This weekend, the 48H Open House Barcelona returns for another year, an opportunity to explore the inner workings of emblematic buildings in the city that are not usually open to the public, as well as to discover the secrets of others that were not even known to exist. On Saturday and Sunday, a total of 182 buildings will be accessible with free guided tours, most of them located in the Catalan capital, but also with the option of taking a stroll through L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Vilassar de Dalt, and Sitges. A thousand volunteers will make this possible, in charge of making these spaces accessible, showing their other side for 48 hours.
In this edition, already the fourteenth, the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner will have special importance, with this open-door weekend as the culmination of the celebration of the centenary of the architect's death. Some of his creations can be visited, such as the Castell dels Tres Dragons, the Casa Lleó Morera, the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya, the Palau Montaner, the Fundación Antoni Tàpies and, as it could not be otherwise, the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau and the Palau de la Música.
In addition to the tribute to Domènech i Montaner, this edition includes the incorporation of about fifty new properties. Among them, the old Governor's Palace, in Ciutadella, stands out, as well as the headquarters of institutions such as the Institut Català de Salut (ICS), the Distrito Administrativo de la Generalitat, the Institut del Teatre, and the Cidob, former Colegio de Sant Guillem d'Aquitània. Other novelties are beyond the borders of the Catalan capital, such as the Recinte Torribera in Santa Coloma and Ca L'Esquena Cremat in L'Hospitalet.
Everyone can find what interests them most. There are those who want panoramic views and for that, they can enter the Torre Urquinaona, the Castell de Torre Baró, the Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) or the Renaissance Barcelona Fira Hotel, by Jean Nouvel, in Plaza Europa. There is also an abundant offer of homes to discover, with the possibility of accessing more than 20 private houses to see how architects innovate to respond to current main challenges, whether to be more sustainable or achieve greater integration.
For those who prefer to discover many things in a short time, there are itineraries that wander through different locations. A route that approaches the evolution of social housing in the Zona Franca stands out, and another that analyzes the figure of the Puig i Gairalt brothers, essential architects for L'Hospitalet. Sitges also invites you to explore its center, with recommended annexes such as the Hotel Romàntic. And, although it moves away from architecture, Sant Joan Despí proposes a very necessary itinerary that reviews the history of the Llobregat river. You can also go to the other side to visit a biodiversity refuge in the Besòs river. Of course, the classics of each year are not missing, such as the Modelo, the views from Arc de Triomf, the Escuela Industrial, Seat's collection of historic cars and the TRAM depots in San Joan Despí or those of TMB in the Zona Franca.
The architecture festival, recently awarded by the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, has been registering attendance records for years. Last year it managed to attract 76,400 visitors, almost 20% more than in the previous edition. This year it is expected to exceed 70,000 attendees again. In fact, the fifty spaces that required prior registration to visit sold out as soon as they were released. For those who missed out on tickets, the organization asks for patience and reminds them that, when a building arouses so much passion, it is included again in the next edition.
Knowing that queues often form at the most interesting buildings, the 48H Open House organization provides visitors with a real-time map. It can be consulted through the festival's website or social networks to know at all times how long the wait is in each of the spaces.