Barcelona Districts: Sant Martí

This district of Barcelona is perhaps the best example of the "New Barcelona" following the rejuvenation of the city boosted by the 1992 Olympics, when city officials, architects and designers took on the task of building one of the most up-to-date and ambitious architectural projects in modern times.

Examples of this modernisation can be found in the old neighbourhoods of Poble Nou, El Parc i la Llacuna del Poblenou and Provençals de Poblenou, but most prominently noticeable have been the impressive changes carried out in the neighbourhoods of La Vila Olímpica del Poblenou and the Diagonal Mar and Front Marítim del Poblenou, an area where the beaches of Nova Icària and Bogatell are located. Further north you will also find the beaches of Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella, Llevant and Zona banys Fòrum.

Next to the Vila Olímpica marina you will find some of the most outstanding changes to the city’s skyline, with two magnificent skyscrapers and an impressive metal sculpture of a golden fish.

Best known as a beach and entertainment area, La Vila Olímpica acts as a popular meeting place for young people and families alike and there are plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from, as well as nightclubs which ensure the area comes alive when the sun goes down!

La Vila Olímpica del Poblenou also houses a wide range of shops and a huge multi-screen cinema which shows new releases in English. Just look out for ‘V.O.’ (Version Original) written after the movie title on the boards if you fancy watching a film in its original language.

In the year 2000 Barcelona City Council approved new urban planning legislation aimed at transforming the old industrial area of Poblenou, which originally housed obsolete factories that had long ago been abandoned or were simply not very productive, into a magnet for new activities.

Since then, there has been a spectacular surge in construction, with more public park spaces and green areas, not to mention subsidised housing, with the previous industrial activity being replaced by offices or other business services relating to new technologies and know-how so it was created the 22@.

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