The Jewish Heritage Tour: Past and Present in Barcelona
As part of the MIRETAGE project, the Jewish Heritage Tour in Barcelona explores the history and legacy of the city's medieval Jewish community through a guided walk around the Gothic Quarter and the former Jewish neighbourhood of El Call. Developed collaboratively with local communities and heritage professionals, the tour connects historical research with living Jewish culture and explores how sensory experiences can make intangible heritage more accessible and engaging.
Exploring Barcelona's Jewish Heritage
“The Jewish Heritage Tour: Past and Present”, developed as part of the MIRETAGE project, explores the history and legacy of Barcelona's medieval Jewish community through a guided walk around the Gothic Quarter and the former Jewish neighbourhood of El Call.
The two-hour tour introduces key historical places and figures, exploring topics such as everyday life, intellectual achievements and community institutions. It concludes at Casa Adret, connecting the city's medieval Jewish heritage with its contemporary Jewish community and ongoing initiatives.
The route was collaboratively developed through three Heritage Labs held between May and June 2025. These workshops brought together members of the Jewish community, historians, Hebrew documentation specialists, and professionals working in heritage, tourism and trail design. This collaborative process helped combine historical research with the living expressions of Jewish culture in Barcelona.
Sensory Experiences and Lessons from the Pilot Tours
During the pilot tours, participants explored sensory activities involving smells, tastes and sounds as ways of engaging with intangible Jewish heritage.
Initial observations suggest that these activities helped encourage dialogue and the exchange of personal experiences and cultural references, creating connections between participants and the heritage of the Jewish community.
The development process also highlighted the challenges of reaching diverse audiences and translating academic research into accessible and engaging experiences while maintaining historical accuracy.
Further refinement of the educational and sensory materials will help improve the accessibility and impact of the tour.
