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The Mercado de las Flores (Flower Market), situated in one of the most emblematic avenues of Barcelona,
Las Ramblas, is integrated by a group of open air stalls where all types of plants and flowers are piled up and converts the passage in a garden at the foot of the street.
Situated in the stretch between the
Palau de la Virreina (Palace of the Virreina) and the Boquería Market, its origins come from XIII Century, when, according to some documents, there were already flower shops in this area. In any case, the first stable stalls date back to mid XIX Century.
Consta que, durante este siglo y gran parte del XX, había muchos más kioscos que actualmente, ya que era uno de los pocos lugares de la ciudad donde podían comprarse flores y éstas eran un elemento indispensable en las relaciones sociales. Los integrantes de la burguesía barcelonesa tenían por costumbre ir a pasear por Las Ramblas y comprar flores. Ahora esto ha cambiado. El hecho de que la avenida se haya convertido en uno de los lugares más frecuentados por los turistas no ayuda y, actualmente, sólo quedan 17 de las 31 paradas que había.
During this century and a great part of XX, there were a lot more kiosks than nowadays, and it was one of the only places of the city where one could purchase flowers and these were an indispensable element in social relations. The members of the Barcelonan bourgeois were not accustomed to stroll through
Las Ramblas and buy flowers. This has not changed. Now that the avenue has been converted in to one of those places most frequented by tourists does not help and, currently, there are only 17 from the 31 stalls.
Initially, the stalls were not more than two trestles of wood, yet it was in the ´60´s of the XX Century the current kiosks were installed.