The la Rambla works have once again uncovered a section of the medieval wall and one of its ticket gates, remains of the wall that protected the city between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
During the redevelopment works of La Rambla significant archaeological remains of the medieval wall that protected the city have been discovered. The archaeological control works, foreseen in the project, have identified a section of wall and an entrance ticket to the current Plaza del Teatro, in front of the Teatro Principal.
These remains correspond to the original enclosure of La Rambla, built between the end of the 13th century and the middle of the 14th century. Ongoing work has made it possible to document a section of the medieval wall from the mid-14th century, and work is underway to document one of the city’s ticket gates, specifically the Portal de Trentaclaus or dels Ollers, located on the present-day Carrer dels Escudellers, which crosses the Plaça del Teatre.
Another section of wall has also been found at the northern end of La Rambla, near Plaza de Cataluña. Although it is a small and not very visible section, the wall is up to 3 meters high. Excavations are still in progress, therefore, not all the remains have been uncovered.
why is there a fortified gate at Escudellers?
According to historical and archaeological information , in 1285, during a confrontation with France, King Peter II the Great ordered the urgent fortification of Barcelona with walls and wooden towers, except for the sea side. Once the conflict was over, the Consell de Cent took on the task of duly fortifying the city, becoming the first major public work to be carried out by this institution.
The defensive wall included already existing portals such as Boqueria, Portaferrissa or Jonqueres, and added new ones, such as the Portal Nou in 1295. La Rambla was part of this walled perimeter from the early 14th century, which included areas such as Plaza Cataluña, Plaza Urquinaona, Passeig de Sant Joan, Trafalgar Street, Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella.
On the occasion of another war, this time with Castile in 1357, the Consell de Cent decided to improve the walls of the late thirteenth century, including the acquisition of three quarries on the mountain of Montjuïc and the reinforcement of the perimeter of the old city, except for the Raval. The construction work on the Rambla was especially complex, including the relocation of the stream that ran down this street.
