Poble Espanyol was built as a walk-through architectural survey for Barcelona’s 1929 Universal Exposition. Its designers studied more than 1,600 settlements before assembling a village-like complex, which was meant to be temporary but survived because visitors and the city chose to keep it.
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The buildings here are arranged to suggest a village, but the complex began as an exhibit about architecture across Spain. Four designers—Miquel Utrillo, Xavier Nogués, Francesc Folguera, and Ramon Reventós—visited more than 1,600 settlements while preparing the project for the 1929 Universal Exposition. Construction began in 1928, and the site opened in May 1929.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Poble Espanyol opened in 1929 for the Barcelona Universal Exposition.
- Its creators visited more than 1,600 villages during research.
- The original plan was to demolish the complex after the exposition.
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