A stop where historical manufacturing facilities, like the Besòs Water Tower, merge with modern green spaces and with the use of old industrial complexes as creative clusters.
Barcelona reclaims its industrial past
From the Parc Diagonal Mar stop on the Green Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic you can see at first hand various examples of how a district with a long industrial tradition has been transformed into one of the city’s most innovative areas.
Diagonal Mar Park, a large green space with play areas, was built on land that had been occupied by a large metalworking company and is decorated with steel sculptures as a reminder of its manufacturing past. The Besòs Water Tower, now a large structure that offers a panoramic view of Barcelona, is also a remnant of that past.
A very different example is Palo Alto, a space run by a community of artists, including Javier Mariscal, which occupies the industrial units and courtyard of the old Gal i Puigsech textile factory and organises cultural events, exhibitions, and a market where you can find unique and designer objects.
What to see
- Besòs Water Tower
Constructed to supply water to the city of Barcelona, it is now a large structure that offers a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings.
- Diagonal Mar Park
An immense, sun-filled space connected to the sea where you can find lakes, grassy knolls and play areas. Diagonal Mar is a modern park dominated by open spaces, sculptures formed by metal structures and sinuous concrete benches that evoke the waves of the sea.
- Palo Alto
A revamped 19th-century factory plays host to architecture, design, photography and other artistic studios.