Located on the maritime side of the Ronda de Dalt, La Vall d'Hebron neighbourhood is centred on a series of high-rise apartment blocks that were developed following the Pla Comarcal of 1953 and finally built in 1968.
Unlike many the neighbourhoods centred around nearby El Carmel, it is noticeable that the Vall d'Hebron is the result of planning and although not really to my liking, the apartment blocks are effective 1960s design.
The neighbourhood also conserves some of its original Catalan farmhouses such as Can Travi Nou and Can Travi Vell and the Marti-Codolar house, which is set in beautiful gardens and mixes elements spanning the 15th to the 19th century.
The Vall d'Hebron was also an important part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and the Centre Municipal de Tennis, the Pavelló de Pilota, the Centre Municipal d'Esports, a swimming pool and rugby and football pitches were also built specifcally for the purpose.
The temporary residences for referees and journalists were also built
here before the games and once the Olympics were over these were
converted into dwellings.
In the lower part of the neighbourhood,
you can find a replica of the Pavelló de la República, which was
originally designed by Catalan architects Josep Lluís Sert and Luis
Lacasa for the 1937 International Exposition in Paris.
Picasso's
Guernia, amongst other great pro-republican artworks was originally
displayed here, and the replica was built for the 1992 Olympics to
commemorate the Spanish Civil War.
The building now houses
Fundació Figueres and the Centre d'Estudis Històrics Internacionals and a
full size photo reproduction of Guernica is on display inside.
Also
worth a mention is Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen's brilliant
Els Mistos - The Matches - sculpture, which was installed in 1987 and
has become a symbol of the neighbourhood.
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