The soul of Barcelona

When on May 17, 1973 Josep M. de Porcioles left the position of mayor, Amadeu Bagués, as president of the Association, said: "Above the pros and cons, Porcioles, Ramblista de Honor, has been, in his long performance, the man of historical positivism... The balance of his actions is, in our opinion, positive and that is why we are ahead of launching the initiative to pay him a citizen tribute and leave a testimony of the sensitivity of the Barcelonan soul."

Among the "pros and cons" that Bagués did not publicly mention was the anecdote told by Mr. Joan Deulofeu: "One of Porcioles' projects was the construction of a parking lot in the Gardunya square, next to the Boqueria market. The parking lot was indeed built, but there was something else. Porcioles intended to turn the space occupied by the Boqueria market into a square, moving the stalls to another place in Barcelona. But we, the Association, strongly opposed. We called a press conference at the Manila Hotel and clearly explained the reasons for our protest. This was the first struggle we had. Porcioles, however, was an open man. He called us, we talked to him, and he changed his mind."

In connection with this anecdote, Mr. Enric Pantaleoni -who was president of the Association from 1986-93- adds a detail: "Bagués was quite a character. And in that meeting, after Porcioles said that the market had to be moved one way or another, Bagués replied: All right, do it like that, but first you will have to step over my dead body!"