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Barceloneta - A Small World Apart |
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The principal leisure area in Barcelona, with tempting beaches and entertainment centres, Barceloneta has an intriguing history as anything but (a place for leisureliness).
When several blocks of residential La Ribera was demolished to erect the Ciutadella military compound, this is where its inhabitants ended up, Barceloneta. Originally a tiny fishing-village the opening of the railroad and an influx of able working-hands coincided with the industrial revolution in the latter half of the 19th century to transform the area. The 20th century saw the emergence of a middle-class which took to Barceloneta to “waste” its hard-earned leisure time fishing or taking a dip in the sea. Now, in the 21st, leisure activity is still the prime reason for spending time here. The seafront received a serious resuscitation for the -92 Olympics, and this area now flaunts clean and inviting beaches, and today the area is reminiscent of its original, 18th century, state. Evidently there’s a bar for every 120 inhabitant here, and the seafood and tapas restaurants of Barceloneta rarely let diners down.
The Barcelona Port is undoubtedly the area which has undergone the most deep-cutting make-over of all metropolitan areas in the region. Reclaiming beaches and re/creating the Port Vell area in the continuation of Las Ramblas, erecting towering buildings and expanding habitable limits were all part of the overall -92 Olympics plan to modernise the city. Whether “aquatic adventures” or more land-based entertainment is on the agenda, Barceloneta, including the Port Vell / Maremàgnum complex, provides a myriad of opportunities. The commercial centre Maremàgnum is no ordinary “mall” with its 23.000 m2 attracting 15 mill. visitors per year.
This modern entertainment “village” includes the Aquarium (a hit for kids of all ages!), an IMAX theatre, discos and restaurants as well as a large number of chain-stores. The port and the beaches, all at a distance from the hectic, everyday life in the city, provide daytime relaxation, and at night one can choose to “get hectic” again at the Maremágnum!
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