Skateboarding in Barcelona

In recent years, the Catalan capital became worldwide known for something else than Gaudi’s architectural works and the beach. Flat streets, its frequent ups and downs and, in general, a particular urban organization with wide and long streets, made from Barcelona the ideal place for skateboarding lovers.

With the underground you can easily reach the most familiar and accessible places to practice it. Among them there is the MACBA (Metro L3, Liceu), perhaps one of the most frequented places, where there is an excellent ramp and steps. One feature not everyone knows is that that ramp was originally designed to contain and manage those masses of visitors -initially thought- who would have filled the square, forming endless lines to get to see the museum. These lines never happened, and skaters were gradually bringing it to occupy the front of the museum, making this art a more powerful tourist attraction than the MACBA.

In recent years, the Ciutat Vella threatened to renovate the square and ban skatingboarding, but the resulting project was actually an improvement for skaters: more steps, more challenges. Interestingly, Raval traders were the first to oppose to the removal of the skaters, because of fear of economic losses, while the argument of the neighbors (almost unanimously in favor of the ban on skateboarding practice in the square) was the fear to one of those unkempt kids could break their leg while walking. But how many legs have been broken by crashing with a skateboard? Might it be an excuse that reveals a prejudice in the background? Skateboarding has stablished throughout the world as another art (also because now everything can be art, art is more a way of doing things than the “thing” itself).

Skateboarding, closely related to street culture, is not only a sport but a style and a philosophy of life that can be compared to Punk and other subcultures, where the prefix “sub” only indicates a lower numerical participation of individuals with regard to most people. That is a counter-culture, a set of practices and codes and ways of thinking that rebel against the established norms.

To continue mentioning other spaces to skate in Barcelona, there is also Plaza Universitat (Metro L1, Universitat stop), Parallel and Sants Station (a few meters from the Parallel station, L3), the Forum (L4, stop Forum), The Porches and more. The only problem is that on one hand the city seems to be a constant invitation to skate, but otherwise there are very strict laws and rules by which it is literally forbidden to practice. The police, increasingly present, can in extreme case fine up to 1,500€. Therefore, it’s worth paying attention!

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Anyway, if you love skateboarding and you cannot live without it, we suggest you to rent apartments in Barcelona and come to practice this art in a city that seems made for that purpose.

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Translated by: salome antigone
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Tags: arte, Barcelona, cultura, Macba, rampa, skate, skateboarding