History
The history of Fort Pienc
From an 18th-century defensive fort to today's Eixample neighbourhood, by way of Cerdà's plan, the Estació del Nord and Josep Llinàs's market.
In short
The name Fort Pienc comes from a defensive fort built in the 18th century when Barcelona was fortified. When the walls came down, the land was absorbed into Ildefons Cerdà's plan for the Eixample. The Estació del Nord defined the area as the city's railway gateway until its conversion into a coach station, and the opening of Josep Llinàs's market in 2003 gave it a new centre.
The origin: an 18th-century fort
The name Fort Pienc comes from an 18th-century defensive fort, built when Barcelona was a fortified city. When the walls came down, this land was absorbed into engineer Ildefons Cerdà's plan for the Eixample, approved in 1860.
The Estació del Nord and railway Barcelona
For decades, the Estació del Nord defined the area as the city's railway gateway. Today, converted into a coach station and wrapped by a large park holding Beverly Pepper's sculptures, it remains one of its landmarks.
The 2003 market and today’s neighbourhood
The opening of the new Fort Pienc Market in 2003, designed by architect Josep Llinàs, gave the neighbourhood a new centre of gravity — combining market, library and facilities in a single building. The transformation of Plaça de les Glòries has finally connected Fort Pienc to 21st-century Barcelona.
- S. XVIIIThe defensive fort behind the name
- 1860Cerdà's plan absorbs the land into the Eixample
- 2003Josep Llinàs's new market opens