Passatge de Sert
A hidden passage to escape the hustle and bustle of the city
Hidden in the Sant Pere district, this passage goes unnoticed by many visitors, making it one of Barcelona’s best-kept secrets. Passatge de Sert was the path that ran through one of Barcelona’s largest textile factories, which was owned by the Sert family. One of its members would go on to be one of the 20th century’s most influential Catalan architects.
Why visit Passatge de Sert?
Passatge de Sert links Carrer de Trafalgar to Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt, almost at the point that forms the border between the Eixample and the Old Town. Its origins date back to 1753 and the establishment of the Canaleta textile factory. From 1865 to 1867 the company Bonaventura Solà i Cia., later Sert Hnos. y Solá, purchased the building. It was the Sert family who demolished the original building to convert it into a factory house with an interior passage. This passage has progressed from being a hidden corner to a charming spot where you can get away from the noise of the centre.
The artist Josep Maria Sert, who painted the murals of Vic Cathedral, the Barcelona City Council building and the dining room of the Waldorf Astoria in New York, was born in this passage in 1874. He was also the uncle of one of the 20th century’s most influential Catalan architects. Josep Lluís Sert was a renovator of Catalan architecture, a founder of the Rationalism current, a leading member of the GATCPAC group and the architect of numerous buildings, including Fundació Joan Miró and the Tuberculosis Dispensary.
How do you get to Passatge de Sert?
You can get to Passatge de Sert by hopping off at the Barri Gòtic stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries Barcelona was a major industrial centre. Just in the Old Town some 130 buildings were designated for industrial use, particularly textile production. Its maximum expression was the factory house, where homes and industry shared the same space. The Sert factory, now a luxury apartment complex, is a good example of this.
- Local’s tip: If you are going to visit the Palau de la Música Catalana, it is worth making a stop at this passage, where you will not be bothered by cars or bicycles and where silence reigns.
- A must: To discover Barcelona’s industrial past. Sant Pere is one of the district’s with the highest density of old factories, many of which you can still see today.
