The Three Chimneys of Sant Adrià: History & Guide

Industrial Monoliths on the Besòs Coast

Rising between 180 and 200 metres above the shoreline, the Three Chimneys of Sant Adrià (Les Tres Xemeneies del Besòs) form one of the most imposing industrial silhouettes on the Mediterranean coastline. Located along Carrer d'Eduard Maristany at the mouth of the Besòs River, the complex sits on the boundary where Sant Adrià de Besòs borders Badalona and Barcelona. Built during the 1970s by utility provider FECSA (later incorporated into Endesa), the facility was designed as a thermal power plant centered around a massive turbine hall connected to three colossal concrete chimney shafts.

Due to their extreme height, the brutalist towers dwarf the surrounding landscape and blot out wide expanses of the sky. Exposed to the coastal elements, the weathered concrete bears the markings of decades of salt spray and Mediterranean winds. Beyond their immediate footprint, the three stacks function as a primary orientation landmark for the metropolitan bay, clearly identifiable from the Collserola hills, maritime transit routes, and approaching aircraft.

Labor Struggles and "Black Rain"

The facility's history is closely tied to social conflict during the final years of the Francoist dictatorship. In 1973, the construction site became a flashpoint for labor rights when Spanish police opened fire on striking workers who were demanding safer on-site working conditions. The shooting resulted in the death of construction laborer Manuel Fernández Márquez, cementing the plant's place in regional labor history.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the power station's operation generated intense environmental contention. The combustion of heavy fuel oil released dense sulfur emissions and acidic soot over adjacent working-class neighborhoods. Residents referred to this recurrent environmental crisis as pluja negra ("black rain"). Sant Adrià de Besòs historically operated as an industrial sacrifice zone to satisfy the metropolitan area's soaring energy demands, and the plant was a visible source of local pollution until electricity generation ceased permanently in 2011.

"The Sagrada Família of the Workers"

Following the 2011 decommissioning, site owner Endesa planned to demolish the entire facility. However, local neighborhood associations and grassroots organizations mobilized to halt the demolition. Residents demanded that the complex be preserved as an enduring monument to working-class labor, industrial memory, and community resilience.

Reflecting this civic attachment, locals bestowed the complex with the nickname La Sagrada Família dels obrers ("The Sagrada Família of the Workers"). The title recognized the utilitarian towers as an industrial, blue-collar counterpart to Antoni Gaudí's central Barcelona basilica, anchoring the collective identity of the coastal district.

Redevelopment and Catalunya Media City

The Three Chimneys complex is transitioning into a future-focused creative zone under an initiative spearheaded by the Generalitat of Catalonia. Named "Catalunya Media City," the project aims to convert the industrial relic into an audiovisual production and digital innovation campus, guided by the architectural masterplan titled E la nave va.

After decades of closure behind security fences, the cavernous turbine hall opened briefly to the public in late 2024 as a principal venue for the European Nomadic Biennial Manifesta 15. While redevelopment plans progress, the surrounding coastal promenade and adjacent beach remain open, offering uninterrupted views of the towering concrete structures.