Port Vell

Barcelona's old Customs building
The old Customs building photo from 1971 shows the Cristobal Columbus' Santa Maria replica (no longer moored there), and missing the new Port Vell marina walkway
Port Vell's marina
Port Vell at night

Port Vell (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpɔɾd ˈbeʎ], literally in English "Old Harbor") is a waterfront harbor in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and part of the Port of Barcelona. It was built as part of an urban renewal program prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Before this, it was a run-down area of empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories. 16 million people visit the complex each year.[1]

It is now a focal point of the city and tourist attraction, containing the Maremàgnum (a mall containing shops, a multiplex cinema, bars and restaurants), IMAX Port Vell and Europe's largest aquarium containing 8000 fish and 11 sharks contained in 22 basins filled with six million litres (1.6 million US gallons) of seawater. A pedestrian walkway, Rambla de Mar, connects La Rambla to Port Vell.[2] It incorporates a swing bridge, in order to allow ships to enter and exit the harbour.[3]

  1. ^ "Port De Barcelona".
  2. ^ "Port Vell, Barcelona". A View on Cities. Archived from the original on 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  3. ^ "Port Vell - Rambla de Mar". Port De Barcelona website. Archived from the original on 2009-03-27. Retrieved 2010-03-02.