restoration

Cheaper passes and new information about restoration to be released November 16

In 1545 the Catholic Church in Catalonia ordered the keeping of register of all the baptisms and deaths in local parishes. This way, the Church was the pioneer in the register of persons, since the current civil registry was not established until years later. Only a few cities still preserve all the baptismal books, and Solsona, in Lleida, is one of them. The city even keeps the first baptismal book of its history,  that dates back to 1565. The Center for the Restoration of movable cultural heritage of Catalonia has spent 6 months on its restoration and has reproduced it in a copy that everyone from Solsona will be able to access.

After 11 months of restoration work, the world-famous Art-Nouveau building located on Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia boulevard and officially known as ‘Casa Milà’ is once again showing its unique façade. Designed by the Catalan architectural genius Antoni Gaudí, this wonderfully innovative residential house, also known as La Pedrera (The Quarry), was completed in 1910. With its undulating façade made of white stone and twisted wrought iron decorating the balconies (mostly designed by Josep Maria Jujol), the building initially shocked Barcelona’s bourgeoisie. However, after a few years it had become an iconic symbol of the Catalan capital. Nowadays, it represents perhaps the greatest masterpiece of Catalan modernism and Gaudí’s most famous building together with the Sagrada Família Basilica. 

The Cistercian monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and receives around 130,000 visitors a year. It has had an 800,000 euro renovation of its cloister. Lasting 7 months, the task was funded by the Catalan savings bank ‘La Caixa’. The work was unveiled last Saturday by the Catalan Minister of Culture, Ferran Mascarell.

The restoration of the one-thousand-year old ‘Tapís de la Creació’ reveals its original colours. Renovation works of this Catalan Romanesque tapestry have continued longer than expected due to the delicate nature of the reparation. Now it is on show again in the Girona Cathedral, with improved isolation and lighting conditions.

The works to the monument, which dates back to the 12th century and is at risk of ruin, have been delayed two years over a dispute with owner. The Castle is located over the beach of La Fosca, in Palamós. This town is at the centre of Catalonia’s Costa Brava and it is an important tourist centre.

The revamped 10,000 square metre site allows visitors to understand what it was really like in Ancient Times. Empúries is one of the largest archaeological sites in Catalonia, with well-preserved ruins from Greek and Roman towns.