The Takeoff of Industrialization & Overpopulation 1820-1840 C.E.
The Industrial Revolution radically changed many European cities. The influx of peasants from the countryside to become workers in the new factories caused the population of industrial cities to explode in the early and middle parts of the 19th century. Barcelona was not exempt from this influx, but it was especially unprepared for such an increase in population because of the Citadel’s system of fortifications. The walls heavily constrained the growth of the city, as there were limited points of access through the walls and it was difficult to build outside the walls. As a result, Barcelona became seriously overcrowded. This problem was compounded by the fact that Barcelona was the primary growth pole of Spanish industry. The city was known by various titles that indicated its degree of industrialization, including “The Catalan Manchester” and “The Factory of Spain”. By the middle of the century, the population density of the city reached 856 people per hectare, making it one of the most crowded cities in Europe. For comparison, the population density of Paris at the time was less than 400 people per hectare. The dirty and crowded conditions lead to numerous epidemics of disease in the city. Proletarian riots were common, and were often put down by force by the military governor. Barcelona’s economy was growing into its own as a world power, but the urban form of the city was not expanding or advancing fast enough to keep up. Eventually, it was recognized that something drastic must be done. (Busquets 2005, pp. 99-106) (Aibar & Bijker 1997, p. 5)
The Demolition of the Walls & The Cerdà Plan 1854-1860 C.E.
Cerdà's Plan for the Extension
Over time, the consensus grew that in order to improve living conditions in the city, and to make room for further industrial development, the walls would have to be demolished. Politicians campaigned for the destruction of the walls, and after several petitions from the City Council to the military governor, he finally relented in August of 1854 and agreed that the walls could come down. A Catalan civil engineer named Ildefons Cerdà had been working on producing a topography of Barcelona and its surrounding area, and when word got out that walls would be demolished and that a plan for the extension of the city would be needed, he took the opportunity to write a preliminary extension plan and submit it along with his commissioned work. Jurisdiction over the extension was vested in the central government’s Ministry of Development, which was largely populated with engineers like Cerdà; thus, this body received Cerdà’s plan favorably. Barcelona’s city council didn’t like some aspects of Cerdà’s plan, perhaps most of all the fact that they’d had no input in the process and they didn’t relish the idea of a plan being forced on them by the central government. As such, the council tried to claim municipal jurisdiction over the extension project, and they opened a competition to receive and select the plan that they felt was the best. Cerdà was excluded from this contest, so he focused his efforts on getting the plan passed by the ministries of the central government. After a series of political squabbles, Cerdà’s proposed layout was approved by royal decree, but as a concession to the local authorities, the economic section of the plan and Cerdà’s proposed new ordinances governing the construction of the extension would not be ratified. These aspects would instead by governed by the laws that were already in place at the local level. (Busquets 2005, pp. 120-121) (Aibar & Bijker 1997, pp. 7-10)
Cerdà’s plan was vast, detailed, and based in scientific thinking. Cerdà had been working for years on his General Theory of Urbanization, in which he studied cities all around the world and used mathematical formulas to determine what he thought was the ideal block size, the ideal height and footprint of the buildings within his ideal block, the ideal street width, the ideal arrangement of streets, and many other aspects of urban development. He applied these principles to the topography and the existing pattern of development that existed in Barcelona, and he theorized about what forms of transportation may be developed in the future, and he came up with his final plan. In the plan map, which can be viewed by clicking the image at left, you can see that the plan for the Extension creates a city which is something like 10 times larger than the existing city, which is shown in black. In this original plan, you can see that only two of the four sides of each block were to be filled with buildings. Cerdà wanted two of the sides of each block to be left open, so as to maximize access to light and fresh air, although this stipulation would quickly be removed from the plan as development pressures grew. Although many aspects of Cerdà’s plan would ultimately be compromised, it remains a masterpiece of early planning. No other person, plan, or event has had as great an impact on the urban form of Barcelona, and the city is still defined by the vision of Ildefons Cerdà. (Busquets 2005, pp. 122-133) (Aibar & Bijker 1997, pp. 16-18)
Cerdà’s plan was vast, detailed, and based in scientific thinking. Cerdà had been working for years on his General Theory of Urbanization, in which he studied cities all around the world and used mathematical formulas to determine what he thought was the ideal block size, the ideal height and footprint of the buildings within his ideal block, the ideal street width, the ideal arrangement of streets, and many other aspects of urban development. He applied these principles to the topography and the existing pattern of development that existed in Barcelona, and he theorized about what forms of transportation may be developed in the future, and he came up with his final plan. In the plan map, which can be viewed by clicking the image at left, you can see that the plan for the Extension creates a city which is something like 10 times larger than the existing city, which is shown in black. In this original plan, you can see that only two of the four sides of each block were to be filled with buildings. Cerdà wanted two of the sides of each block to be left open, so as to maximize access to light and fresh air, although this stipulation would quickly be removed from the plan as development pressures grew. Although many aspects of Cerdà’s plan would ultimately be compromised, it remains a masterpiece of early planning. No other person, plan, or event has had as great an impact on the urban form of Barcelona, and the city is still defined by the vision of Ildefons Cerdà. (Busquets 2005, pp. 122-133) (Aibar & Bijker 1997, pp. 16-18)
The 1888 Exhibition & The Search for a Catalan Architecture
1875-1911 C.E.
While Cerdà’s Extension was being built and filled out, the city began to plan how it could host the 1888 Great Exhibition. This event was seen as an opportunity to put Barcelona on the world stage, to show all the other countries of the world that Barcelona could be in the same class as London and Paris. The Exhibitions had a history in Europe of pushing cities to accomplish great things that they wouldn’t otherwise have had to political will to accomplish. Great works of architecture and planning had been performed in several European cities, and Barcelona would perform much the same. The deadline to get the Exhibition structures up and running pushed architects and work crews to accomplish great things, including the construction of the magnificent Gran Hotel Internacional, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. This building was six stories high with 800 rooms to accommodate international visitors to the Exhibition; because Domènech i Montaner designed it to be modular, it took only 53 days to build the structure itself. Sadly, the building was planned to be temporary, and so it no longer exists. Other great works for the Exhibition included a brickwork triumphal arch at the entrance to the Exhibition grounds, a monument to Columbus on the city’s waterfront, and the Palace of Fine Arts, which would become a permanent museum in the city after the Exhibition. In addition, the city implemented a major upgrade to various public spaces around the city, installing fountains and public furniture so that the communal spaces of the city would be more comfortable and inviting. (Busquets 2005, pp. 154-162)
The architects who worked for the Great Exhibition were great minds alike in spirit. While there were already engaged in what would become known as the search for, or the formulation of, a Catalan national architecture, the opportunities and the exposure provided by the Exhibition emboldened them to innovate in ways that Spain has rarely seen, and in ways that can surprise us even today. This architectural movement came to be known in Catalonia as Modernisme, and it is often seen in the international context as a special branch of the Art Nouveau style. The primary architects who spearheaded this movement were Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, & Antoni Gaudí. Each had their own personal style, and each produced striking masterpieces that can be found all over the city of Barcelona. They all tried to combine traditional Catalan materials and techniques with the cutting edge of modern materials and techniques to create works that would transcend traditional styles while remaining distinctly Catalan in nature. Their individual styles can be seen juxtaposed in the so-called “Block of Discord”. This is a single city block which contains major works by all the greatest architects of Modernisme, and it is called the Block of Discord because their works were all too eccentric to fit together in any logical way. While most of these architects’ works are striking, few buildings in the world are as striking as Gaudí’s masterwork, the Sagrada Família. A great cathedral in the heart of Barcelona’s Extension, the Sagrada Família is so innovative and unique that it defies description. Only pictures can do it justice. It combines natural forms, baroque decoration, flowing stonework, and the grandeur of a cathedral into one intensely creative structure. If you were only allowed to visit one thing in Barcelona, it should be the Sagrada Família. (Busquets 2005, pp. 163-176) |