'Barcelona i el cel: globus, aeroplans i fotografia' Exhibition
11 June 2026 – 1 November 2026 · 10:00
Sala d'Exposicions, Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera, Ciutat Vella
The desire to fly has always been one of humanity's ambitions. From Icarus in Greek mythology and Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine came the Montgolfier hot-air balloons and Barcelona's first flight in 1910. The industrial city of the time firmly believed in industrial progress and the possibility of conquering the air, reflected in the leisure pursuits of affluent society, which organised motorcycle and motor-car races and shows featuring hot-air balloons and aeronauts. The arrival of the aeroplane enabled the true conquest of the city's skies, moving beyond mere sporting spectacle to become a cartographic tool through the application of photography to aerial work. The exhibition "Barcelona i el cel: globus, aeroplans i fotografia" seeks to show the course taken by the conquest of Barcelona's urban skies, from the first balloon to take photographs in 1888 to the consolidation of aerial photogrammetry, while also showing the evolution of the airfields where this new means of transport developed. "Barcelona i el cel: globus, aeroplans i fotografia" is an invitation to discover the relationship between the city, its citizens and the sky.
Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona · checked on 8 September 2026