Tuesday, 17 October 2023
The past and future of the 'Mercat del Peix' in exhibition: from fish market to advanced research complex
The exhibition, inaugurated on October 6, will be hosted at the Ciutadella Vila Olímpica station of the Barcelona metro until October 31.
While construction work is progressing on the new research centre of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) at the Old Fish Market (Antic Mercat del Peix), the Pompeu Fabra University and Mercabarna, in collaboration with Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), has launched an exhibition titled 'The Antic Mercat del Peix: Past and Future', hosted at the Ciutadella Vila Olímpica station of the Barcelona metro.
The exhibition, which can be visited until October 31, consists of nine large-format panels. On them, the history of the Old Fish Market in its commercial use is traced, through photos provided by Mercabarna, together with the future BIST research complex under construction, which visitors can imagine and preview thanks to beautiful rendered images.
The research on precision medicine, biodiversity and planetary well-being that the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF) and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) will develop in the new complex, respectively, is also visually illustrated.
The exhibition has been inaugurated on October 6, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the transfer of the Mercat del Peix from the original building in Carrer Wellington to the Mercabarna installations in the Zona Franca. The event was attended by the Rector of Pompeu Fabra University, Laia de Nadal, the President of Mercabarna, Jordi Valls, and the managing director of TMB, Gerardo Lertxundi.
The Old Fish Market in Carrer Wellington was the first permanent wholesale fish market in the city. It was inaugurated in 1931, remodelled and enlarged in 1953 and was active until 1983, when, following the market's transfer to the new Mercabarna installations in the Zona Franca, it fell into disuse. After a period of use as a municipal vehicle depot and, since 1996, as a public car park, it is now being remodelled to house the new BIST hub, dedicated to precision medicine, which will consist of 45,000 m2 and house about 1,400 researchers.
Image: From left to right, Jordi Valls, Laia de Nadal, Gerardo Lertxundi. [Cradit: UPF]