The subterranean Barcelona II: the mystery of the water
Some posts ago, we wrote about the subterranean Barcelona and about the metro constructions, remembering the abandoned stations and recreating the Avenue of Light (Avenida de la luz, a disappeared boulevard under Catalonia Square, the heart of the city.
But the labyrinth of the sewers, the tunnels, the anti-aircraft refuge and the secret grottos are extended under the skin of the whole city. In the most unexpected places there we find the entrance to this parallel Barcelona to make the curious dream: from tourist to writers searching for the secret history of the city.
Once we go over the metro tracks, the parkings and other excavations, we find the sewers system going from one side to the other of the city. There is a part open to the public and the entrance is in Passeig de San Joan and Valencia street. Several sections, from all the periods, are on display, even a section form the Roman times.
Another facility related to water, and with a futurist resemblance, is the Joan Miró Park’s undeground deposit, close to
Plaza de España, which has 70.000 cubic metres of capacity and is used to control the floods and as a treatment system.
During the ’90, the Pompeu Fabra University was opened in the former water deposit built by Josep Fontseré. Located by the Jaume I building of the Ciutadella Campus, both facilities are connected by an underground tunnel. Just on the other end of the city, in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, an old water deposit was found, built in the 14th century by Martin I. This facility is being renovated and we’ll be able to enjoy it in 2016.
The Universal Exhibition which took place in Barcelona in 1888 place Barcelona in the map and the one of 1929 propelled the architecture, the urbanism, the industry and the technology of the city. The construction of the Montjuïch Magic Fountain is the result of all that. In less than a year, its concrete and iron structure was built being he house of several rooms with turbines, generators, water fountains and controllers. This 35 water fountains, with its jets combined with the light and the music still provide one of the most visited shows of the city.