The reopening of Hijos de Caín, a well-known rock bar in Barcelona’s Sant Martí district, has been postponed indefinitely, with its owners claiming the city is blocking their efforts to resume business. The venue has been sealed for over five months following structural damage, the latest development in a protracted dispute with a neighbouring hotel.

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Owners Toni and Azahara state that despite investing over €15,000 in repairs and obtaining two separate certificates of structural soundness from qualified architects, the Sant Martí district council has refused to lift the closure order. The bar, located on Carrer de Pallars, is one of the last remaining venues in an area that has seen significant pressure from property developers.

A Long-Running Dispute

The conflict dates back approximately three years, when the building’s previous owner issued eviction notices to several commercial tenants. According to a report by Metrópoli Abierta, the tenants appealed, and the case remains in the courts. However, Sagemar, a company operating under the Sallès Hotels brand, subsequently bought the property.

The new owners allegedly intend to expand their adjacent Hotel Sallès Pere IV. Toni and Azahara claim that around 18 months ago, the new owners removed the building’s roof and perforated interior ceilings and structural slabs. This action allegedly caused water leaks and damage, culminating in a structural collapse five months ago that forced the immediate evacuation and sealing of Hijos de Caín.

An Impasse with the Council

In the months since the closure, the couple has worked tirelessly to reopen. They commissioned an architect to design and oversee the installation of an internal rainwater drainage system. This work, costing over €15,000, received structural soundness certification, which also got a visa from the official Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC).

When the district council rejected their initial application to reopen, they commissioned a second, independent architectural certificate, which again verified the building’s safety. Still, the authorities refused to lift the seal.

A meeting last week with district representatives brought no resolution. “They were blunt. We will not reopen until the hotel puts the roof back on,” the owners said. “We asked them to send the fire brigade or municipal technicians to carry out their own second inspection, and they have refused.”

“We are blocked. We have done everything and more to be able to reopen, and even so, they don’t want to send anyone to verify the work we have done,” they lamented.

In response to enquiries from Metrópoli, district sources stated they had not lifted the seal because “the repairs carried out do not meet the requirements established by the Bomberos de Barcelona (Fire Department) to guarantee user safety.” They confirmed this communication to the owners.

The Human and Cultural Cost

The protracted closure has had a significant human impact. Staff, including the owners, three other employees, and two security personnel, were placed on a temporary redundancy scheme (ERTE) after their salaries could no longer be covered.

“We have a mortgage to pay, children to support. We can’t afford to hold on forever,” the owners explained. They expressed frustration that their long history of what they describe as “exemplary behaviour” and investment in civic agents seems to count for nothing.

As one of the city’s few remaining venues dedicated to Spanish rock music, the potential permanent closure of Hijos de Caín represents a cultural loss for many. This struggle between a local business and larger development interests is a familiar story in Barcelona, particularly in transforming districts like Sant Martí, which is set to see further major redevelopment with projects like the new green hub in nearby Sagrera.

The owners feel they are being squeezed out. “It almost seems as if the Council ‘welcomes our disappearance’, as if they are taking advantage of the situation with the hotel to get rid of us,” they said. “But if we go, where will people go? Because they’re not going to stay at home.”

For now, the lights at Hijos de Caín remain off, its future caught in a web of legal disputes, structural reports, and municipal bureaucracy.