History & technical data

History

The cable car that binds the port with Miramar, on the slopes of Montjuic , was designed in 1926 by Carles Buigas, with Ramon Calzado and Josep M. Roda as collaborators in order to connect the 1929 exhibition with its maritime section.

Private capital was not raised until 1928, too late to complete the works for the exhibition. Buigas then sold his shares to Josep M. Roda, who finished the project in 1931 after two years of construction.

During the Civil War, the cable car was closed, the cables removed and the towers became a strategic place for the defense of the port of Barcelona.

In 1958 the Company Teleféricos de Barcelona, took over the facilities and on May 20th, 1963 started operating the new cable car, which did not interrupt its service until 1995.

After restoring the towers of San Sebastian and Jaime I for over two years, Port’s Cable Car resumed its activity according to the same pattern as 1931, transporting passengers between Barceloneta and Montjuic throughout the year.

The total course is 1292 meters, lasting approximately ten minutes and consists of two lines of simultaneous transport to the towers with a metallic structure with suspender crusses, and a quadrangular foundation in the vertices on given concrete.

The tower of San Sebastian, situated next to Barceloneta beach, has a height of 78.4 meters with three crosses of suspenders and no horizontal division. In the upper part there is a large volume of prismatic rectangular and polygonal extensions on the long sides, which houses a restaurant and the station of the cabins.

The tower of Jaime I, 107 meters high and located on the pier of Barcelona, is more slender. After the first tear you can find an octagonal platform that houses a restaurant and a viewing point that is repeated in the summit more reduced and closed in the form of gallery vantage point.

Both towers belong to the catalog of the historical-artistic heritage of Barcelona.

The station motor is located in Miramar and is directly supported on the ground of the Montjuic’s mountain, 56 meters above sea level.