The City Police are offering members of the public the chance to visit their stables as part of the architecture festival 48H Open House Barcelona over the weekend of 22 and 23 October. Guided tours will be conducted between 10 am and 2 pm, with no need to book in advance.
Located in C/ Wellington, the stables are housed in the former machine room from the Barcelona Universal Expo of 1888. The building was designed by the architect Adrià Casademont and constructed according to the parameters of modernity at that time (three halls covered by a metal structure). After the Expo, it was partially demolished and affected by the new layout for C/ Wellington. Today’s building conserves the main façade (facing the Parc de la Ciutadella) and the rear section of the halls.
There will also be a display from the Dog Section on Sunday at 10.30 am, showing how the dogs work in different police situations. After that, at 11.45 am, the Mounted Unit will be offering their carousel display, a choreography of horses and riders set to music and recognised around Europe. The display has been given at events in cities such as London, Vienna, Verona, Brussels and Geneva. At 12.30 pm there will also be a presentation of two new horses.
Every year, the 48H Open House Barcelona festival programme highlights a topic with the goal of people in the city enjoying architecture in a different way. In 2022, the initiative commemorates trades as a way of recognising all disciplines, as well as the professionals that make architecture something global.