Experiences

Town Hall – Plaza de Catalunya

ruta al centre

  • ajuntament-pineda-de-mar
  • ajuntament-pineda-de-mar

CATALUNYA SQUARE

HISTORIC CENTRE

A little more than 500 years ago, this square connected the urban area, people and the sea.   

In 1499, in this place, a road was opened to facilitate the movement of people and also the transfer of goods by maritime transport. Today, this is the Carrer de Mar (the Seaside street). And at the time, it created a ‘T-shaped’ new urban planning in Pineda.

This road, however, also brought some dangers to the village from the sea, i.e. piracy. Since 1545, this village underwent constant Corsair attacks, which even now are recalled in the popular memory: Turgut Reis, ‘Dragut’, from Anatolia, attacked, robbed and captured 70 people, among which Jaume-Joan Coll, the notary.

Over the years, this square became the centre of public life and, between 1779 and 1780, the Town Hall was built here. The Town Hall was also used as a hostel, prison, bakery, butcher shop and tavern. And the rent of these services provided some income to the municipality! In 1877, the fruit and vegetable market also moved here. Then, it really was the Town Hall Square!

In 1917, the actual Town Hall was opened. It was built by Pere Roig Gimbernat, with the seal of the architect Isidre Puig Boada. Works lasted for 9 months and costed 11,492.50 pesetas (about 70 €!).

Town Hall – Plaza de Catalunya

Plaça de Catalunya has been a local agora since the 18th century. The area became important when it became the crossroads between the Camí Ral and Carrer del Mar, opened in 1499. The square became the venue for public activities such as the market, the government, and also the hostel, schools, post office, justice, etc.
Plaça Catalunya had two exit points until 1936 – Carrer Ciutadans and Carrer del Mar, since Carrer de la Vila was not opened until then. At that time it was called Carrer 19 de Juliol.
In the middle of the row of houses of the Camí Ral, the main square was created, the current Plaça Catalunya, where the weekly market was held and where later the building of the Town Hall and the hostel would be located. In 1877 it was agreed to install the fruit and vegetable market in the square; until then it was sold directly at the door of each house.
The current town council is a nineteenth-century building from 1917, work of the architect Puig Boada. It was built to replace the old 18th town hall. The old building was acquired in 1710 and in 1779 it was adapted to become the Town Hall. The building housed the headquarters of the Town Hall, but also a butcher’s shop, the bakery, the hostel and the prison. It entered into service in 1782, until the current building was built, which housed the current Town Hall and the Municipal Schools.

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