CABLE CAR OF BARCELONA
Cable car of Barcelona.
Do you like to fly over the port area of Barcelona and reach the Montjuic?
Well cable car of Barcelona is what you need. From the most famous beach of Barceloneta to the famous promontory: The Montjuic. You can ceck tickets and time table here.
Few numbers to keep in mind:
- An architect, two important dates and three stations.
- Carles Buigas designed the structure for the exhibition of 1929 but 1931 was the year of inauguration.
- The three stations: the towers of St. Sebastien, St. Jaume and Miramar.
In ten minutes you will arrive at Montjuic enjoying a unique panorama with Barcelona city at your feet.
That’s my story:
From the most famous beach of Barceloneta, stands a strange and imposing steel structure. Intrigued, I find that it’s called the S. Sebastian’s tower, a starting point to reach the terrace that overlooks the Montjuic. I’m talking about the most famous cable car of Barcelona. In less than 10 minutes you can admire the harbor, Mapfre towers, the Eixample, Sagrada Familia Temple and Tibidabo. So I decide to buy tickets and meanwhile I notes that the cable car has two towers. S. Sebastian is 70 and the other S. Jaume of 101 mt. They seems like two giants who guard the city in constant tremor.
The Panoramana that opens beneath my feet is very impressive. From the terrace I take a picture, or rather two. I enjoy the view a couple of minutes and slowly return home for a different way. I decide to take a look at the pictures. The black and white style seems the most appropriate due by the light and contrasts. Leaving two particular photos, almost gloomy and mysterious, the image resulted puts me to dig deep into the history of the cable car.
Besides the usual technical data finally I find more news on the towers not quite cheerful. The project already from the start is delayed, and the inauguration will take place only two years after the exposure. Due by the sea weather the steel structure needed a strong maintenance. Gradually digging deeper new facts emerge. During the civil war the transit service from sea to mountain is decommissioned. The towers from 1936 were used as post guard complete with machine guns. A sad fallback for a funicular.
But the most of all gruesome part happens in 1954 with an elicopter of the Northamerican Sixth Fleet. The aircraft shearing the cables that connect the towers as a result the pilots died. A past a little eerie and suffered for this popular attraction of Barcelona. Today the towers are no longer post guard but have restaurants. And the old cabins have been replaced. Traveling on the funicular of Montjuic returns and remains an exciting experience.
The towers seems a little bit tired from the long and heavy history but still strong and austere.
Marco Pachiega.