The Poble Sec neighborhood is only a little over 150 years old. Construction began in 1869, when the ban on building in the so-called third controversial area was lifted. This was the name given to the areas where activity was limited for military reasons. They were delimited from the castle of Montjuïc. There were three perimeters of controversial areas that were marked by concrete markers numbered and identified with the letters ZP. Some of these cairns still remain.
The first controversial area was located 625 meters around the castle, which was the equivalent of the distance to the supply of a carabiner shot. In those limits it was forbidden to build, cultivate and plant trees. The second was set at 960 meters, the range of an artillery shot, and limitations were recorded there for each type of construction. The third controversial area was up to the walls, where only small constructions of only five meters in height were authorized.
Few of the cairns that marked these limits have survived to this day, but it is still possible to find some. For example number 24, located behind the Museu d'Arqueologia. It is located between one of the landscaped areas of Paseo de Santa Madrona, and although it is somewhat vandalized, its number and the ZP of the controversial area are clearly visible. Also follow the foot number 29.
But perhaps the most unique and that perfectly shows its use is on Margarit street. It is a small remains that only preserves the ZP identifier embedded in the wall of number 102. It belonged to the set of milestones that marked the limits of the second controversial area. The curious thing about what remains of this landmark is that it is in the middle of the estate, so that it separates the house from the garden.
The house stands on what was the third controversial area, while the garden occupies the part corresponding to the second, where the ban on building had not yet been lifted.
