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A short walk over to the western side of the Palau Nacional brings youto the Poble Espanyol or "Spanish Village" (Mon 9am-8pm, Tues-Thurs 9am-2am, Fri & Sat 9am-4am, Sun 9am-midnight; 5.90, children 3.20; ). A complete village consistingof streets and squares with reconstructions of famous or characteristicbuildings - such as bell towers of the High Pyrenees and thefairy-tale medieval walls of avila - from all over Spain,this was an inspired concept for the International Exhibition (and sincethen copied, world over). It's not as cheesy as you might think; it'sgreat for kids and as a crash-course introduction to Spanish architectureit's not at all bad - everything is well labelled and at leastreasonably accurate - but inevitably the place swarms withtourists, snapping up gifts from the "genuine Spanish workshops" atinflated prices. Until 1992 the village was becoming a bit of an embarrassment:slightly tacky and less and less of a draw to tourists and locals alike.At this stage, amid the pre-Olympic frenzy, the city authorities broughtin Barcelona's hippest designers, Alfredo Arribas and Xavier Mariscal,who installed a club, the Torres de Avila , in the avilagate. Other trendy venues followed and, this being Barcelona, the wholecomplex now stays open until the small hours, a vibrant and excitingcentre of Barcelona nightlife. There is also a museum on site, the Museu d'Arts Industries i Tradicions Populars (organized visits only; phone 934 236 954 for details), displaying Spanish ethnographic and folk items, and an audiovisual show about Barcelona if you're interested in such things.
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