Lost Landscapes. El Torrent de la Guineu

A walk to observe and interpret the remains and traces of the Torrent de la Guineu, from its source at the Font del “Cuento” to the Torre del Fang.

The Torrent de la Guineu forms part of a collective memory heritage that has gradually been lost, and it once served as a boundary between the municipalities of Sant Martí and Sant Andreu. The aim of this route is to discover the few remains and traces that still make it possible to follow the course of this stream.

We will begin at the Font del “Cuento”, an element that is itself part of the heritage to be preserved, where there was an underground water channel that fed the stream throughout the year. We will continue with the vestiges of Carrer de Varsòvia and Carrer de l’Art, where an undeveloped space still remains inside the block of houses.

We will reach Plaça de Carles Cardó i Sant Joan, where two streams once converged —rambla de la Muntanya and Agregació—, and continue until we find Passatge de Bernat i Fenollar, where remains of old enclosures and walls can still be seen. We will pay attention to the marks of humidity. Passatge d’Àrtemis marks the course of the stream and the old municipal boundary.

From this point onwards, we lose the trace until reaching Plaça de Ferran Reyes and Avinguda Meridiana, where there are signs showing that the railway bridge once passed over the stream.

Beyond Meridiana, we find the Passatge del Torrent de la Guineu and the fountain that was recovered in the late 1980s, now threatened by the construction of a new student residence.

The former Cinzano factory marks another point where the plots follow the course of the stream, and we will finish at the old gardens of the Torre del Fang, a farmhouse that made use of the waters descending through the stream, as well as the waters of the Rec Comtal. At this point, we will also explain the fault line that crosses Barcelona from north to south, known as the Graó Barceloní, where there were once wetlands that marked the beginning of the Clot de la Mel.

The section between Plaça del Nen de la Rutlla and the Font del “Cuento” has limited accessibility.

Meeting point: Plaça del Nen de la Rutlla / Font del “Cuento”. Public transport: buses 39, B40 and V23. Estimated duration of the route: 2 h. Difficulty: low. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring water. Guide: Alfred Puig Rodó.