On 5th December 1958, encouraged by Barça’s successes such as the inauguration of the Camp Nou in 1957, the conquest of the Spanish Cup in 1958, the Fairs Cup and the hopeful start of the 58/59 League championship, a few friends seized the euphoria and decided to create a supporters’ club. This is how the Penya Barcelonista Poble Nou was born, with its headquarters in the cooperative ‘La Artesana del Poblenou’. In 1959, the first banner of the penya was blessed in the basilica of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat.
Union with the PB Els Dotze
Later, in 1976, with the push of a few young people, the Penya Blaugrana Els Dotze was founded, with its headquarters located in the bar ‘El Xampinyó’, in Llull street between Rambla Poblenou and Marià Aguiló street. On June 2nd of that year, the Penya was present at the inauguration of the new facilities of the Júpiter Sports Club, in the Barcelona neighbourhood of La Verneda, with a football match between the teams Barça and Júpiter. Thanks to its youth, the Penya Blaugrana Els Dotze had a lot of appeal in the neighbourhood, and its proximity to the Penya Barcelonista Poble Nou led its leaders to believe that the union between the two would result in a larger and stronger entity in the neighbourhood.
From this point onwards, the strengthened Penya Barcelonista Poble Nou began to follow Barça on its travels, with the high point being the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in Basel. The entity also participates in the events of the XX Meeting of Penyes in Oviedo in 1996, the XXX Meeting of Penyes in Sitges in 2006, the XXXI Meeting of Penyes in L’Hospitalet in 2008 and the XXXIII Meeting of Penyes in Donostia in 2010.
High activity in the neighbourhood
Every year, the PB Poble Nou participates in the May Festivities of the neighbourhood by organising a “botifarrada” in the street and a stand on the Rambla. In 2008, it took part in the Three Wise Men parade and every year it celebrates the St John’s Eve street party for members and sympathisers. It also organises excursions and activities such as calçotades, cargolades, castanyades, pre-Christmas and barbecues of sardines in different parts of Catalonia.
It also participates in the bowling events and the Ruta de les Fonts walk organised by the Federació de Penyes del Barcelonès Est. Currently, in collaboration with the Etcétera bookshop, it dedicates days to the world of culture, such as book presentations. The book ‘Ambaixades: Història de les Penyes del FC Barcelona’, by Salva Torres and Domènech, will be presented on 25 April.
The Poblenou neighbourhood
If we take a closer look at the area surrounding this penya, we should point out that the Poblenou neighbourhood belongs to the district of Sant Martí de Provençals, which was added to Barcelona in 1897. In the 19th century, several industries were set up, especially in the textile and water industries, such as Can Saladrigues, La Escocesa, Can Felipa, etc. In 1876, the cooperative La Artesana was founded, while in 1890 the cooperative La Flor de Maig was created, which was one of the most powerful in Catalonia.
Throughout the 20th century, it was consolidated as a residential, working class and industrial neighbourhood. In 1909, the Júpiter Sports Club was founded, whose ground was located at the crossroads of Lope de Vega and Llull. The Aliança del Poblenou was founded in 1929. One of the most emblematic squares in the neighbourhood is the Plaça Prim, which dates back to 1851 and was a meeting place for fishermen and workers of the time. Nowadays, it is called Plaça dels Pescadors (Fishermen Square), where there is a very prestigious restaurant. Nearby there is also a peculiar establishment: a wine shop from the 1950s known as ‘El Loro del 36’. With the 1992 Olympic Games, the transformation of the neighbourhood began and hotels were built along the seafront. Today, it has 33,600 inhabitants.
