Trade

This area takes us to El Masnou’s most important period and the difficulties of life aboard transatlantic vessels in the 19th century, and shows which were the most common routes used.

El Masnou was an important port for the disembarkation of goods, especially for the markets of Barcelona, until the 19th century. Different types of ships, but especially medium-sized, carried all kinds of goods to ports in the Mediterranean or the Atlantic coast of Spain. Common destinations included Andalusia, Cantabria and Mediterranean coast of French Catalonia.

The 19th century saw Barcelona begin to trade with America, and its larger port meant it could handle larger ships and tonnage, while the beaches of El Masnou meant that it could not engage in long-distance trade.

Some captains and ships from El Masnou did make journeys to America, rounded Cape Horn and even reached Asia in the 19th century.

In the 19th century, the main trade routes had several destinations, and the most important were Rio de la Plata, Cuba, New Spain (Mexico), North America and Africa.