Explore the real-world places that appear in The Truth About the Savolta Case by Eduardo Mendoza. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Savolta Arms Factory, Café Central, El Liceu Opera House, Barcelona Police Headquarters, El Paral·lel Theater District and 7 more.
Poblenou Industrial District — Center of the conspiracy
The Savolta arms manufacturing company serves as the epicenter of the novel's conspiracy. Here, amid the machinery and workers, the complex web of industrial espionage, labor conflicts, and wartime profiteering unfolds. The factory becomes a battleground between workers and management, while the mysterious French adventurer and other conspirators manipulate events from the shadows. The journalist protagonist investigates the corruption and violence that emanates from this industrial heart.
The Poblenou district was Barcelona's industrial engine from the mid-19th century through the early 20th century, earning the nickname 'the Catalan Manchester.' During World War I, Spanish neutrality allowed Barcelona's factories to profit enormously by supplying arms to both sides, creating immense wealth and social tension.
Poblenou has been transformed into the '22@ innovation district,' filled with tech companies, design studios, and modern architecture. Some industrial heritage buildings have been preserved as cultural centers and museums, though most factories have been demolished or converted.
Visit: Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (museum)
Plaça Reial — Meeting place for conspirators
The elegant Café Central in Plaça Reial serves as a crucial meeting point for the novel's cast of characters. Here, the idealistic journalist encounters the mysterious French adventurer who draws him deeper into the Savolta conspiracy. The café's marble tables and mirrored walls witness clandestine conversations between industrialists, spies, and revolutionaries, as plots are hatched over coffee and cognac amid the bourgeois atmosphere.
Plaça Reial, built in the 1850s, was Barcelona's most fashionable square during the early 20th century. Its cafés and restaurants attracted the city's intellectual and business elite, making it a natural setting for political intrigue during the turbulent 1917-1919 period.
Plaça Reial remains one of Barcelona's most vibrant squares, lined with restaurants, bars, and cafés. While the specific Café Central is fictional, several historic establishments still operate under the square's distinctive arches, maintaining the bohemian atmosphere Mendoza described.
Visit: Café Ocaña (restaurant)
La Rambla — High society gatherings
The Gran Teatre del Liceu represents the pinnacle of Barcelona's high society, where the industrial elite gather for gala performances while revolutionary tensions simmer outside. The opera house serves as a backdrop for the novel's exploration of class divisions, as wealthy patrons in evening dress attend performances while workers plot in the streets. Social gatherings here reveal the hypocrisy and decadence of the bourgeoisie involved in the Savolta affair.
Built in 1847, the Liceu was Europe's second-largest opera house and the symbol of Barcelona's 19th-century prosperity. It was also a target for anarchist attacks - most famously in 1893 when anarchist Santiago Salvador threw bombs into the audience, killing 20 people, reflecting the very tensions Mendoza depicts.
After several reconstructions following fires, the modern Liceu continues as one of the world's great opera houses. It offers guided tours that showcase its opulent interior and turbulent history, including the anarchist attacks that mirror the novel's themes.
Visit: Gran Teatre del Liceu (theater)
Via Laietana — Commissioner's investigations
The stubborn police commissioner conducts his investigation into the Savolta case from these headquarters, navigating political pressure from above and anarchist threats from below. Here, witnesses are interrogated, evidence is examined, and the complex web of the conspiracy slowly unravels. The building represents the state's attempt to maintain order amid the chaos of revolutionary Barcelona, though corruption and political interference constantly hamper the search for truth.
The Via Laietana police complex was built in the early 20th century as part of Barcelona's modernization. During the 1917-1919 period, it was the center of efforts to control the wave of strikes, bombings, and political violence that swept the city.
The building continues to house various police departments and administrative offices. While not open to the public, its imposing facade on Via Laietana remains a symbol of state authority in the city center.
Avinguda del Paral·lel — Cabaret and nightlife
The Paral·lel serves as Barcelona's entertainment district, where cabareteras perform and circus people gather in the novel's exploration of the city's nightlife. Here, amid the theaters, music halls, and taverns, characters from different social strata intersect. The liberated women and performers of this district represent the changing social norms of post-war Europe, while also providing cover for the novel's various conspiracies and romantic entanglements.
Known as Barcelona's Broadway, the Paral·lel was lined with theaters, music halls, and cabarets from the 1890s through the 1930s. During Mendoza's period setting, it was the heart of popular entertainment, attracting both working-class audiences and bourgeois seeking excitement.
While many historic theaters have closed or been converted, the Paral·lel still maintains some of its entertainment character. Several theaters continue to operate, and the area has been revitalized with new cultural venues and restaurants.
Visit: Teatre Apolo (theater)
Gràcia District — Romantic encounters
The fantastical gardens of Park Güell provide a romantic refuge from the industrial violence and political intrigue of the city below. Here, amid Gaudí's mosaic benches and organic architecture, the novel's romantic subplots unfold as characters seek escape from the conspiracy's dangers. The park's otherworldly atmosphere contrasts sharply with the gritty realism of the factories and police stations, offering moments of beauty and intimacy.
Built between 1900 and 1914 by Antoni Gaudí for industrialist Eusebi Güell, the park was originally conceived as a garden city for Barcelona's elite. By the novel's 1917-1919 setting, it had already become a public space where citizens could escape urban pressures.
Park Güell is one of Barcelona's most visited attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its colorful mosaics, serpentine benches, and panoramic views of the city continue to provide the romantic atmosphere Mendoza described.
Visit: Park Güell (park)
Raval District — Underworld and taverns
The notorious Barrio Chino (now El Raval) serves as the novel's underworld, where confidentes operate, beggars deliver prophetic warnings, and the city's criminal element intersects with political conspiracy. In the district's taverns and brothels, information is traded, alliances are formed, and violence erupts. The misogynistic bodyguard and other shadowy characters navigate these dangerous streets as the Savolta case's tentacles reach into Barcelona's darkest corners.
The Raval district, colloquially known as Barrio Chino despite having no Chinese population, was Barcelona's red-light district from the late 19th century. During the novel's period, it was notorious for prostitution, crime, and anarchist activity, making it a natural setting for political intrigue.
El Raval has been extensively gentrified and is now home to museums, cultural centers, and trendy restaurants. However, some of its original character remains in the narrow medieval streets and traditional bars.
Visit: MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art) (museum)
Passeig de Gràcia — Bourgeois residences
The modernist mansions of Passeig de Gràcia, including Gaudí's Casa Milà, represent the wealth and status of Barcelona's industrial elite involved in the Savolta conspiracy. These elaborate residences host the social gatherings where business deals are made and political alliances forged. The ornate facades hide the corruption and violence that fuel the arms trade, while their wealthy inhabitants remain insulated from the revolutionary chaos in the streets below.
Casa Milà was completed in 1912 for businessman Pere Milà. The building epitomized the wealth of Barcelona's industrial bourgeoisie during the period, when fortunes made from textiles, arms manufacturing, and wartime profiteering funded architectural masterpieces.
Casa Milà is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and museum operated by the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera. Visitors can tour the building's apartments, roof terrace, and exhibitions about Gaudí and early 20th-century Barcelona.
Visit: Casa Milà - La Pedrera (museum)
Port Vell — Arms smuggling operations
The bustling port serves as the gateway for the arms smuggling operations central to the Savolta conspiracy. Here, weapons manufactured in Barcelona's factories are secretly loaded onto ships bound for European battlefields, generating enormous profits for the conspirators. The docks witness clandestine meetings between French agents, Spanish industrialists, and international arms dealers, while longshorkers and customs officials are bribed to look the other way.
During World War I, Barcelona's port was crucial for Spain's neutral trade with both sides of the conflict. The harbor bustled with ships carrying Spanish-manufactured arms, raw materials, and other goods, making it a center of wartime commerce and espionage.
The old port (Port Vell) has been transformed into a leisure and cultural area with shopping centers, restaurants, and the Barcelona Aquarium. The working port has moved to new facilities, but the historic harbor maintains its maritime character.
Visit: Barcelona Aquarium (museum)
Eixample District — Symbol of changing Barcelona
The ongoing construction of Gaudí's masterpiece serves as a symbol of Barcelona's transformation during the novel's period. The rising spires represent the city's ambitions and artistic achievements, contrasting with the violence and corruption of the Savolta affair. Characters observe the slow progress of construction as a metaphor for the gradual revelation of truth, while the church's innovative architecture embodies the same innovative spirit that drives Barcelona's industrial success.
Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882, and by the novel's 1917-1919 setting, Gaudí was deeply involved in the project. The church was already becoming a symbol of Barcelona's unique character and artistic vision, rising amid the city's rapid industrial growth.
The Sagrada Familia remains under construction and is Barcelona's most famous landmark. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and functioning basilica, it attracts millions of visitors annually and continues Gaudí's vision of creating a 'Bible in stone.'
Visit: Basílica de la Sagrada Família (monument)
Gran Via — Intellectual debates and student unrest
The university serves as a hotbed of intellectual ferment and political debate during the revolutionary period. Here, students and professors discuss the ideological currents sweeping Europe, while the idealistic journalist protagonist develops his commitment to truth and justice. The academic environment provides a counterpoint to the commercial conspiracy, representing the pursuit of knowledge and moral clarity amid the confusion and corruption of the Savolta case.
The University of Barcelona's historic building on Gran Via was completed in the 1870s. During the 1917-1919 period, it was a center of political activity, with students and faculty actively engaged in the debates over socialism, anarchism, and Catalanism that defined the era.
The historic university building continues to house several faculties and the rector's office. Its neo-Gothic architecture and courtyards can be visited during guided tours, and it remains an active center of Barcelona's intellectual life.
Visit: Historic Building of the University of Barcelona (historic site)
Montjuïc Hill — Final resting place of victims
The cemetery on Montjuïc serves as the final destination for victims of the violence surrounding the Savolta conspiracy. Here, amid elaborate tombs of Barcelona's wealthy families, lie the casualties of industrial and political warfare. The cemetery becomes a place of reflection for surviving characters, where the full cost of the conspiracy becomes clear and the dead bear silent witness to the corruption and betrayal that destroyed so many lives.
Montjuïc Cemetery, opened in 1883, became Barcelona's main burial ground for both the wealthy elite and common citizens. During the turbulent 1917-1919 period, it received many victims of political violence, labor conflicts, and the Spanish flu pandemic.
The cemetery remains active and is notable for its elaborate modernist mausoleums and sculptures. It offers panoramic views of Barcelona and the sea, and guided tours highlight its artistic and historical significance.
Visit: Montjuïc Cemetery (historic site)
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