Poblenou stop (towards Fòrum)
Poblenou is a district that as a result of the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 moved from concentrating most of 19th-century Barcelona’s industrial activity to hosting new technology companies, corporate headquarters, universities and artistic creation spaces.
A chameleonic and innovative district
The Green Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic, which hugs the coastline, takes you to a district marked by the transformation of its industrial past, where creativity is the norm.
Poblenou was the area with the highest manufacturing density in the country in the 19th century, but the deindustrialisation process of the 1960s, the hosting of the Olympics in 1992 and an ambitious urban transformation plan, 22@, in the 21st century, have transformed it into a district where large factory complexes protected as industrial heritage have become spaces for technological and artistic innovation, like Palo Alto, and the university centres. It is a district full of small traditional shops and new designer outlets close to one of Barcelona’s quietest beaches.
The main artery of the district is still Rambla del Poblenou, a one kilometre street that is the neighbourhood meeting place and gastronomic centre of a district that meets the Eixample at Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, where there are two major works of modern architecture, the Torre Glòries and the spectacular Disseny Hub Barcelona, which combines aesthetics and sustainability.
What to see
Rambla del PoblenouThe most prominent street in the Poblenou district, around which the district’s social and commercial life is organised. Rambla del Poblenou, with its bars, shops and emblematic establishments, is the main meeting place for the residents of the district.
Disseny Hub – Design Museum of BarcelonaWith spectacular sustainable architecture, the new design centre is a key element in the new configuration of Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes.
El PoblenouThe district once referred to as ‘Catalan Manchester’ has given way to an open, quiet seaside district that fosters innovation and creativity.
22@ Barcelona – Industrial HeritageThe 22@ project converted part of Barcelona’s industrial past into technological innovation spaces and transformed some of the city’s most important sites into industrial heritage.
Torre GlòriesThis skyscraper instantly became one of Barcelona’s icons upon its inauguration in 2005. Torre Glòries, which was built with strict adherence to energy efficiency criteria, lights up every night, projecting its colours over the city.