Torre Baró finally appears on the map of Barcelona. One of the last neighborhoods -physically, socially and mentally- of the city, it is taking shape in the citizen imaginary thanks to the film “El 47”, which tells the story of the struggle of a neighbor who managed to bring public transport to the neighborhood.
Now , 46 years later, taking advantage of this wave, Barcelona has wanted to pay tribute to the protagonist of this story, Manolo Vital, the man who drove the hijacked bus to Torre Baró to show that the neighborhood could have its own public transport.
It has done so by dedicating to him the bus stop where Vital drove the bus half a century ago. A plaque has been installed there, turning the station into a space of memory where his career as a neighborhood activist and, especially, the episode of the kidnapping are remembered.
At the same time, the tribute has been completed with the announcement that the traffic circle where this stop is located will take the name of the activist and will become Manolo Vital’s square.
The event was attended by Joana Vital, granddaughter of the activist, as well as neighbors, public figures and the director of the film “El 47”, Marcel Barrena, who has revitalized the story of Vital on the big screen and TMB drivers who continue to provide bus service, now with lines 182 (Pl. Virrei Amat – Torre Baró), 183 (Barrios Zona Norte), the bus on demand of Torre Baró North and South, as well as with the metro network with line 11.