Barcelona closes the scar of the Glòries: this is how it has changed

BarcelonaAfter nearly twenty years of construction, Barcelona closed the scar of the Glòries this Saturday. Two decades and 640 million euros later, a grand civic celebration welcomed what is already one of the city's main green spaces. The rain, which was already a headache for Ildefons Cerdà, seemed cursed. This didn't prevent the events from starting as planned, but soon after, it did force the musicians playing children's songs to stop. And as the rain intensified, everything ended up on the table where melted chocolate was being distributed. Meanwhile, groups of families discussed whether to wait for the rain to subside or find another plan to continue the morning.

In one corner of the square, there was also an exhibition of historic photographs of Glòries. You only had to look at them to see how this part of the city has changed since 2003, when talk began about how to undo the Olympic botched construction of the double link in 1992.

The comparison of the seed images and the one from today reveals one of the main transformations of the space. It has gone from being a transit area primarily designed for passing through by car to a place of rest. To get there, it was necessary to dismantle the drum—first the walls and then the entire structure—and carry out one of the most complex projects in the city's recent history: the nearly one-kilometer tunnel that—not without setbacks—has allowed the tens of thousands of vehicles entering and leaving the city via Gran Via to cross the square. Opened in 2022, the challenge was to coexist with the railway lines that already pass through the square and, thanks to the tunnel's steep gradient, have been placed above the infrastructure.

With the disappearance of cars in the underground part of the square, the upper part has given way to public transport, with the new interchange between line 1 – and its iconic exit in the new immersion garden – and the tram, which with the connection to a new Verdaguer park has become a November.

A park or a square?

The renovation of Glòries Square aims to once and for all put an end to the debate over how to resolve a space that, despite the numerous transformations it has undergone since its inauguration on May 13, 1919, has never quite settled. However, new controversies are sure to arise—albeit minor ones—such as the debate raised by the City Council's chief architect, Maria Buhigas, over whether it can still be called a Glòries Square or should now be openly referred to as a park, given the nine hectares gained. A large esplanade with plenty of green space houses new spaces such as the shade house, which will offer almost 700 square meters of shade and is expected to frequently host events to escape the sun, which, until the trees grow, will be one of the square's handicaps. Also featured is the Berta Cáceres Sensory Agora, a space of more than 2,500 square meters surrounded by a crown of bamboo trees that will grow to be gigantic when grown, serving as a multipurpose outdoor space and even hosting theater performances or concerts. Finally, the park also has a new dog recreation area and a super children's play area of almost 2,000 square meters, which this Saturday already demonstrated that it will be one of the busiest areas.

All of this is in addition to the part of the park that opened in 2019 and features the great Clariana. A complex that promises to turn Glòries into one of the main leisure spots for Barcelona residents, who starting this Saturday will make their own a new park that is sure to be a highlight on days like La Mercè and that, at first glance, seems far from the tourist overcrowding.

What's still missing

Despite this Saturday's opening party, the new Plaça de les Glòries is not yet complete. Still pending, for example, is the completion of the urbanization of the section of Gran Via to Rambla del Poblenou before the summer, or the completion of the remodeling of the mountain corner of the square, where demolitions will have to be carried out before the park balcony can be built and the twenty families who still live there will be relocated.

There are also missing facilities that must accompany others already completed, such as the Design Museum, the new Encants, the Leonor Serrano Nursery School, and the Escola dels Encants. Among the pending projects are the primary schools in Fort Pienc and La Laguna and Poblenou, a residence for the elderly, and the final location of the Gaia School in the former Umbrella Factory. Also pending is the arrival of the park's new residents. Those on Illa Glòries—238 subsidized public housing units already built and awaiting a drawing—and the remaining buildings still await construction. This Friday, the neighborhood associations of Fort Pienc, Sagrada Familia, Clot - Camp de l'Arpa, and Poblenou criticized the municipal government's "compromising approach" to the park's opening and warned that, considering the pending amenities, construction is still "little more than halfway done."