1. La Trinca was very generous with the Besòs River when, taking advantage of the Fifth Symphony Beethoven wrote the lyrics for his Ode to Toilet PaperIn 1975, he said that "the Besòs is green." And that was a gross understatement. Back then, it was one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. There was no life, practically no fish. Toxic foam was visible, and the stench was overwhelming for many days of the year. The lack of environmental regulations during the Franco regime and the scarcity of effective legislation meant that pollution went almost unpunished. Uncontrolled industrialization in the river basin, in the Vallès region and the Barcelona area, turned the river into a dumping ground with virtually no treatment. As a result, textile, chemical, and metallurgical companies contaminated the water with heavy metals and a whole host of toxic products. And it wasn't a crime. And there was no awareness of the damage being done to nature and the landscape. Furthermore, urban wastewater—in a time when towns and cities lacked treatment plants—turned some stretches of the Besòs into an open sewer. We can add that it was a river with a low natural flow, where pollutants became highly concentrated, and that aggressive urbanization along the riverbank gradually devoured the native vegetation. For all these reasons, the Besòs was the shame of Barcelona's northern border.
2. Fifty years later, the situation has been completely reversed. With planning, investment, and effective environmental policies, the Besòs River is now a protected ecosystem where birds, fish, and plants coexist. The recovery of this green lung of the metropolitan area is a success story. Now that the commuter rail system has become a nightmare due to the negligence, short-sightedness, and lack of political will of those who have governed for decades, it is gratifying to see that some phenomena are reversible, even if it requires time, patience, and a lot of money. Proof that the Besòs has gone from death to life is that, every year, almost two million people stroll along its banks, in the stretch from Santa Coloma de Gramenet to the river mouth. Some run, some cycle, some families walk, and all of them breathe in the light and life. But in the new Besòs, it is not only Mediterranean diversity that flourishes. For some time now, art, culture, and creativity have also been present along the riverbanks. BesArt is becoming, mural by mural, the largest urban art museum in the world.
3. Don't miss it. It's striking to see all that gray concrete that once framed the riverbed transformed into art that engages with the landscape. Today, there are already fifty murals by renowned artists and urban creators from around the world, side by side, leaving their work for posterity. One of the virtues of this free museum is its constant evolution. After all, the idea is that this global collaborative project, conceived as an open ecosystem and not just another space reserved for established stars, will eventually stretch for eighteen kilometers, a continuous expanse of colorful contemporary artworks. It's a privilege for the country that the Besòs river park has been revitalized and that, moreover, culture and nature go hand in hand. BesArt has been given the commercial subtitle "The River Museum." It's clear that it will soon be another attraction for tourists. expados After repopulating El Born, Barceloneta, and Poble Nou, they'll want to go for a run in such a pleasant, unique place that's also free. Imagine the great photos they'll post on Instagram with the hashtag #TheRiverMuseum. How many new tourists will come to Barcelona to see this still-undiscovered gem?
