Palau de la Virreina

The Palau de la Virreina was built between 1772 and 1778. The building, located on La Rambla Sant Josep, is one of the greatest examples of Catalan civil Baroque.

For many years, the Palau has been dedicated to hosting exhibitions and collections from the city museums in its halls. Currently, it is the headquarters of the Barcelona Institute of Culture and its exhibition halls host a multidisciplinary project that, under the name of La Virreina Centre de la Imatge, aims to place cultural policies at the center of its exhibition activities.

HISTORY OF THE BUILDING

In the late sixteenth century, the Marquis of Castellbell, Manuel de Amat i Juniet, returned to Barcelona with the fortune he had accumulated during his time as the governor of Chile (1755-1761) and later as Viceroy of Peru (1761 - 1776).

To show off his status, he had this palace built. It is not certain who the author of the building plans was, but traditionally they are attributed to Josep Ausich i Mir. The works were directed from Peru by Manuel Amat himself, who personally decided on some details of the facade. The facade decoration is the work of Carles Grau - who also worked as an architect - and Francesc Serra - who died during the construction. The first popular name of the house was not the one it has now; in the documents of that time, it appears as "the house on La Rambla."

Manuel de Amat settled permanently in Barcelona and in 1797 he married Maria Francesca de Fivaller i Bru. A few years later, upon Amat's death in 1782, the building was occupied by his widow. It is thanks to her, Maria Francesca de Fivaller i de Bru, that we have the popular name of the building.

The Palau de la Virreina remained linked to the Amat family until 1835 when it was acquired by their administrator, Josep Carreras d'Argerich. The Palau belonged to the Carreras family until it was bought by the Barcelona City Council in 1944. A few years earlier, in 1935, the Palau was opened to the public for the first time, creating a historic precedent for the building's future use. That Christmas in 1935, the Palau was opened to the public for the exhibition of Fortuny's oil painting "The Print Collector," purchased with funds raised by the Friends of the Museums.

In 1940, the Palau's premises hosted the first exhibition: "The Fortuny Exhibition," and since then, the building has been tied to the culture and heritage of Barcelona.

For many years, the Palau housed various collections and museums of the city: the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Cambó Collection, the Postal and Philatelic Museum, the Numismatic Cabinet... and since 1986 it has been the headquarters of the Department of Culture of the Barcelona City Council, functioning concurrently as a space for temporary exhibitions.

THE BUILDING

The Palau de la Virreina is one of the finest examples of Catalan civil Baroque and is structured around two inner courtyards. From the larger one, a double staircase leads to the grand windows of the salons. The first floor - the former noble floor - was occupied by the owners, and the upper floor was dedicated to service facilities.

Externally, its facade stands out, structured in vertical axes marked by balconies with the reinforcement of six pilasters. The sculptural work of Carles Grau and the wrought iron work of the balconies are other remarkable elements of the building.
In 1941, it was declared a national monument.