The foundation and growth of the town originate in the last quarter of the 19th century with the layout of the railway line and in the establishment of this station along with its outbuildings and customs house. The first station, built in 1870 and inaugurated in its entirety in 1878, was replaced by the current one during 1928-1929. The station we now see was built in the workshops of Joan Torras i Guardiola on the occasion of the 1929 Universal Exhibition in Barcelona. Torras was known as the “Catalan Eiffel” for his mastery of iron structures and his major engineering works, such as the markets of Lleida, Tortosa and the Tibidabo Water Tower. The passenger station consists of a well-defined rectangular shape with the ground floor and two upper floors with the administrative units and services. This part has stone cladding finishes and framed window openings with neoclassical mouldings. Moreover, the metallic structure in the form of a lowered vault, a large canopy of iron and glass that covers the platforms must be highlighted. This vault is supported by lattice arches based on articulated support columns.
This photograph by Josep Maria Cañellas shows us a panoramic view of the town of Portbou. What stands out next to the parish church is the railway track. It is an image taken in the 1980s and it is interesting to see what it was like after only 10 years had passed since the arrival of the railway line in Portbou. An early graphic testimony that gives us a greater perception of the presence of the train station to the left of the church. Later, this same station was substantially remodelled by Joan Torras. The photograph is preserved in the Fages de Climent Library in Figueres and is part of the Rubaudonadeu Collection.
Estamos bajo una enorme bóveda de cristales rotos, rompecabezas al que faltaran muchas piezas por ensamblar, o, por el contrario, que, juntadas ya las piezas, se hubiese desarmado, revuelto, en el repentino vuelco de una mesa. Un alud de vidrios ha caído sobre los andenes y el balasto de las carrileras. Los faroles rojos y verdes del lamparero rodaron, largando el queroseno hasta los postes negros que sostienen el letrero de Portbou. En una pared -lo recuerdo- había un olvidado cartel del turismo internacional donde un canguro se perfilaba, como presto a saltar, en una vasta pradera de flores amarillas: Pase sus vacaciones en Australia. Otro, con presencia de máscaras, gigantes y cabezudos: Le Carnaval de Nice. (...) Y aquí, afuera, mujeres vestidas de negro, hombres vestidos de negro, varios enfermeros, soldados -o milicianos, no sé...-, que corren, gritan, se afanan en torno a un cráter abierto en roca gris, entre casas destruidas, de paredes rajadas, humeantes aún -ignoro si de cales o de fuegos-, largando una teja, todavía, por los alejos medio desplomados. Hay heridos -o muertos-, ya que varias camillas levantan cuerpos cubiertos de sábanas, de frazadas, de manteles.
Dins LA CONSAGRACIÓN DE LA PRIMAVERA, de Alejo Carpentier
This text comes from the Literary Atlas of the lands of Girona, coordinated by Narcís Jordi Aragó and Mariàngela Vilallonga and published by Girona Provincial Council in 2003.
Carrer Del Escultor Frederic Marès, 17497 Portbou, España
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