Sant Martí

The former Farinera del Clot stands on one side of the Plaça de les Glòries, and its new facilities have been open since 1995. Long gone is the industrial past of an aesthetically elegant building which combines the characteristic elements of the original mill with contemporary structures.

Founded in 1852, the Farinera del Clot was one of the most important flour mills in Catalonia and at one stage produced 36% of the country’s flour. Initially the mill was used as a grain warehouse but following refurbishment and expansion in 1908 was transformed into a magnificent factory complex in the Catalan art-nouveau, or modernista, style with its characteristic decorative elements and materials such as brick, iron, ceramics and glass.

If you look more closely at the flour mill, you’ll discover many of these elements on the outside walls of the building and, once inside, you’ll be able to see some of the machinery originally used at the mill which has been preserved and made an integral part of the building that was refurbished in 1995. Since then, Barcelona City Council has provided the local residents of Clot with a new multidisciplinary social and cultural facility by using the areas inside the old flour mill. The centre specialises in three core areas: new communication and information technologies, a neighbourhood association and a historic archive about what was one of the busiest factories in Sant Martí until well into the 20th century.