The Les Tres Xemeneies del Poble-sec stand as the most recognisable remnant of the former La Canadenca power plant, which remained operational until the 1980s. These three red-brick towers not only define the urban skyline they also recall a pivotal moment in labour history: the 1919 general strike broke out precisely at this site, securing the eight-hour working day in Spain. Today, the chimneys are part of an urban park that seamlessly blends workers’ heritage, street art and community life. Though no longer billowing smoke, they remain beacons of an industrial past that has gradually transformed into a space for living culture.
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The site does not offer any no guided tours, but you can view them from the Tres Xemeneies gardens, where old pieces of industrial machinery now stand as wrought iron sculptures embodying working-class dignity.
Pay attention to the graffiti and murals: they form an open-air museum where street art engages in dialogue with the history of the trade union movement.
