With its modernist profile and renovated interiors, the Central Market is the living history of Zaragoza. Located a few meters from Plaza del Pilar, thousands of souls pass through its corridors every day. Some order the genre to later be able to sell it; others carry lists from which they cross off items as they fill the car; and there are also those who just walk and exchange a few words between potatoes, hake or sausages before having a vermouth. A very lively ecosystem that has just turned 120 years old, converted into an emblematic point for residents and tourists and a reference center for local trade in the capital.
Because if there is one thing that those who come to this market stand out for, it is the quality of the relationships established between customers and merchants. "Fresh produce, at a good price and served with a smile, what more can I ask for," jokes Inés, a young neighbor from the area. "I used to go shopping with my mother when I was a kid, and now I'm the one who comes with my family on weekends so they can enjoy the atmosphere," highlights Miguel, already in his forties.
The managing director of the market, Fernando Benito, believes that there are several points that define the uniqueness of this souk. “First, because it is an emblem of the city and its people, who feel it as theirs as the Pilar or other monuments”, he assures. He also highlights its central location, which allows it to supply the entire city and its surroundings, and that it is the largest in all of Aragon. "And there is also its price and competitiveness, with lower prices than a large store and the value of the proximity relationship, something that the client values highly," he adds.
The figures are also a good example of the importance of this souk, which receives some 2.5 million visits each year. To this day, its interior houses 74 stalls dedicated to various tasks -cod, butchers, delicatessens, frozen foods, pickles, florists, fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, bakery, fishmongers, poultry, menu items, varied food- and another four at the hostelry. In addition, it is an important source of employment, since it has about 300 workers between positions, administration and management. What is not known is how much is billed within its walls, one of its best kept secrets.
Beyond its role as a food market, the building has also become a pole of tourist attraction. "It is a potential market for local hotels, visitors love to have a drink while enjoying the atmosphere and the building itself," says Benito in this regard.
After centuries in which the Zaragoza market was held in the open air around the Puerta de Toledo, the city decided at the end of the 19th century to erect a building to house the stalls. Listed as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), it was designed in 1895 by the Aragonese architect Félix Navarro. The building, with a rectangular floor plan and three naves, was commissioned by the Sociedad Nuevo Mercado de Zaragoza, and was part of the current of modernism, the essence of which the architect imbibed in Paris after visiting the Universal Exposition of 1889. Work began in 1902, and the market was inaugurated in 1903. During the foundation phase, they had to blow up the remains of the Roman wall that were in the subsoil.
In its long history it has experienced troubled moments. One of the worst took place in the 1970s, when the City Council wanted to create a large avenue, the so-called Vía Imperial, which, in order to join the Puerta del Carmen with the banks of the Ebro, contemplated the demolition of this building, a fate from which the popular refusal to see it reduced to rubble. Another was last 2020 when, with the market recently opened after its last major renovation -16 months of works and an investment of 8.8 million euros-, the pandemic broke out with force, a delicate moment in which they managed to stay afloat. thanks to the sale 'online'.
Fernando Benito values that reform, which was so well received by the public and "served to adopt the market to the 21st century with large and bright spaces." As he confirms, the next step will be to replace the windows at the top with others "with a hydraulic system with automatic opening and closing" that allows solving the building's air conditioning problems from within.
Another of the great challenges that they have to face is the generational change at the head of the positions. "There is still relief, but it is much more difficult to find professionals now," confirms Benito. For this reason, from the market itself they have asked the institutions to create a specific professional training degree, in which the secrets of the trade are taught as well as training in how to make a business viable (management, marketing and social networks, etc.).
They are also committed to continuing with the digitization of the market, the reform of the website and with consumer incentive programs such as 'Volveremos', promoted by the City Council and which is very well received. "It was a brutal oxygen ball after the pandemic, and its acceptance continues to be very great, especially in the months of Christmas shopping," confirmed Benito.
