American inheritance

When in 1898 the Spanish monarch lost the Cuban War and the former colony seized independence, many Catalans who had gone to the Americas came home and built houses that reflected the fortunes they had made across the sea. Some of these entrepreneurs chose to take up residence in the hitherto unpopulated land in the Sant Andreu district. It did not take long for the area to get the name Els Indians. Some houses are preserved from that time, among which the most notable is probably the one known as Torre Rosa, from 1920, now a cocktail bar.

The Eucharistic Congress

In 1952, in a post-war time when society was impoverished and immigration was increasing, the 35th International Eucharistic Congress was held in Barcelona, bringing together a large number of religious leaders from around the world. One of the results of this event was the decision to build various estates for the families of the workers, among which the El Congrés neighbourhood was the most important.

The Congrés Eucharístic Housing Trust bought 16.3 hectares of the old Can Ros estate belonging to the Ros and Ramis families, where it planned the new neighbourhood under a housing model boasting a generous area that offered two facades to ensure ventilation and which included green areas. A short time afterwards, this zone became annexed to the neighbouring area of Els Indians, making it the neighbourhood of contrasts it is today.