Congrés: from farmhouses to new buildings

🎙️ Collective documentation

The participants in the collective documentation rely on current technologies to locate the image. It's possible that it was taken on Riera d’Horta street, as the entrance to Santa Eulàlia street can be glimpsed.

They remember that before the neighborhood of Congrés was founded, there were farmhouses. The first one that was sold in plots to build new buildings was Can Ros. The neighborhood was full of fertile land, suitable for farming: "Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Andreu were Barcelona's orchard." Participants comment on what life was like in the neighborhood when it was founded. They remember a quieter life and highlight the preference given to housing: "in the Congrés neighborhood, there were only a few shops. Only those needed to survive. Not many. Every space was maximized to build houses..."

Two large department stores undoubtedly impacted the economy of small businesses: Hipercor and, previously, the Sears department stores. The existence of small artisan workshops that prevailed in the area is emphasized, as well as the absence of traffic lights for some years.

👥Authors of the documentation

Pilar, Carmen, Alfred, Neus and Enric.

⚙️ Methodology

Photograph documented collectively by participating neighbors in the group Fem Memòries del Canòdrom

📸 Assignor

AAVV del Congrés