Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona

The headquarters of the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona on Ramblas No. 115 in Barcelona

The Fabra observatory on the Tibidabo in Barcelona, part of the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona

The Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (abbreviated RACAB, Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona) is a Catalan academy of science and art in Barcelona . Today the academy has its headquarters on Rambla No. 115 in Barcelona in a building built by the architect Josep Domènech i Estapà in 1894.

History of the Reial Acadèmia

The academy was founded on January 18, 1764 under the name Conferència Fisicomatemàtica Experimental . Its first president was Frances Subiràs , the first secretary was Joan Antoni Desvalls i d'Ardena , Margrave of Lluipià (Rousillon) . At the beginning, the academy had 16 members. The first meeting took place in the back room of a Barcelona pharmacy. Later they moved to an attic on Carrer de la Boqueria . An experimental cabinet with numerous instruments was set up here.

In December 1765 the academy was reorganized and the name was changed to Reial Conferència Física . New statutes were issued. The respective captain general of Catalonia was president of the society. The field of activity was expanded to include all natural sciences and progress in the useful arts. Numerous new sections have been set up such as: Algebra, Geometry, Statics, Hydrostatics, Electricity, Magnetism, Optics, Pneumatics, Acoustics, Natural History, Botany, Chemistry, Agriculture. 1770 raised Charles III. from Spain the institution to the rank of a royal academy, the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències Naturals i Arts . In 1892 the name was adapted to Reial Acadèmia de Ciències Naturals i Arts de Barcelona . In 1796 the Academy moved into part of the Rambla dels Estudis building that had previously belonged to the Jesuits. This building was rebuilt and modernized in 1887 by Josep Domènech i Estapà .

Since Barcelona did not have a university and academic teaching and training was prohibited there, physical and scientific seminars were held at the Reial Acadèmia . The level of these seminars has become extremely demanding over the years. In 1770 Joan Pau Canals carried out the first scientific work on red dye. Based on this , Francesc Carbonell later developed knowledge of the dye Turkish red , also known as Adrianople red, a knowledge that the Turks had tried to protect as an industrial secret. In 1790, Antoni Martí i Franquès gave lectures on the proportion of oxygen in the air according to the laws of Lavoisier . In 1795, Francesc Salvà i Campillo presented the theory of the electric telegraph. In 1890 Francesc Xavier de Bolòs presented the volcanism of the Garrotxa and the area around Olot .

Publications and current activities

The academy published numerous monographs in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1835 the regular publication of the memorias began . Around 800 papers were published in this series, reflecting scientific progress over a century and a half in Barcelona. The Boletín (Bulletin) series was published from 1840 . As of 2014 the Academy has 75 permanent members from seven different sections: 1. Mathematics and Astronomy, 2. Physics, 3. Chemistry, 4. Geosciences, 5. Biology, 6. Technology, 7. Arts. In 1986 the Academy participated in the construction of the seismological station in Font Martina in the Montseny massif. In 2010, the Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada (ROA) de Cadis and the University of Barcelona were involved in the construction of the telescope of Montsec ( Telescopi Fabra-Roa al Montsec ) using the very latest technology. In 2014 the Academy received the Creu-de-Sant-Jordi from the Generalitat de Catalunya for 250 years of outstanding scientific research.

Scientist from the Reial Acadèmia

Other important scholars who emerged from the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts were:

• The chemist Josep Roura i Estrada (1797–1860) is the discoverer of the white explosives, white powder or Roura powder after himself, as well as the lighting technology by heating calcium oxide over a hydrogen flame. He is the one who initiated the lighting of places and cities using gas lanterns across the entire Iberian Peninsula.
• The pharmacist and pharmaceutical chemist Francesc Domènech i Maranges (1820–1904) installed the first gas lighting in Reus in 1854 before equipping his pharmacy in Barcelona with electric light in 1866. He is the first to experiment with electric light on the Iberian Peninsula.
• The mathematician and pharmacist Lorenç Presas i Puig (also: Lorenç Preses i Puig, 1811–1875) collected meteorological (thermometric, hygrometric, barometric, haze or cloud formation) data for over 40 years. He also used balloons.
• The chemist Jaume Arbós i Tor (1824–1882) had invented a special gasometer (gasòmetre d'aspiracio).
• The mathematician and astronomer Agustí Canelles i Carreres (1765-1818) was a member of a commission that set the exact length of a meter.
• The botanist and field doctor Mariano de la Gasca (1776–1839) had created a herbarium of over 4000 plants.
• The geologists Lluís Marià Vidal i Carreras (1842–1922), Jaume Almera i Comas (also Jaime Almera Comas, 1845–1919) and Josep Ramon Bataller i Calatayud (1890–1962).
• The mathematicians Josep Ricart i Giralt (1847–1930), Esteve Terradas i Illa (1883–1950).
• The astronomers Josep Comas i Solà (1868–1937) and Isidre Pòlit i Boixareu (1880–1958).
• The botanists Antoni Cebrià Costa i Cuxart (1817–1886), Joan Cadevall i Diars (1846–1921), Pius Font i Quer (1888–1964).
• The meteorologist, seismologist and astronomer Eduard Fontserè i Riba (1870–1970) was the first to be responsible for the first official, Spanish, statutory clock service from 1891 , as well as the Fabra observatory since its establishment in 1904 .

President of the Reial Acadèmia

Conferencia Phisico-Mathematica Experimental

• Francesc Subiràs (1764–1766)

Real Conferencia Física

• Francesc de Dusay i de Fivaller (1766–1768)
• Jaume Roig (1768-1770)

Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts

• Jaume Roig (1770–1799)
• Joan Antoni Desvalls i d'Ardena (marquès de Llupià) (1799–1808), (1814–1820)
• Francesc de Dusay i de Marí (marquès de Monistrol) (1820-1824)
• Francesc de Bahi i Fonseca (1833)
• Albert Pujol Gurena (1833-1835)
• Agustí Yánez Girona (1835–1836), (1836–1837), (1841–1842), (1848–1849), (1853–1854), (1855–1856)
• Josep Antoni Llobet i Vall-llosera (1837–1838), (1844–1845), (1851–1852), (1856–1857), (1859–1860)
• Fèlix Janer i Bertrán (1838–1839), (1845–1846)
• Raimon Fors i Cornet (1839-1840)
• Joan Baptista Foix Gual (1842–1843)
• Pere Vieta i Gibert (1846–1847)
• Josep Melcior Prat i Solà (1847–1848), (1854–1855)
• Josep Antoni Balcells i Camps (1849–1850)
• Joan Josep Anzizu i Yurza (1850-1851)
• Ramon Muns i Seriñà (1852-1853)
• Josep Oriol i Bernadet (1857-1858)
• Antoni Rave i Bergnes (1858–1859), (1870–1872)
• Francesc Domenech i Maranges (1860–1861)
• Vicent Munner i Valls (1861-1862)
• Josep Arrau i Barba (1862–1863)
• Antoni Ciprià Costa Cuixart (1863–1864), (1867–1868)
• Narcís Vidal i Campderrós (1864–1866)
• Josep Oriol Mestres i Esplugas (1866–1867)
• Francesc Paradaltas i Pintó (1868–1870)
• Julià Casaña i Leonardo (1872–1874), (1876–1878), (1884–1886)
• Ramon de Manjarres i Bofarull (1874–1876)
• Lucas Echeverría i Ugarte (1878–1880)
• Frederic Trémols i Borrell (1880–1882)
• Àngel del Romero i Walsh (1882–1884), (1886–1888), (1894–1895)
• Joan Montserrat i Archs (1888–1890)
• Rafael Puig i Valls (1892-1894), (1904-1906)
• Silví Thos i Codina (1895–1904)
• Jaume Almera i Comas (1906–1908)
• Eugeni Mascareñas i Hernández (1908-1910)
• Luis Mariano Vidal i Carreras (1910-1912)
• Josep Domènech i Estapà (1912–1914)
• Pere Marcer Oliver (1914-1916)
• Eduard Alcobé i Arenas (1916–1924), (1939–1945)
• Josep Serrat i Bonastre (1924–1926)
• Carles de Camps i Olzinellas (marqués de Camps) (1926–1939)
• Paulí Castells Vidal (1945–1946)
• Eduard Vitoria Miralles (1946–1951)
• Francesc Pardillo Vaquer (1951–1955)
• Isidre Pòlit i Boixareu (1956–1958)
• Francesc Planell i Riera (1958–1961)
• Josep Pascual i Vila (1962–1977)
• Lluís Solé i Sabarís (1977-1983)
• Enric Freixa i Pedrals (1983-1995)
• Ramon Parés i Farràs (1995-2004)
• Rafael Foguet i Ambròs (2004–2011)
• Ramon Pascual de Sans (2011 -...)

literature

• Enciclopèdia Catalana: Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona, ​​Reial . In: Gran enciclopèdia catalana. 2nd edition 5th reprint 1992. Volume 1 . Enciclopèdia catalana, Barcelona 1987, ISBN 84-85194-82-9 , p. 99 (Catalan).

Web links

Commons : Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Enciclopedia.cat: Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona. Retrieved February 24, 2018 (Catalan). 
• RACAB: Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona. Retrieved February 24, 2018 (Catalan). 

Individual references and comments

1. ↑ ieee: Francesc Salvà i Campillo: Theory of the telegraph. Accessed February 28, 2018 . 
2. ↑ See the article on the Garrotxa Volcanoes Nature Reserve .
3. ↑ Josep Risueño (Reusdigital.cat): Una mica de llum a la història de l'electricitat a Reus. February 24, 2012, accessed March 1, 2018 (Catalan). 
4. ↑ RACAB: Gallery of Presidents. Retrieved March 3, 2018 (Catalan).