MUHBA Vil·la Joana
Vil·la Joana is an old farmhouse situated in the Parc de Collserola. First documented in the 16th century, in the 19th century it was turned into a residential dwelling by its owners, the Miralles family. In 1902, the family took in as their guest the poet Jacint Verdaguer, one of the most famous figures of Catalan literature, and who was dearly loved by the people. However, he was by now seriously ill, and he died here only a few days later.
Some years later, the house was purchased by Barcelona City Council which, under the auspices of an educational innovation programme from the beginning of the 20th century, set up a special education school here, and which remained open from 1920 to 1973. Even so, the rooms in which the author of L’Atlàntida and Canigó lived during the last few days of his life were conserved intact, and, in 1962, by popular demand, Vil·la Joana reopened as a museum (even though it would carry on as a school for another decade), and with growing links to the History of the City Museum.
Vil·la Joana is currently a heritage area not open to the public as the building is undergoing renovation. The objective of this comprehensive rehabilitation project is to promote the potential of Vil·la Joana’s historical and heritage discourse, from its location in the heart of Collserola, through the course of time, and to reconnect it with Jacint Verdaguer’s legacy and other areas of literary heritage. Specifically, the project aims to create a heritage space which uses Verdaguer’s own works as the central point of reference, in tandem with the building’s display spaces, to highlight the links between literature and the capital of Catalonia and Europe, as well as to encourage literary research and creation through these meeting points.
While the rehabilitation work is being carried out, all the items in the Verdaguer collection at Vil·la Joana have been removed for restoration, cataloguing and conservation, and they will not be placed on show again till the new exhibition space has been completed.
The surrounding area
MUHBA Vil·la Joana stands in the district of Vallvidrera, in Collserola nature park. Many years ago, it was one of the wealthiest farmhouses in the area. In the 19th century it was renovated for use as a residential dwelling, and it was then that the emblematic clock was added to its front facade. Close by Vil·la Joana lies Parc de Collserola Information Centre, with which MUHBA carries out joint projects and activity programmes, and which is a good starting point to discover the many interesting sites in this wooded area, such as the Budellera fountain and the Vallvidrera reservoir.
Jacint Verdaguer (1845-1902)
Jacint Verdaguer is one of the greatest figures of Catalan literature of all times. As part of the Renaixença movement, the popularity his poetry attained was crucial to the process of recovering the Catalan language and promoting its use among society. He was ordained a priest in 1870 and was popularly known as “Mossèn (father) Cinto”. In his two great poems, L’Atlàntida (Atlantis, 1877) and Canigó (1886) he expressed an epic view of nature and history, also present in his Oda a Barcelona (Ode to Barcelona, 1883). Nature was one of Verdaguer's great sources of inspiration, and in his final years, his mysticism grew stronger following his dispute with the Bishop of Vic and the Marquis of Comillas, who was one of the most powerful people in Spain, and who had until then been Verdaguer’s protector. The series of articles titled En defensa pròpia (In self defence, 1895-97) became a veritable j’accuse that highlighted the latent conflict that lay at the heart of Catalan society at the end of the 19th century.
Verdaguer at Vil·la Joana
In May 1902, Jacint Verdaguer, seriously ill with tuberculosis, retired to this house, the home of the Miralles family. The poet only spent 24 days there, as he died on 10 June. His death was a great blow for the city, and his funeral was one of the largest public outpourings of grief that Barcelona has ever seen. Vil·la Joana has become a site that is closely linked to Verdaguer's memory, not only because it conserves objects and interiors that serve as a sentimental memory of the poet's last days (the oratory, the bedroom, the gallery and a writing desk that the poet had used in the past) but also because the collections that have been brought together there (most of which come from private donations) help to explain Verdaguer's literary, personal and human history.
MUHBA’s Literature and City space
In addition to the series of activities directly linked with Jacint Verdaguer and the annual commemorations in June, on the anniversary of the poet's death, MUHBA uses Vil·la Joana as a focal point for its activities and studies related with literary heritage, including such events as the Literature and City seminars.
Address
Ctra. de l'Església, 104
Vil·la Joana. Vallvidrera
08017 | Barcelona
Tel. 93 204 78 05
Fax. 93 204 11 85
museuhistoria@bcn.cat
Journey planner
Opening times
Closed for rehabilitation work.
Ticket prices
Free entrance
Getting there
By Metro: Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya FGC. Barcelona-Vallès line. Baixador de Vallvidrera station.
By car: take the Vallvidrera road to Sant Cugat, and turn off after 4.7 km
General information and reservations
Tel. 93 256 21 22