The Boqueria Market, as it is known today, has been thru many phases of life. On the next words I’ll try and give adependable description of that rich history as we understand it. Where this marketplace comes from is doubtful, what we are sure of is that it was born as a travelling market, placed in the Ramblas of Barcelona. La Rambla bought growing importance as a walker lane, and the marketplace was set in the number one place to draw in the enormous amount of passers-by and local residents.
Its place was threatened many times. In Catalunya, towns and towns have been founded around markets and the same rings true for La Boqueria. It originated as an open-air market, in front of one of the gates of the old town wall ( Pla de la Boqueria ) where fruit and vegetable traders from local cities and farms nearby would sell their products. The spaces inside the city at that time were too small to build a gigantic market of the current Boqueria kind and it was necessary to set them outside the walls.
As the market’s popularity grew, farmers from neighbouring towns, such as Les Corts and Sarri were stopped from trading here. As the competition in the market grew increasingly unfriendly, there would be disagreements and fights between the old greengrocers and the new ones. For convenience sake the markets from the two near squares were combined into one : La Rambla de Sant Josep. Fish shops, butchers, and bird shops were built surrounding the new space, forming streets by the side of the convent and the Virreina. In 1826 The Marquee of Campo Sagrado, general captain of Catalunya, started to regulate, for the 1st time, the successful market of La Boqueria. The new open-air market, in Rambla de Sant Jos was inaugurated on October 18th, 1827. In 1835 the elimination of the convent of Sant Josep occurred. It got replaced by a square, which would’ve been the grandest square in Barcelona of its time. Surrounded by porches, with gardens and fountains, it was named Plaa del Treball. Architecturally, the high columns were monumental, with a robust allegorical sense to the work. When this regeneration was almost complete, and at the time when works were expected to begin, it was thought important to briefly install the market in the old priory of Sant Josep and so be ready to remove it from the middle of la Rambla. This is the reason why the homes that surround and frame the market of the Boqueria form porches, which are unlike those in the present market. In 1836 when the convent of the Carmelitas vanished with its church of Saint Josep, the city hall planned the construction of the market. The project was in the hands of the architect Mas Vil. On St. Joseph’s day in 1840 the 1st stone of the market of la Boqueria was placed. In 1848 an enclosure for the fishmonger’s shop behind the palace of the Virreina was made. The pavilion that would later become the office of the Direction and Veterinary Services was also built. In 1861 some of the fruit and plant traders were allowed to settle provisionally at piazza Sant Agust and it was from this point that la Rambla was to be kept solely for flower stands. Many salesreps gave out a flower for the purchase of some of their products. The sale of flowers increased. In 1863 the retail places of fruit and veg settled beneath the porches. In 1869 the priory of Jerusalem, located behind the market, was demolished to make allowance for an extension to be built. In the Christmas of 1871, the gas lighting was introduced to the market. In 1911 the fishmonger’s shop was built.
In 1914 the market with the metal roof was inaugurated. From there, it started to modernize and to improve, not only at a sanitary level, but also cultured, and ornamental. Over the years, La Boqueria has become the most emblematic market of all the network of markets in Barcelona. The structure, the situation, and the salesmen make it into an obligated must-see for all the travellers who visit our town. This market has for the people of Barcelona, the proposal of strong family memories. It’s entangled with the town’s history, of all our families, their popular traditions and parties. The present salesmen are often, of the 3rd and 4th generation of salesreps of the market. Theyare the union of the past with the present. Innovators, full of projects and re-building ideas for La Boqueria : for the new Barcelona. The marketable supply is in spades and varies significantly : fresh fish and seafood ; salty fish ; tinned groceries ; butchery and offal ; birds ; game and eggs ; fruits and plants ; herbs ; shop ; bread and pastries ; restaurants ; frozen items ; artisan products ; charcuterie ; farmers’ shops ; wine ; and even a Greek and an Italian hand made pasta stall have joined the consortium/maelstrom that keeps La Boqueria alive. After all , the market is all about its people! If you like to visit the Boqueria look for a Hotel Barcellona. A Hotel a Barcellona is a good starting point to get to the center of Barcelona.