Barcelona Llibres

The Book of Fountains in the present city of Barcelona is a manuscript held in the Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona containing knowledge about Barcelona's drinking water supply in the mid 17th century. It was written in 1650 by master builder Francesc Socies, who had the job of “mestre de les fonts”, or water officer, and was therefore responsible for ensuring that the system for collecting, channelling and distributing water in the city functioned correctly.

The Llibre de les fonts describes the city’s hydraulic drinking water network, formed of water mines, underground and surface conduits, ventilation wells and fountains. In addition to almost certainly being the first description of a major itinerary in Barcelona, it enables us to understand how water was managed in a Mediterranean city in the modern age. This document is vital for understanding the history of Barcelona and is an exceptional document in the European context.

With the publication of this edition, we are making known the contents of the original book, thus breaking the condition imposed by the Consell de Cent in the mid 17th century. This edition includes the transcription of the manuscript preceded by seven studies written from an interdisciplinary perspective that cover the history, urban planning and historical climatology, providing both an overview of the political, social, cultural and environmental context in which Francesc Socies lived and worked and arguments for understanding and appreciating the scope and the content of his book.