A thousand years of water to barcelona

The Rec Comtal was an open canal built in the time of Count Miró I, in the middle of the 10th century. For nearly a millennium it was a vital artery to Barcelona that was used to water fields, power water mills and, later, the textile mills of Sant Andreu.

The Rec Comtal took water from Montcada i Reixac, crossed the whole of Ciutat Vella and emptied into the sea. It is known that it was cleaned regularly and that many bridges crossed it over almost 12 kilometres, the distance it covered. The side walls were made of stone from Montjuïc and the bottom from natural earth. Visitors to the Born Centre Cultural can see the remains of its passage though the Ribera quarter.

Strolling through history

Today the open stretch of the Rec Comtal flows through a peaceful green setting, away from the bustle of the city. The clear water is home to fish, frogs, ducks and swans.