The neighbourhood
Carrer de Montcada and La Ribera
A short guide to the street of merchants' palaces, the Gothic church and the old quarter around Palau Dalmases, for the hours before or after the show.
Reserve your Palau Dalmases seats ↗La Ribera in a paragraph
La Ribera, meaning the shore, is one of the areas of Barcelona's old city. It was a well-to-do quarter during the 13th to 15th centuries, when it really lay by the sea. Many of its buildings date from the late Middle Ages. Its best-known landmarks are the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar and the palaces along Carrer de Montcada. The lower part of the district, below Carrer de la Princesa, is known as El Born, a district of art boutiques, bars and cafés. It is a good district for a walk because so much of it can be seen without buying anything, and it sits close to the old city's main sights.
How Carrer de Montcada began
The street dates to the 12th century, when the Count-Kings of Catalonia granted the land to the Barons of Montcada in thanks for help in the conquest of Tortosa. Barcelona's noble and merchant families, who had made their fortunes at sea, then built their houses here. Most of the mansions are Catalan Gothic and are arranged around a central courtyard with a staircase to the first floor. They were the main street of medieval Barcelona's nobility.
The palaces on the street
The tourism board names the medieval Palau Aguilar, Palau Meca and Palau Baró de Castellet, the Renaissance Palau de Cervelló and the baroque Palau Dalmases. The Museu Picasso spreads across five adjoining palaces on the street. Many of the buildings are now galleries and museums.
The Museu Picasso
The Museu Picasso occupies five adjoining medieval palaces on Carrer de Montcada. It opened to the public on 9 March 1963 and was the first museum devoted to Picasso's work and the only one created in his lifetime. Its idea came from his friend and secretary, Jaume Sabartés. It holds thousands of Picasso's works, including early pieces from his years in Barcelona. Check the museum's own website for opening times and ticket information before you plan around a visit.
The Born market and the 1714 siege
Part of La Ribera was demolished after the siege of Barcelona in 1714 to make way for a military citadel, a punishment for the city's defeat in the War of the Spanish Succession. The former market hall, the Mercat del Born, now covers archaeological ruins of the district that was lost. Close to Santa Maria del Mar, the Fossar de les Moreres marks the site of a mass grave of Catalan soldiers who fell in the siege. It is a quiet place and worth a respectful pause.
Santa Maria del Mar
Santa Maria del Mar is a Catalan Gothic church built between 1329 and 1383 at the height of the principality's maritime and mercantile power. Construction was backed by the common people of the Ribera guilds rather than by the nobility. The exterior looks severe, hemmed in by narrow streets, but the interior is light and spacious, with a single space of three aisles and slender octagonal columns spaced wider than in any other Gothic church in Europe.
Getting around
Jaume I, on line L4, is the closest metro station to Carrer de Montcada, and the tourism board lists several bus lines that stop nearby. Much of the district is best covered on foot, because its streets are narrow and many of its landmarks, from the palaces to the Gothic church, sit within the same few blocks. Wear comfortable shoes, and allow a little more time than the map suggests, since the streets are not laid out on a grid.
A simple evening plan
Start with a walk down Carrer de Montcada, look at the carved stone doorways and glimpse the courtyards, then see the show at Palau Dalmases. Afterwards, walk to Santa Maria del Mar, whose west front has a round rose window, or find dinner in El Born. Because the show lasts only 50 to 55 minutes, it fits into a longer walk without exhausting anyone. The metro station for the trip back is Jaume I on line L4.
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