* The author is part of the community of La Vanguardia readers
The name of this street has a very distant history. People who have followed my articles will already know that I related it in July 2023 with the article about the church of Santa Madrona, the first patron saint of Barcelona, before Santa Eulalia and then in the current Virgen de la Mercè.
The old walls had a gate known as Puerta de Santa Madrona (the only one currently preserved with its name).
With the demolition of the walls, the City Council decided to give the name Portal de Santa Madrona to this street that runs from Parallel to the old Rambla de Santa Mónica. A street that in its beginnings had nothing to do with the religious origins of the saint, since during the end of the 19th century and part of the 20th century, the place was one of those that offered shows and scenes that were not at all edifying.
The reason, its proximity to the old port, aggravated by the location of the missing Las Atarazanas barracks on the sea side and, finally, the fact that being in a sparsely inhabited place, the authorities allowed freedoms that were not allowed elsewhere. they would have consented.
On the sidewalk on the mountain side, a series of establishments were allowed to open that, due to their offer, made a quiet and peaceful coexistence among its inhabitants impossible, which made the area impassable for those citizens who were looking for a quiet and healthy environment without enduring other elements. alterers.
But, how could a peaceful coexistence without fights be achieved if the City Council had agreed to open a series of establishments like the ones I am going to relate below?
On the ground floor of the building at number 6, the old Gambrinus dancing bar was opened and on the upper floors one of the most famous furniture of the moment, the Mont d'Or (Golden Mountain), was located.
At number 8 it was occupied by Café Paris and the Alemana establishment (one of the so-called hygiene stores that the city had in the area). These establishments opened near the brothels offering the sale of current condoms and also, to the clients of the brothels, a special disinfectant wash to prevent them from suffering from the dreaded venereal diseases.
At number 10, another new hostess bar-dancing, which offered music and performances by a group of cheerful ladies known as Las Leandras.
On the 14th we again found one of the Bar Mundial (that the city had) and next to it another entertainment venue, the Red Lion dancing.
But the atmosphere continued. Luckily this time the open place only served to quench hunger or thirst and to gain strength or satisfy appetite. I mean the Manquet tavern.
But at the exit, the client could finish the party with the brothels Cal Manco on 22, La Isabel on 24 and, if these were full, two more were waiting for him at 26, La Rosa and El Curro.
As you can see, the area at that time was not the most recommended for driving at late hours of the day and especially when alcohol and drugs began to take effect. For many years it was a marginal street due to a lack of control by the authorities of the time.
Subsequently, it improved in 1902 when the City Council, which had decided to eliminate the mobile stalls selling used books, decided to install a group of 20 wooden huts at the entrance to the street on the Rambla de Santa Mónica in which readers continuously They will find a fixed place where they can buy used books.
The first news was given by La Vanguardia on June 22, 1902, when it published the news of the imminent opening of the used book stalls at the Portal de Santa Madrona.
The stops were inaugurated coinciding with the Mercè festivities next to the old convent of Santa Mónica. Permanently, 20 wooden huts so that regular readers could continue their need to read and not have to wait for the installation of the street markets.
With the urbanization of that part of the Rambla, the demolition of the old Atarazanas barracks, the construction of the Navy Command building, the elimination in 1967 of the book stalls and the suppression of the hostess establishments allowed the regeneration of the area.
Subsequently, the new structuring of the metro lines, the original Lesseps – Liceo, was segregated into lines 3 and 4, and the Drassanes line 3 station was built at the Portal de Santa Madrona.
In addition, the construction of new buildings, including that of the Municipal Institute of Urban Landscape and Quality of Life (IMPUQV), regenerated the area.
