Walking Barcelona: Exploring Glories

Glories is a fascinating section of Barcelona to walk through because of its architecture. The formerly industrial area between El Clot, Poblenou, and the right of the Eixample is going through a complete makeover, with old industrial lots being turned into luxury housing, office and university spaces, and museums. Companies are either buying the land to demolish the existing structure and construct something new or are engaging in a process known as adaptive reuse. This process means that old buildings previously meant for industrial uses are finding new use, either with the structure being transformed completely in its interior or with substantial additions on top of the existing building.

As the new center for Barcelona’s tech industry, the city has encouraged rapid redevelopment of the area through tax breaks in the area known as the @22 innovation district. Noticeable mostly for its skyline, with the cone shaped building and smaller skyscrapers next to it, the area is also known for having many clubs and bars such as Razzmatazz and Ovela Negra. There are also several great museums, a beautiful campus of UPF, Glories Mall, and Glories Park.

In my opinion, however, the best part of the neighborhood is the Encants flea market. Only open certain days of the week, this gorgeous newly built structure houses a vibrant flea market where you can find nearly everything you can imagine from antiques, to clothing, to hardware and tools, to records, rugs, and food. The vendors are very nice and the market is a great gathering space. At the restaurants, one can take a seat and do some great people-watching. The neighborhood is a cool example of “modern” “developing” Barcelona, and is definitely worth walking around during the day (and not just accidentally walking through it on your way back from Razz).