An exhibition entitled “La Casa Gralla. El periple d’un monument” (“Casa Gralla, the journey of a monument”) opened on 16 March at the Museum of the History of Barcelona (MUHBA). The exhibition is curated by Dr Judith Urbano, a Professor at UIC Barcelona and director of the History, Architecture and Design Research Group (GRHAD).

The exhibition traces the history of the Casa Gralla from Renaissance times up to the present day. Available to see for the first time are the extraordinarily detailed drawings of the façade, the work of painter and set designer Francesc Soler i Rovirosa, as well as the notebook on Casa Gralla belonging to the architect Elies Rogent, from 1856.

Casa Gralla, located in the Calle de la Portaferrissa, was one of the most admired houses in Barcelona due to the decorative Renaissance sculptures which, from the 16th century, embellished the façade. Nevertheless, it did not escape deterioration in the later years of being in the hands of the nobility, nor even demolition, although the façade was on the point of being saved to form a monumental entrance to the Calle Duque de la Victoria when it was opened up for property development.

In the end, the bricks of the building were acquired so that it could be reconstructed somewhere else, thus beginning a long journey. The renown of the Casa Gralla was kept alive by travellers and historians over the centuries and was a source of inspiration for architectural styles ranging from historicism to modernism. Commitment to its reconstruction demonstrates both its power of social representation as well as the limitations in place in terms of undertaking action related to the city’s heritage that still continue to this day.

The exhibition will be open from 17 March until 22 May.