Sarrià
The last independent town to be incorporated into Barcelona
A town that was home to the summer houses of the Catalan bourgeoisie is now one of the city’s quietest districts. Sarrià, one of Barcelona’s most prosperous zones, still conserves the small streets and squares of the independent town that it used to be until the early 20th century.
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Why visit the Sarrià district?
The origins of the Sarrià district lie in a municipality mentioned as Sirriano in 986 that by the late 15th century had developed a substantial nucleus around the church and the farmhouses outside the village. In the 16th and 17th centuries numerous summer homes were built in Sarrià by Barcelona’s well-to-do classes who left behind them an architectural legacy that is still evident in the district.
In fact, in the early 20th century Sarrià became one of the richest and most populous towns on the plain of Barcelona, which since the 1860s had sought its incorporation. Sarrià was against this annexation and was the only village on the plain apart from Horta that was able to resist the incorporation plan implemented in 1897. However, in 1921 the aggregation cause was taken up again and, despite the opposition of its population, a royal decree was issued to incorporate what was then the only independent town left on the plain.
The Sarrià district still retains the charm of the village that had so enraptured Barcelona’s population, thanks to its small, narrow streets and quiet squares off Carrer Major de Sarrià and its former summer homes, some in the Modernista style, which can be seen in the old centre at Plaça de Sant Vicenç and Passatge de Mallofré. Its most outstanding constructions include Casa Orlandai, a Modernista gem with splendid stained-glass windows and interior decoration, Sarrià market and the Col·legi de les Teresianes, designed by Gaudí.
How do you get to Sarrià?
Hop off at the Sarrià stop on the Blue Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic to explore the district.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? Sarrià is home to one of Barcelona’s most famous pastry shops, Foix de Sarrià, which was established more than 125 years ago. The writer J. V. Foix, the son of the founder of the pastry shop, gave up pastries in favour of poems to become one of the greatest figures of Catalan literature.
- Local’s tip: If you prefer "patates braves" to sweet pastries, you should visit Bar Tomás, on Carrer Major de Sarrià, which according to many of Barcelona's residents serves the city’s best portions of this quintessential Spanish tapa consisting of fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce.
- A must: To discover a part of the city unscathed by tourism.
