Nou Barris · 44
Vilapicina i la Torre Llobeta
Vilapicina i la Torre Llobeta joins a village name documented since the tenth century with the housing estate that grew from 1948 around a late-medieval manor, and its northern edge is Passeig de Fabra i Puig.[1][2]
The church that gave the place its name, Santa Eulàlia de Vilapicina, now stands in the neighbouring Turó de la Peira, not here. Inside the neighbourhood what remains is Torre Llobeta and three passages of small houses from the 1920s.[3][1]
The neighbourhood brings together two names: Vilapicina, a place-name documented since the tenth century, and Torre Llobeta, a housing estate raised from 1948 around an old manor. It covers 56.4 hectares.[1][2]
Virrei Amat and Vilapicina stations (L5) and Maragall (L4) serve the neighbourhood, and its Festa Major takes place in the second week of October.[1]
Vilapicina i la Torre Llobeta (neighbourhood 44) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Nou Barris: Porta, el Turó de la Peira, Can Peguera, la Guineueta, Verdun, la Prosperitat.
Where the name comes from
Etymology: disputed[1]
Viquipèdia documents Vilapicina as Villa Peciguina in 994 and Villa Picina in 998 and proposes an origin in Latin pix, picis, pine pitch. This rests on one source; we found no second derivation that contradicts or confirms it.[1]
Torre Llobeta comes from the Llobeta family, under whom the house is documented in the fifteenth century.[2]
Passeig de Fabra i Puig, coming from Sant Andreu, separates the neighbourhood from Porta and the Turó de la Peira. The other limits are Avinguda Meridiana, Riera d'Horta, Arnau d'Oms, Ramon Albó, Prats i Roquer, Passeig de Maragall, Petrarca and Cartellà.[1]
Before the neighbourhood
A pre-Romanesque chapel of Santa Eulàlia is documented in 991, and the present neoclassical church was finished in 1782 after a popular fundraising campaign. It was an independent parish from 1866; when a new parish church was built nearby between 1885 and 1905, the old building lost that status.[3]
Torre Llobeta was a manor house of the late Middle Ages. It passed through noble families until Josep Comas i d'Argemir bought it in 1877 as a summer residence.[2]
How the streets were made
Before the blocks, in the 1920s, three passages of small houses were laid out on the estates of Can Garrigó and Can Sitjà. The Torre Llobeta housing estate, with blocks designed by J. Jiménez Solà, was built from 1948 around the manor.[1][2]
Dates that changed it
- 991 the pre-Romanesque chapel of Santa Eulàlia, now in the Turó de la Peira, is documented.[3]
- 994 the name appears written as Villa Peciguina.[1]
- 1782 the present neoclassical church of Santa Eulàlia is finished, paid for by a popular campaign.[3]
- 1866 Santa Eulàlia becomes an independent parish.[3]
- 1877 Josep Comas i d'Argemir acquires Torre Llobeta as a summer residence.[2]
- 1920s the passages of small houses of Arquitecte Millàs, Santa Eulàlia and Esperança are built.[1]
- 1948 construction of the blocks of the Torre Llobeta housing estate begins.[2]
- 1971 Santa Eulàlia de Vilapicina is declared a cultural asset of local interest.[3]
- 1983 in December Torre Llobeta opens as a civic centre.[2]
Institutions
Torre Llobeta Civic Centre
Neighbours occupied the house in 1981-83 and it opened as a civic centre in December 1983; a library was added in January 1986. Today it is a public facility at Carrer de Santa Fe 2, with workshops scheduled until December 2026.[2][4]
Torre Llobeta - Vilapicina residents' association
With other local groups it forms the committee that organises the Festa Major in the second week of October.[1]
What can still be seen
Torre Llobeta
A late-Gothic house with ground floor, main floor and attic, and decorative pointed arches on the main floor. It was the summer residence of the Comas i d'Argemir family, who hosted gatherings with Joan Maragall.[2]
Passages of Arquitecte Millàs, Santa Eulàlia and Esperança
Three passages of small houses from the 1920s, the first two on the Can Garrigó estate and the third on that of Can Sitjà.[1]
What disappeared
Can Gaig, Can Garrigó, Can Sabastida, Can Sitjà and Can Xiringall
These five farmhouses were demolished; Torre Llobeta is the only one still standing.[1]
The neighbourhood today
In 2026 Vilapicina i la Torre Llobeta had 26,478 residents, a density of 469.5 people per hectare, a €22,272 mean census-section income in 2023, 56.4 hectares, and 19% of residents held non-Spanish nationality.
Non-Spanish nationality (2026): 19%
Read it on foot
Start: Virrei Amat (L5)[1] · End: Passatge de Santa Eulàlia[1]
Walking (excluding stop time): 15 min · 1160 m · Estimated visit (with stops): 43 min
The geometry follows the pedestrian network between the four marked points, but it has not been verified as step-free. Access, works and opening hours may vary. The approach by public transport is not included in the stated distance.
Vilapicina i la Torre Llobeta (neighbourhood 44) highlighted. Other neighbourhoods in Nou Barris: Porta, el Turó de la Peira, Can Peguera, la Guineueta, Verdun, la Prosperitat.
Coordinates
Coordinates
Coordinates
Coordinates
Sources for this page
Dates, figures and historical claims are linked to the records used for this page.
- [1] Viquipèdia (2026). Vilapicina i la Torre Llobeta. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [2] Viquipèdia (2026). Torre Llobeta. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [3] Viquipèdia (2026). Santa Eulàlia de Vilapicina. Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [4] Ajuntament de Barcelona (2026). Centre Cívic Torre Llobeta (Memòria Democràtica, directori d'equipaments). Accessed: 2026-10-03.
- [5] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2026-01-01). Padró municipal d'habitants (pad_mdbas) — població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
- [6] Ajuntament de Barcelona — Open Data BCN (2021). Densitat de població per barri. Accessed: 2026-07-17.
- [7] 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 · 7 sources consulted