Stories of Barcelona, What is the Panot?
You step on "El panot" every time you walk around Barcelona; it's a fundamental icon of the city, so much so that you can find its shape on chocolates, t-shirts, bags... Have you guessed what "El panot" is yet?
For Barcelona Century, the Panot is more than a symbol of Barcelona, it is part of us.
The Panot is a tile made of cement, sand, and water. What truly makes it original and unique is its design: a four-petaled flower.
As a curiosity, the Panot is also responsible for Barcelona ceasing to be called "Can Fanga" (Fanga = Mud = Mud).
Before the Panot, Barcelona paved its streets with simple earth, which meant that when it rained, the city turned into a real mud pit, a Chaos.
This was a source of ridicule, giving Barcelona a reputation that embarrassed the city council.
Fortunately, with the Cerdà Plan of the early 20th century came the panot (cobblestone paving) and with it the cursed nickname that Barcelona had carried for so long was forgotten. To decide what paving to use, the City Council held a competition for the design of the hydraulic tiles with which to pave the city's sidewalks and the winner was Casa Escofet.
The Panot is a fundamental element for understanding what it means to be from Barcelona. We could say it's a key piece in the puzzle that is Barcelona.
Other emblematic designs include the Panot Gaudí, which adorns the sidewalks of Passeig de Gràcia, and the design of the plane tree flowers on Diagonal Avenue, installed in 2015.
Now that you know what Panot is, we encourage you to visit Barcelona. If you're looking for hotels in the heart of Barcelona, at the best price, with excellent service and the best possible treatment, the Barcelona Century Hotel is the hotel for you.
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