Standing opposite the Vila Olímpica neighbourhood, it was built in 1990 during the redevelopment of this area of Barcelona. The marina was designed by the architects Oriol Bohigas, Josep Martorell, David Mackay and Albert Puigdomènech. The city needed a sports marina which would meet exacting standards, and it was the site of the sailing competitions during the 1992 Olympic Games. The marina has 756 berths for yachts and its entrance is visible from anywhere in Barcelona. The two skyscrapers on either side are the Mapfre Tower and the Hotel Arts, with Frank Gehry's spectacular goldfish sculpture at its base, and nearby, the Gran Casino de Barcelona. Lovers of water sports can go yachting or practise other types of sailing techniques here, and in the summertime, the beaches on either side of the marina – Somorrostro and Nova Icària – are the perfect place for sunbathing or for a cooling dip in the sea.

The Fish sculpture by the architect Frank Gehry, who won the Pritzker Prize in 1989, has become one of the symbols of post-Olympic Barcelona and looks as if it is bobbing along on the waters of the Mediterranean. The sunlight is reflected in the scales of this sculpture that presides over the waterfront of the Olympic Marina and Barcelona's beaches. In 1992, the pristine Olympic Barcelona was transforming its seafront. A new Olympic Marina was taking shape, presided over by its twin towers. On one side stood the Mapfre Tower; on the other was the Hotel Arts. Frank Gehry placed his fish sculpture at the foot of the hotel. The animal is 56 metres long and 35 metres high and seems to be longing to jump into the blue waters of the Mediterranean.

Port Vell, literally in English "Old Harbor" is a waterfront harbor in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and part of the Port of Barcelona. It was built as part of an urban renewal program prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Before this, it was a run-down area of empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories. 16 million people visit the complex each year It is now a focal point of the city and tourist attraction, containing the Maremàgnum (a mall containing shops, a multiplex cinema, bars and restaurants), IMAX Port Vell and Europe's largest aquarium containing 8000 fish and 11 sharks contained in 22 basins filled with six million litres (1.6 million US gallons) of seawater. A pedestrian walkway, Rambla de Mar, connects La Rambla to Port Vell It incorporates a swing bridge, in order to allow ships to enter and exit the harbour