It is undoubtedly the most mysterious hand in Barcelona. It’s in Barceloneta, sculpted on the corner of Sant Carles and Sòria streets. It is not known who put it there or what it means, but it is part of the neighborhood and today it is, perhaps, its great secret. A puzzle to solve. Those who know the solution took it to the grave years ago.
It is an open left hand with the palm resting on the wall and the fingers pointing down. On both sides there are two triangle-shaped arrows, one pointing to Carrer Sant Carles, and the other to Sória. From here, it’s all guesswork. For some, it’s an old road sign. For others, it would be the hallmark of an old glove business. There are also those who venture esoteric theories and secret societies.
The building where the enigmatic hand is located was built around 1875, for this reason it is assumed to date from then, although it cannot be ruled out that it was a stone reused from another construction, which was very common in Barcelona at the time. The property consists of one floor and three floors built on a double plot. It is considered to be a variation of the model of the original constructions of the Barceloneta. The building was renovated in 2001 and the curious stone underwent a conscientious cleaning.
Barceloneta is a neighborhood built on a peninsula formed by sediments. Construction began in 1753 to, in principle, rehouse the residents of La Ribera affected by the construction of the Ciutadella after the fall of Barcelona in 1714. Designed by Felipe V’s military engineers, the original houses were to have only one floor and floor, a height proportional to the narrow and straight streets.
But the model was soon altered and in 1853 a second floor was authorized. The third floor arrived in 1868, the period in which the hand building was built. A few years later a fourth floor was legalized. There were even some fifth floors, while the houses were subdivided until they became the well-known quarters of the Barceloneta. This seafaring neighborhood has been changing over the years, but for now the enigma of the hand remains unchanged.
