Recent construction works in Barcelona, Spain, resulted in an unexpected discovery; the workers found the remains of a chocolate factory from the 19th century. According to an announcement by Barcelona Archaeology Service, the site was the main production facility for the Catalan chocolate company Clemente Guardia.
The building where the chocolate factory was situated contained several items of importance, including plaques that were used to make labels. Further confirming the history of the building are newspaper articles from the period talking about a newly open chocolate workshop in the area, as well as archival material from the 1888 World’s Fair, which mentions Clemente Guardia.
As it turns out, the chocolate factory was well known in the whole of Spain. It provided residents of Barcelona with all sorts of chocolate treats while selling its products across the country. It is unclear how and why Clemente Guardia went out of business.
The building’s history is even more fascinating when going further in the past. It was built as a mansion in the 14th century before being turned into a hostel in the next couple of centuries. Then, the original building was divided into multiple properties in the 18th century before becoming a chocolate factory.
Archeologists will continue examining the site to see what else they can uncover. In the meantime, they have created a map of the building, which was later shared by the Barcelona Archaeology Service on social media.