La Boqueria, or Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, is the most famous city market in Barcelona. This large hall is the perfect place to get to know the traditional flavors of Catalonia. You can buy juicy fruit and vegetables, fresh seafood, and colorful and fragrant spices. In addition, it is worth buying regional cheese or meat here.
La Boqueria dates back to the year 1217, when it served only as a bazaar. Meat and its products were sold there. In the second half of the 15th century, pigs from all over Catalonia were traded here, and the bazaar itself was treated as an auxiliary market in order to burden the movement of the city's main market square - Plaça Nova.
In the nineteenth century, an increasing number of slaughterhouses and fish shops began to appear around La Boqueria. For this reason, the city authorities decided to demolish the existing building on the square and build a new facility with market halls. The current shape of the building dates from 1911, and in 1914 it gained a metal roof.
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