The archaeological excavation in the Abaceria market has left visible some of the remains of the old Puigmartí textile factory, better known as Vapor Nou, located on this site from 1839 and destroyed in 1876 by a fire. It was one of the most important of the time dedicated to the cotton industry and at its peak it employed 800 people. On the other hand, vineyard ditches from an earlier stage have also been documented, which could belong to the 17th-18th centuries.
The forecast is that the archaeological work will last about six weeks and will be finished at the beginning of April. These works are part of the phase prior to the construction of the new Abaceria de la Vila de Gràcia market, inaugurated in 1892 to organize the activities of the farmers who came to the neighboring Plaza de la Revolució.
In a visit this Tuesday to the market works in the Vila de Gràcia neighborhood, the archaeologists explained that they already had evidence that in the subsoil there were a set of structures related to this old factory when an archaeological study was carried out before the start of works in 2021.
This week, joint work began between the Institut Municipal de Mercats de Barcelona and the municipal archeology service to document the remains. The site where the intervention is being carried out occupies a space of 3,860 square meters and is included in an area of archaeological interest and high historical value.
