Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes

However, in the early 2000s, a revamping project for Glòries started, which aimed to give the square a new role in Barcelona and revitalize the northern districts of the city, under the name 22@.

[1] Since 1928, Glòries has been the location of one of Europe's oldest open-air flea markets, known as els Encants Vells or Fira de Bellcaire, which is said to date back to the 14th century, and operates four days a week.

[3] Large portions of the square were occupied by parking lots and its central area is surrounded by concrete walls, part of the not very aesthetic elevated highways.

Integration with other buildings already completed in the area (Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, L'Auditori and Mercat dels Encants) was a key component of proposed redevelopment.

In March 2016, ongoing excavations as part of the area's redevelopment uncovered extensive remains of el Rec Comtal, an important aqueduct possibly dating back to Roman times, which until the mid-20th century brought water from the Besòs river to the city.