El Born (The Ribera Quarter)
Field Trip - February 19, 2014
1. In El Born and the Barri Gotic (Gothic Area) of Spain, guilds and guildsman help name the city. Some of the street names include: Agullers (needle makers), Cotoners (cotton weavers), Espaseria
(swords smiths), Vidre (glaziers), Candales, and Mirallers (mirror makers) to name a few. In this area of Barcelona, the streets are much more narrow and closer together. It also is a much older area of the city which can seen from the older cobble streets, uneven sidewalks and street ways and older looking buildings, windows and roofs. These street names come from the guilds or gremis that took place during the medieval Barcelona times. These guilds were the main part of their economy and a person had to be a part of a guild in order to survive in the culture. "Guild" means "skills craftsman" and each of the street names are named after the craftsman who did work on those particular streets.
The guilds were the way that medieval Barcelona was run. It determined the status of workers from the apprentices to the masters. They made the city laws, help organize the city in times of need with militia and worked with the monarchy. In order to become part of the guild system, a person had to become an apprentice and work with master of a particular skill. He had to pass a certain test which had to be met with very high standards. The master of the guild decided how long the apprentice needed to work for, how many hours each day, his schedule in general and even what he wore. If the master was not pleased with his apprentice's work, he had the right to destroy it and make him redo it. Although the process to become part of the guild system could be a long and tough road, it was one of the only ways to survive in medieval times. It had such an affect on the city that a whole area is still dedicated to it.
2. The "casa-taller" were the house workshop houses where the craftsman lived. The apprentices and masters used to live together for efficiency and to learn more. These houses were organized in a very interesting way. Although the buildings aren't tall and don't have that many floors to them, the masters always lived on the first couple of floors. This is because it received more sunlight and they didn't have to climb as many stairs. The lower class people or the apprentices used to live higher up where the windows were much smaller and there wasn't as much sunlight as below. This was a common theme through all of Barcelona. The more wealthy you were, the closer to the street you lived. This is much different than today because in our day, the higher you live shows your wealth. The cheaper homes are always closer to the street. In the medieval times, the apprentices had to work their way down closer to the street. The masters had earned their way and had the better homes. In the front of the building on the bottom floor of the street was where the work was done. The work was put on display for passerby to see and admire.
3. In this area of Barcelona, some of the buildings are different than in other parts of the city. These buildings look much older than other ones and are made out of stone. While walking through the area, you can see a lot of original architecture that dates back hundreds of years and has Gothic features in the buildings. When you look at the windows on the buildings, the windows start big closer to the street and get smaller and smaller as you look up higher. The buildings also look very narrow and I can imagine that the insides are narrow as well. Like mentioned earlier, the street names were all named after the particular craftsman that worked on that street and the buildings represent which of the workers lived there.
4. In this area of Spain, there are many monuments and areas that reflect Catalan culture:
- Santa Maria del Mar is a church that was built between 1329-1383. It is of Gothic architecture which can be seen from both the inside and the outside. The church was considered a building "made by workers for workers" because many people worked on building it together. It has columns, apses, pipes, nave and beautiful moldings. Although some of the original church has been destroyed, there are a few spots left where there is the original work.
- El Mercat del Born is an open air market that was built in the 18th century. It is one of the largest iron structures in Spain and people in the iron guilds probably help construct it. Since the Catalonians were very proud of their iron work, they made most of the market out of iron to show their handiwork. There are columns, beams, arches and looks like it has a geometric shape.
- El Fossa de les Moreres has significant importance for Catalonians. It is a monument to all of the fallen during the Siege of Barcelona in 1714. It marks the gravesite where many people died.
- The Parc de la Ciutadella was built originally as a fortress in order to protect the city. During the Spanish War of Succession, the army fell to the King of Spain. To prevent the Catalans from rebelling, King Phillip V built the fortress. It destroyed many people's homes and left many homeless.
5. September 11, 1714 marks the day that of the defeat of the Aragon Troops during the War of Spanish Succession. They were trying to claim the Spanish throne and after 14 months under siege, were finally defeated by Bourbon King Philip V of Spain. Because of this, many of the Catalan laws were lost under the Nueva Planta decrees. This day became known as National Day of Catalonia and was declared a holiday in 1886. However, due to Franco's regime, it was gotten rid of and then reinstated after in 1980. It is a big holiday and people go to the el Fosser de les Moreres and pay their respects.
6. El Consolat del Mar translates to the Consulate of the Sea. It was set up by the Crown of Aragon to form and enforce maritime and commercial laws. It is also the origin of many Catalan maritime customs. It was established in 1258 by James I of Aragon to settle disputes and in turn the King got financial support for his wars. This was important because if the King was going to expand his rule, he needed to establish rule of the ocean as well. This was crucial for his kingdom and helped establish new customs and laws in the sea.
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