Five UB buildings are included in Googleʼs selection of fifty Spanish historical treasures
Yesterday, 4 December, five buildings of the University of Barcelona (UB) were included in Googleʼs list of Treasures of Spanish geography, composed by fifty significant constructions. The Historic Building, the Faculty of Medicine, the Palau de les Heures, the Finca Pedro i Pons and the Gaudí Pavilions are in the list that includes such emblematic buildings as the Alhambra de Granada, the Sagrada Familia and the León Cathedral.
These buildings constitute an important artistic, architectural and cultural legacy and are a good example of Roman Hispania, Al-Andalus heritage, the medieval gothic art and Catalan art nouveau.
Yesterday, 4 December, five buildings of the University of Barcelona (UB) were included in Googleʼs list of Treasures of Spanish geography, composed by fifty significant constructions. The Historic Building, the Faculty of Medicine, the Palau de les Heures, the Finca Pedro i Pons and the Gaudí Pavilions are in the list that includes such emblematic buildings as the Alhambra de Granada, the Sagrada Familia and the León Cathedral.
These buildings constitute an important artistic, architectural and cultural legacy and are a good example of Roman Hispania, Al-Andalus heritage, the medieval gothic art and Catalan art nouveau.
Google Street View 360-degree images allow users to virtually explore the architectural treasures of the University of Barcelona.
Google was able to roam inside the buildings using trolleys and a device called Trekker. The device fits all the equipment required to capture locations in one backpack, allowing operators to access spaces which can only be reached on foot.
The Historic Building
In 1860, the architect Elies Rogent (1821-1897) drew the first sketch of the new building of the University. First, it was intended to build the building exactly in the place where lessons were given since the UB came back to Barcelona after the time it spent in Cervera. At that moment lessons took place at El Carme convent, located at El Carme Street. However, the building was finally located in Barcelonaʼs Eixample. The building was ended in 1884. Nowadays, it hosts the Rectorʼs Offices and the faculties of Philology and Mathematics.
Streetview of the Historic Building
The of Faculty of Medicine
In 1879, the Senate of the Faculty of Medicine declared that a new building was needed and it suggested that it would be suitable that it housed a hospital annex. In 1906, the University of Barcelona left the Hospital de la Santa Creu —todayʼs headquarters of the Biblioteca de Catalunya— and moved the university hospital to the Esquerra de lʼEixample, to the new building designed by Josep Domènech i Estapà (1858-1917).
As an initiative of Doctor Valentí Carulla, the building outstands for the monumentality of its hall, the main staircase, the courtyard and the Paranymph.
Streetview of the Faculty of Medicine
The Palau de les Heures
It was the last residence of the Republican Government of Catalonia. The Palau de les Heures is part of the Mundet Campus that hosts the new Faculty of Education of the University of Barcelona. It was built by architect August Font i Carreras between 1894 and 1898 to house the Gallart family. Nowadays, it host the headquarters of the postgraduate studies of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation.
Streetview of the Palau de les Heures
Finca Pedro i Pons
It is an ancient masia located in the road Vallvidrera which was restored in 1776 to become a country hose. It was purchased by the prestigious doctor Agustí Pedro i Pons, who bequeathed it to the UB in order to create the Pedro i Pons Foundation.
Streetview of the Finca Pedro i Pons
The Gaudí Pavilions
In 1883, Eusebi Güell commissioned Gaudí to build the gatehouses of the Güell Estate. When Eusebio Güell died, his family ceded the house and one part of the estate to build the Palau Reial de Pedralbes, so the pavilions were then out of the enclosure. In 1950, the UB purchased the lot where both pavilions are located. From 1968 to 2010, the pavilion built to be the stables hosted the Gaudí Chair. Last year, the Güell Pavilions were selected for the Watch 2014, a programme of World Monuments Fund (WMF).
Streetview of the Gaudí Pavilions