Former Municipalities of Barcelona explained

The municipality of Barcelona is the result of the annexation in the late 19th and early 20th century of the different municipalities that were formerly in the plain of Barcelona.

The Nueva Planta decrees of the 18th century eliminated the autochthonous governing bodies of the territory of Barcelona, based on the representation of the different citizen branches in the Consejo de Ciento (Council of One Hundred), and they were replaced by absolutist bodies of royal designation. With the Cadiz Constitution of 1812, the city councils were created as bodies of popular representation and, with them, the municipalities.

At that time the city of Barcelona was what is now called Ciutat Vella. Its boundaries also included Montjuic, the Pueblo Seco, and most of the territory of the later Ensanche, but these were practically undeveloped lands. In 1839 an exchange with the municipality of Santa Maria de Sants incorporated the land near the Creu Coberta (today's neighborhoods of Hostafrancs and La Font de la Guatlla) to Barcelona in exchange for some land in La Marina de Port.^[1]

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Barcelona annexed the rest of the municipalities of the surrounding plain. With substantial differences, the configuration of these former municipalities served to design the ten districts into which the city is currently divided.

Former municipalities

!Name of the municipality!Year of creation!Annexed to!Year of annexation!Current district of Barcelona!Comments

Les Corts de Sarrià	1823^[2] 1836	Barcelona	1897	Les Corts	Segregation of Sarriá. It also included part of the territory of the Nueva Izquierda del Ensanche. It did not include Pedralbes (in the former municipality of Sarrià). Boundaries with Sants are in discussion
Gràcia	1821^[3] 1850	Barcelona	1897	Gràcia	Segregation of Barcelona. It also included parts of the Eixample, Sant Gervasi-Galvany, and Baix Guinardó. It did not include neither El Coll nor Vallcarca y los Penitentes (in the former municipality of Horta).
Horta		Barcelona	1904^[4]	Horta-Guinardó	It also included El Coll, and Vallcarca y los Penitentes (now belonging to Gràcia). It did not include El Guinardó, Can Baró, Font d'en Fargas, or parts of Baix Guinardó (in the former municipalities of San Martín de Provensals and San Andrés de Palomar).
Sant Andreu de Palomar		Barcelona	1897^[5]	San Andrés and Nou Barris	It also included part of Guinardó and Font d'en Fargas (now part of Horta-Guinardó). It did not include La Sagrera or Navas (in the former municipality of Sant Martí de Provençals). The eastern sector of El Buen Pastor and Baró de Viver belonged to Santa Coloma de Gramenet.
Sant Gervasi de Cassoles		Barcelona	1897^[6]	Sarrià-Sant Gervasi	It included Sant Gervasi-Galvany, Sant Gervasi-La Bonanova, Putget i Farró and Tibidabo.
Sant Martí de Provençals		Barcelona	1897^[7]	San Martín	It also included Can Baró and most of Baix Guinardó and Guinardó (now belonging to Horta-Guinardó). It also included Sagrera and Navas (now belonging to San Andrés). It also included most of the Sagrada Familia and part of Fort Pienc (now part of the Eixample).
Santa Maria de Sants		Barcelona	1897	Sants-Montjuïc	It did not include Montjuic or the Pueblo Seco (in the municipality of Barcelona). In 1839, Hostafrancs and Font de la Guatlla were also ceded to Barcelona in exchange for parts of La Marina de Port. Most of the Zona Franca belonged to the municipality of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat.
Sarrià		Barcelona	1921^[8]	Sarrià-Sant Gervasi	It included Sarrià and most of Las Tres Torres. It also included Pedralbes (now part of Les Corts). Until its segregation, it also included the municipality of Les Corts de Sarrià. In 1892 it incorporated the former municipality of Vallvidrera. In 1916 it incorporated part of the former municipality of Santa Creu d'Olorda.
Vallvidrera		Sarrià	1892^[9]	Sarrià-Sant Gervasi	Included Vallvidrera and les Planes

See also

• History of Barcelona
• Urban Planning in Barcelona
• Districts of Barcelona
• Municipal annexations of Barcelona
• Odonymy in Barcelona

Notes and References

1. Web site: Barcelona - Sants . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
2. Web site: Barcelona - Les Corts de Sarrià . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
3. Web site: Barcelona - Gràcia . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
4. Web site: Barcelona - Horta . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
5. Web site: Barcelona - Sant Andreu de Palomar . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
6. Web site: Barcelona - Sant Gervasi de Cassoles . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
7. Web site: Barcelona - Sant Martí de Provençals i el Poblenou . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
8. Web site: Barcelona - Sarrià . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.
9. Web site: Barcelona - Vallvidrera . 2023-06-30 . www.grec.cat.