children's Village encompasses all the activities available for youngsters. They can learn how to make crafts at one of the workshops, enjoy story-telling sessions or puppet shows in the squares or picnic on the grass. New this year is the Gymkhana Visit, a kind of treasure hunt, in which families pursue a "prize" following clues and a map. And because the village is within secure walls with no traffic, kids can run around and play safely. Visitors are welcome to explore el Poble Espanyol on their own or they can take part in organized tours.

El Poble Espanyol shares Montjuïc hill, one of Barcelona's largest recreation areas, with a number of parks, museums (MNAC, the National Museum of Catalan Art, the Archaeological Museum), art galleries, nightclubs, an open-air theatre, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion and a stadium built for the 1992 Olympics.

Open 365 days a year, el Poble's operating hours are: Monday from 9 AM to 8 PM; Tuesdays to Thursdays, 9 AM to 2 AM, Fridays and Saturdays, 9 AM to 4 AM and Sundays from 9 AM to midnight on Sundays. Admission is $10.15 for adults; $5.40 for children ages 7 to 12, and $7.40 for students and seniors. Children under seven are admitted free. There is a combined ticket for $16.20 for MNAC and el Poble Espanyol.

The Catalan government has declared el Poble Espanyol a Crafts Zone and it is the only arts and crafts shopping center that forms part of the Barcelona Shopping Line.

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Photos copyright © el Poble Espanyol.

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