Blog

30/01/2018

30 January 1883: application for demolition permit

One hundred and thirty-five years ago, on 30 January 1883, Manuel Vicens i Montaner applied for a permit from Vila de Gràcia Town Council to demolish the house inherited from his mother, which was in poor condition, and to construct in its place the building that would end up becoming Casa Vicens. A few days … Read more

07/11/2017

Our neighbors in Gràcia

“Extraordinary,” “interesting,” and “different” is how some of the 1,700 residents of Gràcia’s Carrers de les Carolines and d’Aulèstia Pijoan described Casa Vicens during their visit to the house last weekend. At last they had the opportunity to explore the richly detailed interior of a historic building that has always been a special part of … Read more

29/09/2017

Gràcia

Gràcias’s modernista buildings (II)

As a follow-up to World Tourism Day, we are posting the second part of our list of modernista buildings in Gràcia, a district that boasts the highest concentration of modernista structures in the world. Barcelona’s modernista heritage has helped make it a prime international tourist destination. Landmark buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí, the undisputed master … Read more

30/07/2017

Gràcia

Gracia’s modernista buildings (1)

Although no official census has ever been conducted, Gracía may well have more modernista structures per square meter than any other place on earth. Nevertheless, if we take into account those that have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO—two of which were designed by Gaudí—this neighborhood is undoubtedly home to a record number. Gracía … Read more

06/02/2017

Casa Vicens, a single-family summer house designed for Manel Vicens in the Village of Gràcia (1883-1885)

Over its 130 years of history, Casa Vicens has solely been used as a residence, originally as a summer home and later as a first residence. It has undergone a succession of different changes and modifications – even being divided into different independent flats – with the goal of adapting it to the needs of … Read more

06/02/2017

A sustainable tourism project

Casa Vicens will open its doors in the midst of a profound reflection on tourism policies, both locally and internationally. Since 2017 has been named International Year of Sustainable Tourism by the United Nations, it is also a crucial year for Barcelona, which is in the middle of devising the city’s new tourism management plan … Read more