Volta de la Formatgeria — The Cheesemongers Passage

Since at least 1579, this tiny alleyway has carried the name of the cheesemongers who came to sell their wares here from the 15th century onwards. In the 18th century, demographic pressure in El Born forced residents to build above narrow lanes to gain space. Rather than blocking these passages, they were covered with low stone arches, keeping circulation open. The Volta de la Formatgeria is one of these arcades of necessity: it supports a building whose facade is arranged asymmetrically, with individual balconies on one side and double balconies on the other, with stone-lintelled openings. This detail reveals that 18th-century builders reformed and raised the construction following existing constraints. The building above dates from a 19th-century reform. Listed as a local heritage site, this passage is one of the rare preserved examples of how El Born solved its density problem in the Age of Enlightenment.