Field Study #2: El Born

Five Streets:

Recently, I toured El Born. During Medieval Times in Europe, guilds were used for workers and craftsmen. Throughout this time in Barcelona, a man had to become part of a guild in order to learn the skill he wanted to pursue in his lifetime. Guilds were used to control the quality of the products and protect the workers. Typically, each guild had a sign outside of their door to portray what the guild was. Throughout El Born, the street names were used to show what guilds were on those specific streets. For example, Placa de Llana was the street where most of the wool was made and sold. Also, Carrer dels Mirallers, meaning mirrors, was the street where mirrors were sold. Another street, Carrer de L’Espaseria, was a street where one could buy swords. Additionally, Carrer dels Cottoners was where the cotton workers were.  Also, Carrer de Ferro was where iron workers were.

“La Casa Taller”:

“La Casa Taller” is known as a typical craftsmanship family house. This is where the craftsmens worked and lived. Within these homes, the craftsmen were separated based on their skill level. Usually, the master had a few apprentices who worked under him. Since the workshops were tall, narrow buildings, the hierarchy of craftsmens were shown by the balconies on the buildings. On the lowest floor, the balcony was the largest, which showed this was where the master lived. As the floors went up, the balconies got smaller, depicting the level of the apprentices in the workshop. On the top floors, the peasants and servants lived.

Main Architectural Aspects:

Throughout El Born, there were many architectural aspects that differentiate the craftsmen’s buildings to the industrial production ones. One of the most prominent features I noticed was the narrow streets. These streets were mainly used for horses to get down, so there was no need to make them more wide than they are. Also, the buildings are much more narrow than industrial buildings because not many things needed to be transported into the buildings. Industrial buildings also have more doors because they were used more often for trading, whereas the buildings in El Born are more simply.

Cultural Relation to Catalan Culture:

1. Santa Maria del Mar:
   1. This church was built by the merchants. The church has decorative pieces that represent Christianity from the viewpoints of the workers during the time it was built. This is related to Catalan culture because it represents the workers in the area, rather than the king or the power of the church.
2. El Mercat del Born:
   1. This market was built in 1876 and had become a central market in Barcelona. Although this market does not still exist today, it was an important building during its time. This market was a central place for commerce and trade, mainly with livestock.
3. El Fossa de les Moreres:
   1. Many people had died during the War of the Spanish Succession, so this plaza was built as a memorial to those who defended Barcelona. The French troops had burned down many Catalan buildings, so this memorial commemorates this time.
4. La Ciutadella Park:
   1. Before the loss of the war, this area was a fortress. After the war had ended, the king took full control, so this park represents the things that the Catalans had hated most. This park, one of the most centralized parks in Barcelona, was one of the only green areas in Barcelona, until more parks were made.

5. Main Changes in Catalan Society after September 11th 1714:

September 11th, 1714 marks the fall of Barcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession. This day brought about many changes in Catalonia, including the loss of institutions and laws. Many of the Catalan traditions, practices and languages were banned from society.

6. El Consolat de Mar/La Llotja:

La Llotja was the first stock exchange market in Europe. This is where merchants would bring their boats when they first arrived in Barcelona to exchange their goods to sell them to the city.