Centre de Cultura i Memòria Born (CCM) - Born Cultural Centre

About Born Cultural Centre

The Born Cultural Centre, Centre de Cultura i Memòria del Born, Designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias and inaugurated in 1876 to serve as Barcelona's wholesale food market. The Mercat del Born was Barcelona's first cast-iron framed covered market and at the time of construction, it was the largest wrought iron framed building in Barcelona and Europe. It was the city's central distribution food market right until 1971 when the new Mercabarna wholesale market opened in the Zona Franca port area of the city.

Mercat del Born Building History

• 1714: A substantial part of La Ribera district was levelled to obtain space to construct the fortress, leaving its inhabitants homeless. The land that is now occupied by the Born Market was flattened to provide cannon sightlines from the fortress into Barcelona city.
• 1848: General Espartero Demolishes the Citadel fortress.
• 1869:, A the political climate liberalised enough to permit it, General prim decided to turn over what was left of the fortress land.
• 1872: The Citadel Ruins and remains of the site was to be turned in to Parc Cuitadella.
• 1873-1876: Mercat del born by architect Antoni Rovira i Trias was built on the flattened Ribera district, burying the ruins of this neighbourhood in the foundations of the market.
• 1971-2002: The market closes and is replaced by Mercabarna in the Zona Franca port industrial area. The Born market falls into a state of disrepair.
• 2002: Work begins to transform the abandoned market building into provincial library. However, during excavations, extensive ruins of the medieval city La Ribera district were discovered. It was then decided to preserve the archaeological ruins and move the library project to another location.
• 2013: The plan that finally came to fruition was to expose the subterranean ruins for visitors while preserving space around the exterior of them for mixed use, cultural centre, in addition to having a museum about the War of Succession onsite. The official inauguration of the restored market was September 11 2013.

Image Gallery for Born Cultural Centre

Click on any of the 25 images to open full screen gallery player

❮ ❯

Visiting Born Cultural Centre

The market covers these archaeological ruins which were part of the la Ribera district that was demolished in the early eighteenth century. This portion of la Ribera was forcibly demolished to make way for the construction of the Citadel military structure.

Visiting today, you will find the exposed archaeological site known as the Ciutat del Born (old Ribera District). Note how all the houses have been cut down to less than 1 metre of height. This was to provide a clear line of sight for the canons of the citadel fortress to be able to fire into Barcelona city centre to suppress the population and prevent rebellion.

The permanent exhibition about Barcelona from 1700 to 1714 when the city was conquered by King Felipe V of Spain and a period of repression commenced. The Born Cultural and Memorial centre is about Spain's repression of Catalonia during this period.

The Born cultural centre is FREE to enter and walk around inside on the upper walkways.

Centre de Cultura i Memòria Born Opening Hours

• Tuesdays to Sundays: 10:00h to 19:00h

Centre de Cultura i Memòria Born Guided Tour of Archaeological Ruins

For a more immersive experience I highly recommend the guided tour. Tickets for the guided tour can be purchased online or in the ticket office by the main entrance from Plaça Comercial.

The 90 minute guided tour of the crockery museum & lower medieval city ruins is available for 4 euros.

This is an excellent tour with a very knowledgeable guide and covers the history of medieval Barcelona providing a unique insight into the lives of citizens during this period.

• Guided tour in Catalan: Tuesday to Saturday 11:30h & 17:30h
• Guided tour in Spanish: Tuesday to Saturday 12:30h & 16:30h
• Guided tour in English: Tuesday to Suday at 16:00h

After completing the guided tour, at sunset (in Winter around 17:30h, in Summer around 20:30h) the illumination inside the large open market space is spectacular.

Getting to Born Cultural Centre

Address: Plaça Comercial 12, Barcelona. 8003

Nearest TMB Metro is Arc de Triomf on the red (L1) line and on the Renfe RODALIES train network. Use a T-Casual or Hola-Barcelona travel card.

Also Estacio de França on the Renfe RODALIES and REGIONAL is nearby

Pay Parking Parkia El Born below Plaça Comericial.

Where to stay overnight in the Born Cultural Centre (CCM)