Sant Andreu was originally an agricultural community, which became one of the city’s main industrial and retail districts. In recent years, the area has evolved at a rapid pace, with improvements being made to abandoned industrial sites and derelict plots of land which have been incorporated into the traditional areas of Sant Andreu, with its main square, the Plaça del Mercadal, and the church of Sant Andreu del Palomar.

Barcelona’s ninth district has probably been most affected by the urban transformation of the city which has also helped improve transport and road links and enhanced areas that have fallen into decline in recent decades. The coming of the high-speed train (AVE) to Sant Andreu, at La Sagrera station, has altered the urban layout of areas such as the southernmost part of La Sagrera, Baró del Viver and Bonpastor.

This is a district where Barcelona’s most modern and innovative side blends with an old part of town comprising the village of Sant Andreu del Palomar, which has remained largely unchanged. It is a compact place, full of charm, with squares and narrow streets, where the retail trade and cultural life, inherited from a neighbourhood with a rural, blue-collar tradition, provides all kinds of entertainment and fun for locals and visitors alike.