Sant Andreu covered market

In the mid-nineteenth century, Barcelona City Council promoted the construction of covered markets to regulate the many street vendor who set up their stalls in the open air all around the city. In those times, Sant Andreu de Palomar was still an independent township, and local farmers continued to gather in Plaça de Marcadal to sell their wares directly to local residents.

When, in 1897, Sant Andreu de Palomar became Barcelona’s ninth district, the City Council decided to provide it with a well-equipped, covered, safe facility. The square was therefore roofed by a steel structure in 1914, whilst the interior was furnished at a later date.

Plaça Mercadal

This square was conceived in the mid-19th century in a neoclassical style with porticos, which were subsequently used for dwellings. It was the cen­tre of commercial life in the old town of Sant Andreu de Palomar. The old Mercat de Sant Andreu (1914) is in the middle of the square.

Lifelong stalls

Many of the vendors who work on the stalls at the Mercat de Sant Andreu today are descendants of the original street sellers, and some are even fourth or fifth generation stallholders. The centenary in 2014 was a celebration that brought a lot of joy to the whole neighbourhood, along with a renewed sense of optimism with which to face the century’s new challenges, including refurbishment of the market itself.