Palau Reial de Pedralbes

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Main entrance of the Palau Reial de Pedralbes

Palau Reial de Pedralbes ( Catalan for "Royal Palace of Pedralbes", Spanish : Palacio Real de Pedralbes ) is a former residence building on the street Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona's district of Pedralbes , the 2009 headquarters of the General Secretariat of the since March 4, Mediterranean Union , and also houses two museums.

History of the palace

Today's palace with its extensive gardens has its origins in a former agricultural area near the monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes north of Barcelona, which was built in the 16th century . Between 1862 and 1883, Joan Güell and his son Eusebi Güell acquired the 17th century Can Feliu estate here . A 30,000 m² plot of land called Finca Güell was created through the purchase of adjacent areas . The existing property was subsequently converted into a summer residence with a magnificent garden by the architect Joan Martorell . Between 1884 and 1887, a porter's house, stables and a gate - later known as Pavellons Güell - were built on Avinguda de Pedralbes based on designs by Antoni Gaudí .

In 1918 the Güell family donated part of the property to King Alfonso XIII of Spain . - as a residence for his stays in Barcelona. By 1924 the building was transformed into a palace in the neo-renaissance style by the architects Eusebi Bona and Francesc Nebot . The four-story central building was supplemented by two three-story, curved side wings. With this renovation, the building was given the name "Royal Palace of Pedralbes", which is still in use today. The gardens were redesigned in 1927 by Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí .

With the beginning of the Second Spanish Republic , the building came into the possession of the city of Barcelona in 1931, which established the Museu de les Arts Decoratives ("Museum of Decorative Arts") and converted the gardens into a public park. After the Spanish Civil War , the palace became a residence again and served the dictator Francisco Franco as official accommodation in Barcelona.

After the end of Franquism , the building was used again as a museum, since 1990 it has housed the Museum of Decorative Arts as well as the Museu de Ceràmica ("Ceramic Museum"). In addition, the palace was occasionally used for large celebrations at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century (for example, the Spanish King Juan Carlos held a large banquet here in 1997 on the occasion of the wedding of his daughter Cristina ). However, parts of the structure were often empty.

Seat of the Mediterranean Union

With the election of Barcelona as the headquarters of the Mediterranean Union founded in July 2008, the Palau Reial de Pedralbes was transformed into the general secretariat of this organization in 2008/2009. 

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rhein-Zeitung: ... the king nodded in agreement on October 5, 1997
  2. ↑ nzz.ch: Barcelona is to become the seat of the Mediterranean Union , from November 4, 2008.
  3. ↑ The Palau is now the official contact address

Web links

Commons : Palau Reial de Pedralbes  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  • Berliner Zeitung of November 5, 2008: LEXICON: Pedralbes Palace .
  • Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana . Enciclopèdia Catalana SA, Barcelona 2003, ISBN 84-85194-81-0 .

Coordinates: 41 ° 23 ′ 18 ″  N , 2 ° 7 ′ 1 ″  E