The opening of the Pescadores pier to the public represents another step in the
comprehensive renovation of this space, in which nearly 14
million euros.

Citizens will be able to access the Clock Tower and witness the
fish auction at the new Fishermen’s Market, offering a
unprecedented perspective of Port Vell and the work of the fishermen.

The new fish market and its integration into the port has been awarded the
Ciutat de Barcelona Award for Architecture and Urbanism.

As of today, the Port of Barcelona has a new dock open to citizens. The Pescadores wharf has opened its doors after a comprehensive renovation process that highlights the city’s fishing tradition and brings it closer to the people of Barcelona, ​​who will be able to see the work of the fishermen live and witness the fish auction.

The opening of the dock, which incorporates nearly 2,500 square meters to the public access spaces of Port Vell, will allow access to the new Fishermen’s Market, from where it will be possible to see live the arrival of the boats and the unloading of the catch as well as its auction. Barcelona residents will also be able to reach the Clock Tower, listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest and, with more than 250 years of history, the oldest and most emblematic building in the Port de
Barcelona.

The new access to the Pescadors wharf culminates the transformation process of this space, where in recent years nearly 14 million euros have been invested to improve the equipment available to the Barcelona Fishermen’s Guild and make them compatible with opening to the public. The star of this transformation has been the new Fishermen’s Market, inaugurated last spring, but which has also included a new ice factory, the renewal of the water and electricity connections to the dock and a photovoltaic pergola for the netting yard. The reform has been completed this winter with a development of the access that will allow citizens to access the fish market.

The new Clock Tower promenade allows citizens to reach the Clock Tower and the Fishermen’s Market.

The process of opening and transforming the pier, however, does not end here. The new Fishermen’s Market includes space for a local Mediterranean cuisine restaurant. The opening of this new space will complete the market’s offering to bring the work of fishermen and their local product even closer to the public. The new building and, specifically, its authors, Carlos Ferrater, Lucía Ferrater and Jesús Coll, have been awarded the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona d’Arquitectura i Urbanisme for their “integration into the Port and the openness to the citizens of the activity that is carried out.”

A more modern and sustainable dock

Among the pending actions in the area, the existing sheds will also be rehabilitated and, covering them with solar panels, the energy community of the Pescadors wharf will be completed, with the capacity to generate 376 MWh per year. A new green point will also be installed for the management of waste generated by fishing activity, financed in part by the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.

The works, which once completed will total more than 20 million euros of investment, will culminate in the medium term with the redevelopment of Escar Street and access to the dock to the Clock Tower. This intervention, for which the basic project is already being prepared, will provide urban continuity between Paseo Joan de Borbó and the public area of ​​the Pescadors wharf. Along with the future entry into service of a ferry that will connect the Pescadors wharf and the Espanya wharf, where the Maremàgnum is located, the renovation and opening of the Pescadors wharf will also facilitate mobility between the Barceloneta and Ciutat Vella neighborhoods.

The president of the Port of Barcelona, ​​José Alberto Carbonell, recalled that, for a long time, the public had restricted access to the Pescadors wharf. “It has the most important building in the Port of Barcelona, ​​the Clock Tower, which can now be visited again, while opening the doors for citizens to learn about the work and product of the fishermen, attending the fish auction live.”

Citizens can go to the Fishermen’s Market, which has a walkway and viewing points to see live the arrival of the ships, the unloading of the fish and its auction.

David Pino, director of Port Vell, has placed the opening of the Pescadors wharf in the context of the transformation process of the most civic area of ​​the Port of Barcelona. “It is one more example of the port-city model that we want and on which we are building the Port Vell of the future. A port that maintains the activity and the seafaring essence and brings it closer to the citizens, opening quality spaces that consolidate it as a pole of attraction for the people of Barcelona.”

From the Fishermen’s Guild, the senior patron, José Manuel Juárez, has claimed the leadership of the group in terms of innovation and sustainability: “We are a benchmark in the Mediterranean,” he assured, affirming that “with the collaboration of the community, we can value our beauty and our product.”

Albert Batlle, third deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council, highlighted that the transformation of Port Vell is renewing “the marriage between the city and the port” and took advantage of the event to vindicate “the push of the residents of Barceloneta to not lose the neighborhood’s seafaring spirit, adding that “with the collaboration of citizens, we can value our work and our product.”

For his part, the secretary general of the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, Jordi Terradas, has placed emphasis on “the sustainable nature of all the equipment” thanks to its photovoltaic installation, adding that “today we have taken another step in the integration of the Port’s activity into the life of the city.”