Door 29
I usually like to present one door at a time in my Thursday doors posts to allow for a thorough examination of the door, without the distractions of others. However, sometimes it is appropriate to look at several at once – besides which, how else will I be able to clear out my archive of doors?
On a recent trip to Barcelona with my daughter, I noticed that in the old city many of the doors to apartments above shops were extraordinarily thin and tall. Some were so slender that you wonder how larger people might manage. Were they designed this way to maximise the space for the shop front? or was there some other reason for this architectural design? Answers on a postcard…
Here are a few of the many doors we saw:
This door was open, and what I saw inside was not at all what I expected. This is not a place for those afraid of confined spaces. Immediately behind the door, there was a stone spiral stairtcase, tighter than any I have ever seen before. By the look of it on the doorbell, there are eight apartments through this door. The mind boggles at the logistics of meeting people travelling in opposite directions, and looking at this through the lens of the British pre-occupation of health and safety – isn’t this something of a horrific fire escape risk? Interesting as it is, I fret every time I look at this picture.
by Scooj
More doors at: Thursday Doors – Norm 2.0
Natural adventures 
These are fascinating. The one with the spiral staircase leads me to many questions. Like how do people get their belongings and furniture into their apartment when they move in?
Great shots 🙂
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Norm, that was my thought, too. How in the world do you get anything up those stairs???
janet
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My guess would be that furniture etc is probably hoisted up from the street through a window
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I agree.
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I just don’t think you can.
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The same question crossed my mind. They must have to use ladders or something.
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Through the windows???
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That would be my guess.
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Seeing these doors now I realize I never saw anything like them when I visited Barcelona a few years back. I, too, cannot believe that skinny, spiral staircase! Who does this on a daily basis??? Nice finds.
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I know, crazy staircase. Thank you.
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I have been to Barcelona several times but can’t recall seeing those ultra tall & thin doors.
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They were mostly in the old city.
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have sent you an email to see if you can i/d a Deaner piece …
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I wonder if these doors (and staircases) lead to somewhere like the TARDIS in Doctor Who. I’m guessing the builders wanted to make as much use of the living space as possible.
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I think it was to give the shops as much frontage as possible. Only a guess though.
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Love your selection of skinny doors. For those that live there, the skinny door is an incentive not to overeat. 🙂
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I think so. A sugar tax would be a welcome intervention.
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🙂
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Definitely no wheelchair access with those doors, and that spiral stairs is like something out of the dark ages. Great shots.
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Thank you. Yes, these doors really are not 21st century friendly.
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These are really tiny and eye-opening.
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Well… for moving furniture into apartments here most people book companies who come with a cherry picker of sorts which transfers boxes/sofas etc. from the street to your apartment through the window as the vast majority of the buildings won’t allow much to come up the stairs. But yeah in all honesty it’s not uncommon here, I think a lot of buildings in Raval for example were quickly put up to house and hide the riff raff during the Olympics in 92 so there wasn’t much effort put into making them look good or be particularly user friendly… as for health and safety haha it’s Spain, no such thing exists here!
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Thanks for an insider’s view. I figured H&S was not high on the agenda there.
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