The secret warehouse of Barcelona’s removed statues opens in Nou Barris

For the first time, Barcelona residents can discover the statues removed from the streets. The Artistic Heritage warehouse in Nou Barris is opening to the public. Works with a political past and forgotten pieces await a new life. The Open Barri project reveals hidden stories of the city.

Many Barcelona residents do not know what happens to statues that disappear from the streets after refurbishments, political controversies or acts of vandalism. Now, for the first time, the Artistic Heritage warehouse in Nou Barris is opening its doors and allowing visitors to discover this hidden heritage that rarely comes to light.

The initiative, part of the Open Barri project and linked to Openhouse Barcelona, offers a tour of sculptures and urban elements that have marked the city’s history. Some pieces are being restored and will soon return to the public highway. Others, however, await an uncertain fate: their original location no longer exists or their removal is the result of political decisions that keep them away from public space.

Among the works on display are fragments of urban memory, such as the former statue that occupied the place where Pitarra’s now stands at the end of the Rambla, or a flower stall that witnessed everyday life in Barcelona. The Francoist past is also present, with monuments such as the one dedicated to those who fell at the 1952 Eucharistic Congress, which today remains out of public view.

The warehouse does not only keep memories of the past. It also houses modern pieces, such as a red sculpture that mysteriously appeared in carrer del Carme and still awaits the revealing of its story. Every corner of the space invites questions about the future of these elements, many of which could end up in museums or return to the streets, while others will continue waiting for their opportunity.

For a few days, the Open Barri project transforms this warehouse into a space for reflection on urban memory and the value of what we do not see, bringing residents closer to a heritage which, although invisible, remains part of Barcelona’s identity.

The Nou Barris Artistic Heritage warehouse is a little-known municipal space managed by Parcs i Jardins. Its main function is to safeguard sculptures, fountains and urban elements temporarily or permanently removed from the public highway. These objects often arrive after urban redevelopment, changes in political criteria or damage. The warehouse acts as a bridge between the city’s past and future, preserving pieces that, in many cases, await a second opportunity to become part of Barcelona’s landscape again.