Casa Padellàs facts for kids
The Casa Padellàs (which means Padellàs's House in English) is a beautiful old palace built in the Gothic style. It was first located on Carrer Mercaders in Barcelona. In the early 1900s, a new road called Via Laietana was planned, and the palace was in the way. To save it, the building was carefully taken apart in 1931. Then, it was rebuilt piece by piece in a new spot, the Plaça del Rei, in Barcelona's historic Gothic Quarter. Since 1943, this special building has been home to the Barcelona City History Museum. It is recognized as an important national cultural treasure.
Building Design
The design of Casa Padellàs is typical of Gothic palaces in Catalonia. The outside of the building is quite simple, without much fancy decoration. The windows on the lower part have some Renaissance style details. The windows on the upper floors were added later, in the late 1700s.
The main entrance is the only opening on the outside of the building. It leads into a central courtyard, which is the heart of the palace. Today, this courtyard is where you enter the Barcelona City History Museum. You'll also find an old well and the main staircase here. This staircase wraps around the courtyard, leading up to the main living floor, called the piano nobile. The courtyard is surrounded by a series of Gothic arches on the ground floor. Above these arches, there's another open area that supports the roof.
Inside, the rooms have been changed to fit the museum's needs. They are now used as spaces for exhibitions. The original decorations of the palace were not kept when the building was moved and rebuilt.
A Look at Its History
Records from the Middle Ages suggest that the Palau Padellàs was built between 1497 and 1515. It was located where Carrer Mercaders and Carrer Tarascó met. It's thought that Joan d’Hostalric-Sabastida i Llull, an important royal advisor, was behind the project. He became a nobleman in 1513.
In 1584, the Casamitjana family bought the palace. One famous person who lived there was Rafael Casamitjana d’Erill, who was a top leader in Barcelona in 1651. Later, the Padellàs family owned the house in the 1700s, and that's how it got its current name. Francesc de Padellàs fought to defend Barcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession. However, when it looked like the city would lose, he switched sides to support the Bourbon family. In 1759, his son, Bernardí de Padellàs, was made a nobleman by Charles III of Spain.
In the early 1900s, the house changed owners several times. In 1928, the City of Barcelona bought it. After it was moved in 1931 and after the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) ended, it was decided that the Palau Padellàs would become the main building for the Barcelona City History Museum.
Images for kids
-
Court of the Casa Padellàs
See also
In Spanish: Casa Padellás para niños
