La Model Cultural Centre

This prison building, opened in 1904 in what was then the outskirts of Barcelona, was built with the intention of being an innovative and exemplary prison. Accordingly, its architectural structure is panoptic in form, that is to say, the guard's lodge is at the centre of six galleries, arranged in the shape of a cross from this point.

During Franco's dictatorship, its cells held thousands of political prisoners and also witnessed the last execution by garrotte ordered by General Franco. Today, the prison's Memorial Space recovers and interprets this entire history and does so from the very spaces where the repression and suffering were experienced. The La Model Cultural Centre has become a sociocultural space open to the public, from which to understand and remember its important historical legacy.

How do you get to the La Model Cultural Centre?

From the Eixample stop you can take carrer de Nicaragua north, take carrer de Provença east, following the prison, and at the intersection with carrer d’Entença, go up to access the main gate.

For the more curious

• Did you know that: The refurbishment of the La Model prison was planned as a large green space, conserving the panopticon structure and incorporating, among other facilities, 121 new homes?
• Local's tip: Although you can visit on your own without booking tickets, there is the option of arranging a guided tour, in Catalan or Spanish.
• Essential for: Seeing for yourself what a prison is like: the cells, the corridors and the prison yards.