The same month that FC Barcelona’s brand new stadium was inaugurated, a blaugrana supporters’ club was born in the seaside district of Barcelona, made up of business friends who, in addition to their trade, were united by their passion for a name, colours and ideals. In October 1957, the Penya Barcelonista Barceloneta was born. Its baptismal font was located in Balboa Street with Pizarro Street, in the premises of the Barceloneta Industrial and Commercial Association. This is the reason why the Penya recreates the coat of arms of this association: a winged helmet symbolising the god of commerce – Hermes or Mercury -, a cogwheel as a symbol of modern times and two snakes proclaiming prudence to defend their own boss.
Given this situation, it was logical that the jeweller, Mr. Cánovas, was chosen as the first president at the first meeting of the penya, and he was joined by Mr. Ripoll from the haberdashery shop, then by the tobacconist, the hairdresser, the baker, the furniture seller, etc. The constituent assembly was attended by important Barcelona personalities such as the president of FC Barcelona, Francesc Miró-Sans; the incommensurable Nicolau Casaus; the secretary of FC Barcelona, Pere Salvat; the coach Domènec Balmanya; and the players Pep Samitier, Evaristo de Macedo and Gustau Biosca. Alfonso Cánovas, an esteemed and admired figure by all the supporters who was elected president, moderated this inaugural assembly.
An active and very solidary penya
The Penya Barcelonista Barceloneta, with credential number 5, currently participates, represented by its members, in many celebrations: local festivity of the neighbourhood, choirs, food collections, trips and attendance at the stadium, among many other things. In the 2011-2012 season, it moved its headquarters to the facilities of the Barceloneta Football Club, becoming part of the Agrupació de Futbol de Clubs i Penyes del FC Barcelona. For many years, this organisation had a team that depended on FC Barcelona, because of a solid relationship of support and collaboration.
The solidarity aspect of PB Barceloneta is also important, highlighting the participation in trips to Burkina Faso in 2017 and 2018 and to the Sahrawi refugee camps in 2019. These trips have been part of the International Solidarity Projects of the Confederació Mundial de Penyes. The collaboration with Burkina Faso continues over time because the PB Barceloneta sponsors the town of Tanguin-Dassouri, which is part of the Penya Barcelonista Ouagadougou.
La Barceloneta
Barceloneta is a seaside neighbourhood in Barcelona built in 1753 and designed by the engineer Juan Martín Cermeño, commissioned by the Captain General of Barcelona, the Marqués de la Mina. Its history is linked to the growth and development of the port. The land on which the neighbourhood now stands was flooded until the mid-18th century. From the construction of the first dyke in the middle of the 14th century and the first port created in 1687, together with the island of Maians (where later there was the Customs House and where there is now the clock), the water was retained and the sand brought in by the sea currents that flow along the coast from north to south began to take hold.
This is the newest neighbourhood in the Ciutat Vella district, in the east of old Barcelona. It borders the beaches and the sea, the Moll d’Espanya in the Port Vell, the Ribera (Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and La Ribera) and the Olympic Port. It is a good example of the type of urban planning of the Enlightenment period, with rectilinear streets and islands of regular houses. In the centre of the district, in the Plaça de la Barceloneta, is the church of Sant Miquel del Port (1755).
In Barceloneta, La Casa de la Barceloneta 1761, which is now a centre for the dissemination of the neighbourhood’s historical memory, is particularly noteworthy. It opened its doors on 8 April 2012 where the Casa del Porró restaurant used to be. Inside there is a small permanent exhibition explaining the evolution of the building and the history of Barceloneta and the Carmen Amaya Fountain. This metal and stone fountain represents a flamenco ‘painting’ of little naked angels and is named after one of the greatest “flamenco” singers and dancers in history, Carmen Amaya, who grew up in Somorrostro, a shantytown on the outskirts of Barceloneta.
The entire waterfront underwent a major change to the coast of Barceloneta on the occasion of the 1992 Olympic Games, where the Passeig Marítim was built and the factories were removed. Beaches such as San Sebastià, Barceloneta, Nova Icaria, Bogatell, Mar Bella and Nova Mar Bella were cleaned and filled with sand from the seabed, sewage treatment plants were built on the Besós and Llobregat rivers, and underwater reefs were placed to favour the flora and fauna.
