THE ZURICH CAFÉ HAS FOR DECADES BEEN A TRADITIONAL MEETING PLACE FOR BARCELONIANS AND AN IMMEDIATE REFERENCE POINT FOR FOREIGNERS. THIS CAFÉ, WITNESS TO HISTORY AND PART OF IT, HAS KEPT ITS PERSONALITY AS A SPACE FOR BOTH SOLITARY THOUGHT AND LIVELY DISCUSSION SINCE THE 1920S. WHEN FEDERIC CORREA AND ALFONS MILÁ SET ABOUT REFURBISHING IT IN 1998, THEY COULD HAVE TURNED IT INTO A MODERN FAST FOOD ESTABLISHMENT TO MATCH THE NEW EL TRIANGLE SHOPPING CENTRE, BUT OWNERS AND DESIGNERS DECIDED FOR A CONTINUITY THAT WOULD RETAIN A CERTAIN ATMOSPHERE OF OPEN AND PICTURESQUE BOHEMIA. CORREA AND MILÁ CONJURED TIME IN CAFÉ ZURICH: THE TIME OF ITS HISTORY AND THE TIME OF ITS PRESENT.

What’s New of What’s Old
CIn order to achieve this, they applied the philosophy of the Prince of Lampedusa: “change everything in order to change nothing”. Those who have a vague memory of the old business may have thought that the new Zurich was just a shiny photocopy, but that is not the truth at all. The small bar in the old café, intended to be used by the waiters rather than the customers (in old cafés the word “hurry” was unheard of), changed its position and also increased in length. A large portion of the attic section also disappeared, although part of it was preserved, since it is one of the distinguishing features of the premises. On this raised section you can enjoy a quiet conversation or the view of agitated faces crossing the threshold of the bar and hurriedly examining the tables looking for their date. Correa and Milá, although they logically used modern materials to refurbish the café, kept other distinguishing elements such as the arches, which give an old feel to the new premises. However, some elements have not been able to outlive changes in society. The mobile phone era has sacrificed the small wooden phone box, witness to so many calls to dates who never turned up. But the large windows, essential to the café’s identity in its permenent connection with the street, have been respected. We cannot speak of the Zurich without mentioning its sidewalk terrace, where the most distinguishing feature is not the furniture, but the customers. The Zurich is located in one of the spots with most intense human and vehicle traffic, the junction of Plaça Catalunya, Carrer Pelai and La Rambla, the true heart of Barcelona.