Saving a Gym to Save the City

Located in Ciutat Vella, where the neighborhoods of Raval, Sant Antoni, and Poble-sec meet, this unique building is home to remarkable things.
<br><br>

The Sant Pau Gym rightly calls itself “social.” With almost 80 years of history, it’s now run by a workers’ cooperative that offers low-cost sports facilities, free access for vulnerable groups, showers for the homeless, swimming hours for Muslim women, special schedules during Ramadan, support for trans individuals, and registration without requiring legal status.
<br><br>
All of this takes place in a prime real estate location — a hot spot for speculative capital. In an area hit hard by gentrification, Sant Pau represents a golden opportunity for its owners, the Samaranch-Viñas family.
<br><br>
That’s why the workers have been fighting for years against eviction, bringing together neighbors, collectives, and professionals in a campaign that goes far beyond saving a gym. Their vision includes participatory democracy, a new model of social housing, and a city that defends spaces like this as essential to its own survival.
<br><br>
#SalvemelSantPau mobilized nearly 40 organizations and hundreds of local residents. But with only weeks left in the year, the gym’s future — and the proposal to build social housing on-site — hangs in the balance. The property owners have filed for eviction once again, and the Barcelona City Council has yet to act on its promises.