In Canaletas, the legend says that “he who drinks of his water will return to Barcelona”
The fountain most “culé”
A destination almost obliged for tourists, the Canaletas fountain crosses thousands of people, located just at the beginning of the Ramblas, a few steps from Plaça de Catalunya. This modest but emblematic fountain-lantern treasures with a history that makes it one of the unavoidable sources for the tourist and the fan of Futbol Club Barcelona, when its successes allow it.
The source of Canaletas was built in XVIII century but its reaison for bein takes us to the implementation of Rec Comtal, a network of channels launched in the tenth century and operating for almost nine centuries, which was extended in the mid-nineteenth century to bring the water that arrived from the Montcada and Reixac dam. With the arrival of industrialization, the water of the canals became contaminated and the city opened some divergent channels to supply to the Ramblas of less contaminated water. They were called ‘Canaletas’.
The original source came from a deposit located in the Tower of San Severo of the old medieval wall, which supplied the area of the Rambla and the Raval, originally from the eighteenth century. In 1862 the old fountain disappeared with the demolition of the walls and in its place settled two provisional iron sources.
In 1888 the City Council of Barcelona agreed to replace it with another definitive source, a project commissioned to Pere Falqués formed by four sources that would be located in different places of the city. Subsequently it was extended to fourteen sources, awarded to Jaume Rodelles. For that reason, although the one of Canaletas was constructed in 1892, it counts on a good number of ‘twin sisters’ distributed by Barcelona.
Made of cast iron, the fountain has a circular base on which a cup-shaped structure rises with four faucets that pour the water over four circular stacks; On this glass rises a column crowned in turn by four lampposts. With the ornamental tracks on the table, nothing better than to trace a route in search of their ‘relatives’ that we will find, among other locations, in the Portal del Ángel, the main street of Gracia, the round of San Pablo, Or the Plaza de la Barceloneta, among others. In total, there are 17 identical sources.
Today it is celebrated for being scene of the festivities in honor to the victories of the Barça. A tradition that was forged when the followers of the azulgrana club were quoted at the gates of the sports newspaper La Rambla, which was in the habit of presenting the results of football matches using a blackboard. Disappeared in the late 1930s, it should be said that the newspaper was located just in front of the fountain, at number 13 of the Ramblas.
Tradition says that “he who drinks of his water will return to Barcelona.” That is why, by superstition, visitors who wish to return to the city do not hesitate to drink their water if they hope to comply with the saying, whose legend can be read inscribed on a plaque.
EXECUTIVE CHAUFFEUR BARCELONA 