Sant Martí · 64
el Camp de l'Arpa del Clot
El Camp de l'Arpa del Clot began to be built up after 1845 without following the Cerdà plan: that is why 19th-century passages, converted old factories and Eixample streets that stop dead at Carrer de Rogent survive here.[1][2][3][4]
At Carrer de Rogent the regularity of the Eixample runs out: Carrer de Còrsega, Carrer del Rosselló and Carrer de Provença die there because the neighbourhood resisted the Cerdà plan.[1]
El Camp de l'Arpa was part of the Muntanya quarter of Sant Martí de Provençals, annexed to Barcelona in 1897. In 2006 it received its present name, el Camp de l'Arpa del Clot.[1]
In the 19th century flour mills, tanneries and textile and chemical works arrived, and by the end of the century it was an industrial, working-class centre. That life produced an associative fabric that still lasts.[1]
el Camp de l'Arpa del Clot (neighbourhood 64) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Sant Martí: el Clot, el Parc i la Llacuna del Poblenou, la Vila Olímpica del Poblenou, el Poblenou, Diagonal Mar i el Front Marítim del Poblenou, el Besòs i el Maresme.
Where the name comes from
Etymology: disputed[1]
The old name was Camp de l'Arca. It probably comes from a dolmen: in 1037 the Cartulary of Sant Cugat cites “ad ipsa archa” to fix some property boundaries. The musical “harp” (arpa) would be a corruption of “arca”.[1]
The link to a dolmen is a probability, not a certainty. “Del Clot” was added when the neighbourhood received its present name in 2006.[1]
The neighbourhood lies between Avinguda Meridiana, Carrer d'Aragó and the streets of Dos de Maig, Sant Antoni Maria Claret and Navas de Tolosa. The Meridiana, opened over the old railway line, is the main dividing line with el Clot.[1]
Before the neighbourhood
Before the working-class town, the area was the Camp de l'Arca, mentioned in 1037 in a document of the Cartulary of Sant Cugat. It belonged to the old Muntanya quarter of Sant Martí de Provençals.[1]
How the streets were made
Building began after 1845 and did not follow the Cerdà plan, so the neighbourhood keeps a street pattern quite unlike the Eixample grid. Còrsega, Rosselló and Provença stop at Rogent.[1]
Austere working-class housing sits beside housing in the Eixample style. The 19th-century passages, such as those of the Sospir, the Trinxant and the Pistó, are its oldest corners.[1]
Dates that changed it
- 1037 The Cartulary of Sant Cugat mentions “ad ipsa archa” in a boundary dispute.[1]
- 1845 Building begins in el Camp de l'Arpa, outside the Cerdà plan.[1]
- 1877 The Foment Martinenc is founded as an Ateneu Popular for workers.[5]
- 1897 Sant Martí de Provençals is annexed to Barcelona.[1]
- 1970 Camp de l'Arpa station opens on L5.[6]
- 2006 The neighbourhood receives its present name, el Camp de l'Arpa del Clot.[1]
- 2012 The old Alchemika factory is converted into a library and other facilities.[2][3][4]
- 2024 On 20 December the plenary gives final approval to the protection of 839 plots.[7][8]
People and collective life
Foment Martinenc
An association founded in 1877 to promote education among workers; today it runs sports, cultural and leisure activities, with sections for chess, hiking, dance and theatre.[5]
AVV del Clot-Camp de l'Arpa
A residents' association that in 2024 welcomed, with reservations, the approval of the heritage-protection plan for el Clot and el Camp de l'Arpa.[7]
Institutions
Biblioteca Camp de l'Arpa - Caterina Albert
Municipal library at Carrer de la Indústria 295, inside the Alchemika complex, an old factory converted in stages from 2012.[2][3][4]
Foment Martinenc
A leisure association with sections for chess, hiking, dance (Esbart Sant Jordi) and theatre (Abraxas Teatre); Barcelona Medal of Honour in 2012.[5]
Struggles that left a mark
Protecting the old fabric
Demand: Residents' groups in el Clot and el Camp de l'Arpa asked for planning that would preserve the heritage and identity of the two neighbourhoods.[7]
Outcome: In December 2024 the plenary protected 839 plots; the groups welcomed it but regretted a plan less ambitious than expected.[7][8]
What can still be seen
19th-century passages
Passages such as those of the Sospir, the Trinxant and the Pistó keep the pre-Cerdà subdivision and are, in Viquipèdia's words, genuine corners that survived the 19th century.[1]
Alchemika
Of the old factory by Francesc Mitjans the façade was kept, with its vertical openings left open so that the library can be seen from the street.[2][3][4]
Escola d'Arts i Oficis
The modernist building of the former school, now home to the IES Zafra.[1]
What disappeared
The railway line and el Clot station
The station, now completely buried, and the line gave way to Avinguda Meridiana, which became the dividing line with el Clot; where the old RENFE station stood there is now Parc del Clot.[1]
The neighbourhood today
In 2026 el Camp de l’Arpa del Clot had 39,535 residents, 533.5 residents per hectare, a 2023 mean census-section income of €24,664, 74.1 hectares, and 25.3% of residents held non-Spanish nationality.
Non-Spanish nationality (2026): 25.3%
What is changing
Heritage protection (approved December 2024)
On 20 December 2024 the Barcelona plenary gave final approval to the modification of the Pla General Metropolità protecting 839 plots in el Clot and el Camp de l'Arpa, one in three. It foresees about 500 new subsidised homes, 1,700 m² more green space and more than 7,000 m² of land for facilities. The validation of the Generalitat's urban-planning subcommittee was still pending at that date.[7][8]
What the guides leave out
Streets that stop at Rogent
Còrsega, Rosselló and Provença, which run straight in the Eixample, stop at Carrer de Rogent because the neighbourhood resisted the Cerdà plan.[1]
Read it on foot
Start: Camp de l'Arpa (L5) · End: Foment Martinenc
Walking (excluding stop time): 10 min · 730 m · Estimated visit (with stops): 34 min
The geometry follows the pedestrian network between the three marked points, but it has not been verified as step-free. The approach from public transport is not included in the stated distance.
el Camp de l'Arpa del Clot (neighbourhood 64) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Sant Martí: el Clot, el Parc i la Llacuna del Poblenou, la Vila Olímpica del Poblenou, el Poblenou, Diagonal Mar i el Front Marítim del Poblenou, el Besòs i el Maresme.
Coordinates
Coordinates
Coordinates
Sources for this page
Dates, figures and historical claims are linked to the records used for this page.
- [1] Viquipèdia (2026). El Camp de l'Arpa del Clot. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [2] PublicSpace (CCCB) (2014). “Alchemika” Complex of Municipal Facilities. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [3] Ajuntament de Barcelona (Biblioteques de Barcelona) (2026). Biblioteca Camp de l'Arpa - Caterina Albert. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [4] Diputació de Barcelona (n.d.). Biblioteca Camp de l'Arpa - Caterina Albert (record). Accessed: 2026-10-09.
- [5] Viquipèdia (2026). Foment Martinenc. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [6] Viquipèdia (2026). Estació de Camp de l'Arpa. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [7] Tot Barcelona (Gabriel González) (2024-12-20). Barcelona protegeix el patrimoni d'una de cada tres finques del Clot. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [8] Ajuntament de Barcelona (Decidim) (2022-09-21). MPGM per a la millora urbanística i ambiental dels barris d'El Camp de l'Arpa i El Clot. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [9] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2026-01-01). Padró municipal d'habitants (pad_mdbas) — població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
- [10] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2021). Densitat de població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
- [11] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2023). Renda disponible de les llars per persona. Seccions censals. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026 · 11 sources consulted