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All Spain Madrid La Tabacalera de Lavapiés

La Tabacalera de Lavapiés

This funky former tobacco factory is one of the most striking examples of Madrid's cultural diversity.

Madrid, Spain

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David Doochin
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A public courtyard inside La Tabacalera. (Photo:   Daniel Lobo/CC BY 2.0)
A view from inside La Tabacalera. (Photo:   Marta Nimeva Nimeviene/CC BY 2.0)
A mural on the outside wall of the former tobacco factory. (Photo:   r2hox/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Art hung up on one of the walls of La Tabacalera. (Photo:   sara martin doblas/CC BY-SA 2.0)
An inner view   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
La Tabacalera de Lavapiés   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Photo exhibition   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The entrance   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Picture of the Tabacalera’s outside walls   HereBeDragons / Atlas Obscura User
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Beautiful murals decorate the multi-storied walls of this once-decrepit industrial hub. With a community garden, patio space, bar, library, and kitchen, the space encourages an incredibly extensive array of uses. This social and cultural space is a bastion of democracy in central Madrid.

Housed in an old tobacco factory in the heart of Madrid — a history that informs the name, “La Tabacalera” — the space was vacated in 2009 after the tobacco company’s privatization, and repurposed as a popular public space for individual expression, hosting debates, exhibitions, galleries, and lectures.

Central to the idea of La Tabacalera is the emphasis on participatory democracy. Anyone can use the site — to paint, perform, urban farm, sing, dance — and anyone can benefit from it.

In an era of gentrification, maintaining the vibrant and eclectic culture in the neighborhood of Lavapiés has become both a challenge and a goal for its residents, one they hope La Tabacalera will help them achieve. Now listed as a “Heritage of Cultural Interest” by the Spanish government, the site is managed partly by the government and partly by the people, who are tasked with its upkeep and with respecting one another by maintaining open doors for all, regardless of social identity.

Update as of December 2023: The La Tabacalera is closed for major renovations.

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Community Center Culture Spain Art Public

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Information about the schedule of events taking place, most of which are free, can be found at La Tabacalera's website.

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daviddoochin

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derker, chrisbhammett, Luis Morato, HereBeDragons...

  • derker
  • chrisbhammett
  • Luis Morato
  • HereBeDragons
  • Xavixavir

Published

July 5, 2016

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La Tabacalera de Lavapiés
Calle de Embajadores, 51
Madrid, 28012
Spain
40.406519, -3.703276
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