Barcelona’s frequently agonised debates over how to market itself to tourists have taken another twist, after the city council rejected a scheme to open a branch of St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum in its port area.
The port authority, which owns the site of the proposed museum, gave the green light but the council has objected on the grounds of location and fears the scheme will provide little value to local residents.
The council, whose consent is needed for the project to go ahead, had previously said it would not consider the scheme unless its scope is increased to incorporate a wider range of cultural institutions.
A last-minute offer to involve the city’s Liceu opera house was dismissed by the deputy mayor Janet Sanz on Friday, when she told a press conference that authorities would now start the approval process from the beginning again, after being presented with what amounted to a “new proposal”.
The Hermitage scheme was proposed in 2016 by the investment fund Varia, which has an 80% stake, and Cultural Development Barcelona, a business run by the Russian businessman Valery Yarolaski and the Catalan architect Ujo Pallarès. The investors hired the Pritzker prize-winning architect Toyo Ito to design the museum.
The city’s opposition to the project seems at odds with its stated aim of rebranding Barcelona as a cultural destination. It launched its post-pandemic campaign earlier this month with the slogan “Barcelona as never before”.
At the launch Marian…
