Olympic Village
The most significant urban development of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games
The home of the athletes during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games is a symbol of the regeneration of the city’s urban coastline and industrial land. The Olympic Village was built due to the need to create a residential space for the athletes participating in Barcelona ’92, but its goals were even more ambitious: this urban renewal project gave the city not only a modern residential neighbourhood but also new beaches, large gardened areas and public facilities.
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Why visit the Olympic Village?
The Olympic Village was built in the old and dilapidated industrial zone of Poblenou. The aim was to build a residential district for the athletes who were to participate in the 1992 Olympic Games, while at the same time recovering the seafront and creating green spaces and recreational areas.
It was designed by a team of architects led by Oriol Bohigas, Josep Martorell, David Mackay and Albert Puigdomènech, who implemented a major urban development which gave rise to the Olympic Port and Port Olímpic Park, the Nova Icària beach, and an entire spacious district that is not only on the seafront, but also full of green areas.
Apart from some tall chimneys that echo the district’s industrial past, the skyline is dominated by the Torre Mapfre and Hotel Arts. The initial project contemplated the construction of four skyscrapers, but coastal regulations only allowed two to be built. In addition to the sports and leisure zone of the Olympic Port, the renovated facilities of some old military barracks are home to one of the campuses of Pompeu Fabra University. The university library occupies the singular Dipòsit de les Aigües building, a transformed water tank that used to supply the fountain of the neighbouring Ciutadella Park.
How do you get to the Olympic Village?
Hop off at the Port Olímpic - Zoo stop on the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic to explore the Olympic Village.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? The Olympic Village respects the population density initially stipulated in the Cerdà Plan, something that the Eixample was not able to achieve.
- Local’s tip: Due to its wide streets, parks and proximity of the beach, the Olympic Village is one of the best areas for all kinds of sports, not just aquatic ones, especially cycling, jogging and skating.
- A must: To see the legacy of the Olympic Games.
