Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Gothic Quarter, amidst shops and tourists, at number 6 Carrer Canuda lies one of the city's most emblematic cultural treasures: the Ateneu Barcelonès, a haven where culture is the order of the day. The Ateneu is an association that has accompanied Catalan society for over 150 years with the aim of being a central space for critical thinking, intellectual activity, and community life. Since 1872, this independent cultural institution has actively contributed to the development of Catalan culture, remaining faithful to its founding purpose: to be a hub for creation, training, and open and constructive debate. Throughout its history, it has been chaired by illustrious names such as Àngel Guimerà, Joan Maragall, and Pompeu Fabra.
A contemporary program
The Ateneu Barcelonès is also a driving force for cultural revitalization today. Its activities are structured through 13 thematic sections and more than twenty discussion groups that energize the organization's associative life. They offer a constant calendar of conferences, roundtables, book presentations, series, courses, and various activities. Currently, nearly 3,500 members participate, with an ideological and social diversity that has been key to the Ateneu's renewal over the past few decades. During the first decade of the 21st century, the organization has rejuvenated its membership.
In a context where there is a high demand for Catalan classes and a difficulty in creating connections that help integrate newcomers in Catalonia, the Ateneu launched a class program called the Ateneu Catalan Club, a space designed for newcomers with conversational skills. Courses are taught in small groups of up to 9 students each, using a communicative methodology in which students speak Catalan from the first class and learn the language in its context. The Ateneo understands language as a tool for cohesion and collective identity; therefore, it aims not only to teach vocabulary but also to assist integration into Catalan cultural life and participation in what we are as a community.
160 years serving culture
Founded in 1860, the Ateneo Barcelonés was born as a meeting place for the bourgeoisie, liberal professionals, and intellectuals. With figures such as Verdaguer, Gaudí, and Ildefons Cerdà, it quickly became a center of intellectual gathering and a benchmark for Catalan culture. In 1897, it officially became Catalanized, and with the Commonwealth and the Second Republic, it enjoyed almost three decades of splendor. The dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and, later, the Franco regime, brought censorship, purges, and confiscations, despite cultural resistance driven from within. With the arrival of democracy, it reinstated Catalan as an official language and the right to vote, and resumed initiatives such as the Crexells Prize. In the 1980s, a serious membership crisis shook the institution, but in 1998, with the creation of the Writing School, it regained momentum. With Oriol Bohigas as president, the Ateneu is undergoing architectural and digital modernization, increasing social participation, and projecting itself into the 21st century as an open, active center fully integrated into Barcelona's cultural life.
The current presidency of the Ateneu Barcelonès is held by Isona Passola, who was elected in 2021, becoming the first woman to hold this position in its history. At the time, her candidacy was the only one presented, but this March she was re-elected in a competitive process, winning with broad support.
Sant Jordi at the Ateneu Barcelona
Open doors, reading of poems and "Hamlet.01" at the Ateneu Barcelonès, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
One of the highlights of the calendar is the Sant Jordi open house. The Ateneu will open the Palau Savassona—its home since 1906 and declared a Site of Cultural Interest—to showcase areas usually off-limits to the public: the library, the Pompeu Fabra Room, the Presidential Room, the conversation rooms, and the Romantic Garden.
Among the scheduled activities, there will be a reading of love and heartbreak poems in the garden; a tribute to Josep Maria Llompart and Maria Beneyto; and representatives from the Generalitat (Catalan Government), the Barcelona Provincial Council, the City Council, and other associations will participate, as well as students from the Catalan Club, members of the Ateneo (Athenaeum of Catalonia), the Writing School, and actors and actresses.
In the afternoon, at 6:30 p.m., humor and drama will arrive with Hamlet.01, a comic reinterpretation of the Shakespearean classic directed by Sergi Belbel and performed by Enric Cambray.
