48H Open House offers fascinating access to monuments and buildings

48H Open House will give visitors access to monuments and buildings not normally open to the public across Saturday and Sunday. This edition focusses on the theme of “the healthy city,” interconnected and for the people. 

The festival of architecture will go ahead despite increased restrictions to halt the spread of the pandemic after the Civil Protection body examined and gave the go-ahead for the event to carry on. 

Some of the most magnificent architectural feats of Catalonia will open their doors, such as Casa Vicens, Pavelló de Sant Salvador in the old Sant Pau Hospital, and the Círculo de Liceu in the famous opera house on La Rambla.

This year, the festival has hundreds of different activities to enjoy - 115 buildings open to the public in Barcelona and dozens of itineraries to accompany an exploration of a site, such as podcasts explaining aspects of the building’s history or architecture. 

The festival aims to follow the ‘15 minute city’ plan, breaking the city of Barcelona down into 22 different zones, with groups of sites open to visit all within 15 minutes’ walk of each other. 

The vast majority of buildings open to visit are free and without prior booking, with just 13 of sites expected to be the most popular requiring visitors to book their spot for the symbolic price of just €1. 

Open House is also extending to other cities beyond Barcelona, with buildings available to visit in L’Hospitalet, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and Vilassar de Dalt, as well as Sant Joan Despí on November 14-15.

Exposition celebrating 10 years

As 2020 is the tenth anniversary of the 48H Open House festival, an exposition is available to visit for free on the ten years of the celebration of architecture.

At Espai Mercè Sala exhibition hall located inside the Diagonal metro station from October 15 to December 31, the exhibition invites citizens to speak about their relationship with the city.