- A new stage town
- Municipality in the autonomous community of Catalonia
- Population: 64,200 (Granollerenses)
Barcelona’s close neighbour has a real reputation among handball fans. The Club Balonmano Granollers won the Spanish championship 13 times in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and also triumphed on the European stage in 1995 and 1996. When it comes to cycling, the town has hosted the Tour of Catalonia on numerous occasions, although not in the 21st century: Freddy Maertens, winner of a time trial in 1977, and, in 1993, Laurent Jalabert were the last two stage winners in Granollers.
GRANOLLERS
La Porxada (grain market)
Construction: 1586 and 1587.
History and characteristics: La Porxada is a building consisting of a stone platform, 15 stone columns and a roof, as well as a basement. Built between 1586 and 1587 by master builder Bartomeu Brufalt at the request of the City Council, it is the most characteristic and emblematic architectural feature of the city of Granollers. During the Spanish Civil War, it was partially destroyed during a bombing raid and subsequently rebuilt. More recently, it was restored by the local architectural heritage department of the Barcelona Provincial Council between 1985 and 1986.
Listed as: Historic and artistic monument since 2006.
Sala Francesc Tarafa (former Sant Domènech Hospital)
History: the building was constructed in 1329. In 1521, Pere de Clariana i de Seva donated it to the city so that it could be converted into a hospital... which did not happen until 1823. The Gothic nave was used as a religious building and the hospital was located in the surrounding houses, which no longer exist today. The town council had it renovated by architect Joaquim Raspall and handed it over to the Mancomunitat de Catalunya to house a library, which was inaugurated on 21 October 1926 by Alfonso XIII.
Characteristics: during the renovation carried out in 1926, the Gothic style and structures of the old hospital were preserved, medieval-inspired decorative elements were added to the façade and the neo-Gothic elements of the interior were removed. Instead, plant motifs, stucco work and stained-glass windows in the Modernist style were installed. The façade is designed in a style reminiscent of Catalan Gothic. The Gothic hall of the building is the most important example of Gothic architecture in Granollers.
Listed as: cultural asset of local interest.
Bell tower of the church of Sant Esteve
Construction: 15th century.
History and characteristics: the bell tower is the only remaining part of the old Gothic church of Sant Esteve, built in the 15th century on a Romanesque structure. The current church was built between 1940 and 1942, after being destroyed during the Civil War in 1936. The Granollers Museum has corbels and capitals from the Gothic church.
Gothic and Renaissance residences
Construction: 16th century.
Characteristics: Porxada Square is home to some unique buildings, including two 16th-century mansions. Number 28 is a building representative of 16th- and 17th-century architecture. It underwent some renovations during the first 25 years of the 20th century, but its ancient origins were not altered. The date 1541 is inscribed on one of the entrances on the ground floor. The residence at number 30 dates from the 16th century and was renovated in the 1970s. It currently has three original Gothic/Renaissance windows, where several silhouettes of angels and faces of women and horses can be clearly seen.
Adoberia dels Ginebreda (tannery)
The Adoberia, a historical interpretation centre of medieval Granollers, offers a unique museum experience that allows visitors to discover a pre-industrial craft complex, as well as the history and development of the city of Granollers from the 9th to the 18th century.
