Barça celebrate 50 years of Palau Blaugrana

The most decorated team in European handball, FC Barcelona, who won the EHF Champions League Men 10 times and were crowned Spanish champions 28 times, celebrated 50 years since the inauguration of Palau Blaugrana, the arena where history was written over the past decades.

The sports facility that houses Barça’s professional handball, basketball, futsal and roller hockey teams was inaugurated on 23 October 1971 and originally held 5,696 spectators. It was then upgraded in 1994 to the current capacity of 7,585 spectators.

382 trophies were clinched by professional Barça teams throughout their history in the arena, as the handball team holds the record for the largest number of trophies won in the EHF Champions League Men, the EHF Men’s Cup Winners’ Cup, the IHF Men’s Super Globe and in all the domestic competitions, including the Spanish League, the Spanish Cup and the Spanish Super Cup.

Since October 2021, the Spanish club kicked off a year of special activities that honour the teams, the players and the staff which made the venue an icon in Spanish sports and, particularly in handball, the hotspot that helped the powerhouse secure precious wins in their history.

The celebrations featured Barça’s president Joan Laporta and various other members of the board, plus relatives of Agustí Montal, the president who opened the venue in 1971, and of the architects Francesc Cavaller and Josep Soteras.

The 50th anniversary of handball in Palau Blaugrana was celebrated on 5 March, during a special game between Barça and domestic rivals Fraikin Granollers, which ended with a 37:33 win of the Spanish champions.

It was a true party, where the fans were treated with shows performed by freestylers and also a special mosaic painted in Barça’s traditional blue and burgundy colours. 

The game was attended by some of the club’s biggest handball legends, including Víctor Tomás, Enric Masip and Raúl Enterríos, in front of a crowd of 3,296. 

Moreover, five of the first Barça team to ever play in the Palau in 1971, Quico López Balcells, Carlos Eguino, Faustino Villamarín, Lluís Mestres and Ángel Rovira also took the court for a special photo.

Photos: www.fcbarcelona.cat