Antoni Campa\u00f1\u00e0 is the author of an iconic image in which the fa\u00e7ade of the \u201cHotel Col\u00f3n\u201d appears with portraits of Lenin<\/a> and Stalin<\/a> beneath the banner of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia<\/a> (PSUC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201dHotel Col\u00f3n\u201d, today disappeared, was situated in the pla\u00e7a de Catalunya<\/a> on the corner of passeig de Gr\u00e0cia<\/a>. The indisputable symbol of Barcelona’s urban centre. It bore witness and was the protagonist of the turbulent times of the Civil War. During the Spanish coup of July 1936<\/a>, the insurgents took control of various parts of the city of Barcelona and the hotel was one of the places where they managed to entrench themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The snapshot that Campa\u00f1\u00e0 captured with his camera was just one of the moments that the hotel contemplated from its privileged location. But there were more. Although it did not reach the age of fifty, the “Hotel Col\u00f3n” underwent several transformations, both structural and functional. At the same time, its central location closely linked it to the history of the city. Let\u2019s place it in our sights, as Campa\u00f1\u00e0 did eighty-five years ago, in Pla\u00e7a de Catalunya and focus on the Hotel Col\u00f3n to review the history of this unique building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the start of 1888, la Rambla<\/a> lost the relevance it had hitherto enjoyed. The large caf\u00e9s that had been set up there were gradually closing down and Pla\u00e7a Catalunya became the target of the great hoteliers of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The construction of housing and recreational spaces led Artur Vilaseca, a member of a line of hoteliers, to negotiate with Manel Gibert for the cession of the space occupied by the private garden of the Casa Gibert<\/a> for the construction of a caf\u00e9. The location was perfect: pla\u00e7a de Catalunya on the corner of Ronda Universitat<\/a>, close to the other leisure facilities of the area, such as the Teatre Principal<\/a> and the Caf\u00e8 Del\u00edcies, situated on the ground floor of the theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The name chosen for the cafeteria of Vilaseca was the \u201cGran Caf\u00e8 segle XIX<\/em>\u201d (19th century Gran Caf\u00e8), but it was quickly known by the nickname “La Pajarera<\/em>” or “La G\u00e0bia<\/em>” (the Birdhouse or the Cage) due to the appearance of the glass-covered wooden structure. As a curiosity, the apparent fragility of the windows was the reason why no insurance company wanted to cover the establishment. This was not, however, a problem for the inauguration of the “Gran Caf\u00e8 segle XIX<\/em> ” in May 1888, coinciding with the Universal Exposition<\/a> held in Barcelona. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This rectangular caf\u00e9 with a capacity for seven hundred people became the meeting place for the personalities of the time: politicians, writers, scientists and artists found a space there for their social gatherings. It was common to see, for example, Llu\u00eds Dom\u00e8nech i Montaner<\/a>, Dr. Robert or the composer Amadeu Vives<\/a>; and even Santiago Ram\u00f3n y Cajal<\/a> frequented the establishment. The winner of the 1906 Nobel Prize in Medicine regularly attended the Caf\u00e9 during the five years he resided in Barcelona<\/a> while he held the chair of Histology at the University of Barcelona. He wrote in his memoirs<\/a> of the pleasant moments he was able to enjoy in \u201cLa Pajarera<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The urban reorganisation of Pla\u00e7a de Catalunya in 1895 caused the last constructions of the central square to disappear and the popular \u201cGran Caf\u00e8 segle XIX\u201d was moved to a new location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Artur Vilaseca, associated with Ramon Pou i Riu, the “americanu<\/em>” (The American), reopened “La Pajarera<\/em>” at the Ronda Universitat and the name chosen for the new establishment was “Nova G\u00e0bia<\/em>” (The New Cage). The new premises, despite wanting to preserve the essence of the original premises, did not achieve the expected success and the owners considered returning to Pla\u00e7a de Catalunya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vilaseca and Pou took over some land, owned by the Marquis of Monsol\u00eds, situated in the north eastern part of the pla\u00e7a de Catalunya. The Casa Pallej\u00e0 and two more houses, had been built on this plot of land, owned by the politician Josep Ferrer i Vidal. The new owners of the land demolished them with the aim of building the “Gran Caf\u00e8 Restaurant Col\u00f3n”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They contacted the architect Francesc Rogent, son of the architect also, Elies Rogent<\/a>, to commission the construction project for the building that would house the \u201cCaf\u00e9-Restaurant Col\u00f3n\u201d. The building designed by Rogent had a clear modernist style and, at the same time, wanted to be a tribute to the “Gran Caf\u00e8 segle XIX<\/em>“. It emulated its wooden structure with large, colourful windows that, thanks to its orientation, created a play of lights inside that made it even talked about in the press of the time. In the newspaper La Renaixensa<\/em><\/a> of 28th May 1897 a chronicle of the inauguration of the new establishment was published in which reference was made to the magnificent interior of the two floors, their rooms and the luminous atmosphere created by the large stained glass windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The building had three accesses: the main entrance from Pla\u00e7a de Catalunya itself, the second from Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia and the third, on the corner where the two streets converged. On the ground floor of the building, to the right of the main door, was the caf\u00e9 lounge on the left hand side, access to the Billiard Academy and the restaurant lounge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The coffee room had dimensions that allowed it to fit one hundred and thirty tables. The centre of the hall was presided over by a small stage for the musicians and, just above, a large skylight from which hung an imposing golden lamp with fifty gas lamps. This space became the perfect place to enjoy a good chat over coffee with a few drops of liquor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Billiard Academy, located on the ground floor, had a fantastic billiard table in the centre of the room surrounded by a wooden stands and coffee tables that made it easier for the audience to watch the games. Billiards fans had the opportunity to continue the games on the first floor of the establishment, which provided attendees with twenty-seven tables with all amenities, as well as other recreational options such as \u201ctresillo<\/em>\u201d tables (for playing cards) and domino.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The transformation of the \u201cCaf\u00e9-Restaurant Col\u00f3n\u201d into the \u201cGran Hotel Col\u00f3n\u201d took place in 1902. Artur Vilaseca and Ramon Pou contacted the architect Andreu Audet to design a sumptuous two-story hotel that would go on to be considered one of the most luxurious and relevant hotels in early twentieth-century Europe. The decoration of the whole hotel made it stand out among European establishments for its delicate modernist ornamentation and Art Deco<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The structure designed by Audet ended up becoming a building completely modernist<\/a> where the tower that topped the dome on the corner of Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia stood out. On top of the main door, which was still located in Pla\u00e7a de Catalunya, cast iron and glass platforms were built to cover the first and second floors of the hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first floor was completely demolished and two floors were built with a set of rooms and recreational spaces: 60 rooms (the most luxurious ones included a private bathroom), several reading and music rooms, a hairdressing service and a darkroom to develop photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The refurbishment respected the ground floor, where the \u201cGran Caf\u00e8\u201d was located and where the Billiard Academy had been located, and a luxurious restaurant with a magnificent decoration was installed, of which there were large frescoed panels that represented hunting scenes of the goddess Diana<\/a>. Despite the large size of the restaurant lounge, only thirty tables were placed so that the approximately fifty diners could comfortably enjoy themselves in a spacious area. In addition, the restaurant had a reserved space designed for another fifty people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No renovations were done to the Caf\u00e9, the only novelty was a large outdoor terrace to enjoy the magnificent location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hotel made available to its distinguished guests a range of services that elevated it to the category of luxury. Upmarket cars could be rented or there was even a gondola service in the port of Barcelona for customers arriving in the city by sea. All this spread among personalities from all over Europe, increasing the number of requests to stay in their rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some members of European and international royalty, such as, for example, the future Christian X of Denmark<\/a>, el prince Wilhelm of Prussia<\/a> and, even, the heir to the Japanese throne, the Kin<\/a>g<\/a> Kuni Kuniyoshi<\/a>, stayed at the hotel going unnoticed by the people of Barcelona. On the contrary, the visit of the Infanta Isabel, which lasted for a week, was completely solemn as reported by the chronicle of La Vanguardia on 15th<\/sup> July, 1912.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1918, the hotel was reopened after a new refurbishment and extension by the architect Enric Sagnier<\/a> and of his son. The result was an imposing six-storey building that completely transformed the exterior, going from a modernist fa\u00e7ade to a fully noucentista<\/em> fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The refurbishment meant that the hotel passed exclusively into the hands of Ramon Pou, as Artur Vilaseca could not afford the costly works, given that the foundations of the old building were insufficient to support the new height of the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new owner also had to deal with financial difficulties and, for this reason, decided to sublet the ground floor of the building. Despite this, Pou was unable to overcome his financial problems and in 1924 he sold the hotel to a public limited company formed by Llu\u00eds Plandiura, Ignasi Coll, Josep Ramon i Pasqual and Miquel Reg\u00e0s. The latter was its manager until 1925 and, under his managment, the hotel experienced historical moments such as the inauguration of the first radio station in Spain in 1924.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This station, initially christened EAJ-1, would be known as R\u00e0dio Barcelona. The battery room was located inside the large dome that crowned the building and the first voice that travelled through the airwaves was that of the announcer Maria Sabater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1929 Rossend Ribas was appointed director and under his management the hotel lived a golden age. It became the meeting point of several social gatherings that were distributed between the terrace, the cafe, the American bar and the brasserie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The terrace was the space where the penya<\/em> (The group) founded by Sebasti\u00e0 Gasch, Llu\u00eds Montany\u00e0, Manel Font and V\u00edctor Sabater, comprising J.V. Foix<\/a>, Salvador Dal\u00ed<\/a> and \u00c0ngel Ferrant<\/a>, and to which it was joined by Federico Garc\u00eda Lorca<\/a> when he arrived in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The brasserie<\/em> was the meeting place of the “Penya dels Jocs<\/em>” (The Games Group). It was made up, among others, of Narc\u00eds Oller<\/a>, Joan Maria Guasch, Eduard Toda<\/a> and Joaquim Cabot. The group of Josep Maria Segarra<\/a> also met up there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The penya<\/em> presided by Llu\u00eds Plandiura met up there every Saturday for lunch at the hotel bar. It was known generically as “The Artists” and also with the nickname “The voice of his master”, because it was said that none of its members (Xavier Nogu\u00e9s, Joan Borrell i Nicolau, Josep Dunyach,Francesc Labarta, Frederic Mompou<\/a>, etc.) ever dared to contradict Plandiura. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To all these spaces was added an Andalusian tavern, inaugurated on 15th<\/sup> June, 1929, which was a great success from the very beginning and which lived the moment of maximum splendour between 1929 and 1931. The premises were decorated under artistic direction of Oleguer J<\/a>unyent.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this last stage, the hotel welcomed illustrious visitors such as Albert Einstein<\/a> in 1923, the boxer Paulino Uzkudun<\/a> in 1926, Manuel Aza\u00f1a<\/a> (on diverse occasions between 1932 and 1934) or Winston Churchill<\/a> in 1935.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the evening of July 18, 1936, between 15 and 20 young people stayed in several rooms with balconies in Pla\u00e7a de Catalunya. There they left their suitcases full of helmets, machine guns and hand grenades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early morning, the youths were ordered to act, and within minutes the explosions and gunfire shook the hotel. The military coup became strong until they were overturned and imprisoned by forces loyal to the Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some days later, the building was confiscated by the Uni\u00f3 General de Treballadors<\/a> (UGT) and became the headquarters of the Executive Committee of the Unified Socialist Youths<\/a> (JSU) and one of the main premises for the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia<\/a> (PSUC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the three years of war, revolutionary proclamations and portraits of Lenin and Stalin hung on the fa\u00e7ade of the hotel. During the last months of the Civil War, the hotel displayed posters of the Casal Nacional de la Joventut<\/em> on the fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1939, after the end of the war, the luxury hotel that had once been decorated with socialist banners was now decorated with Falangist motifs. This moment was also captured by Antoni Campa\u00f1\u00e0 in one of his photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hotel Col\u00f3n was never to reopen. The Franco authorities demolished it and in its place a new neoclassical style building was constructed, the work of the architect Eusebi Bona i Puig, which for many years was the headquarters of the Banco Espa\u00f1ol de Cr\u00e9dito<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to know more details about the history of the disappeared \u201cHotel Col\u00f3n\u201d, do not hesitate to come to the Joaquim Folch i Torres Library where you can consult the graphic material we have shown you in this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>The photography collection is growing: the new photo repository of Antoni Campa\u00f1\u00e0 i Bandranas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Antoni](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Placa-de-Catalunya-1905-Fons-de-postals-Llegat-Matas-Ramis-de-la-Biblioteca-Joaquim-Folch-i-Torres.jpg\")
headquarters of the PSUC during the Civil War, 1936.<\/em>
Source:The red box<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Pla\u00e7a](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Antoni-Campana.-LHotel-Colon-de-la-placa-Catalunya-seu-del-PSUC-durant-la-Guerra-Civil-1936..jpg\")
The \u201cGran Caf\u00e8 segle XIX<\/strong>\u201d (1888-1895)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Casa](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Casa-Gibert-a-la-placa-de-Catalunya.-Fons-de-postals-Llegat-Matas-Ramis-de-la-Biblioteca-Joaquim-Folch-i-Torres.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Exterior-i-interior-de-La-Pajarera.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/La-Pajarera.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nExterior and interior of \u201cLa Pajarera<\/em>\u201d. Source: BlogBarcelof\u00edlia<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGran Caf\u00e8-Restaurant Col\u00f3n\u201d (1897-1902)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Facana-del-Gran-Cafe-Restaurant-Colon.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Facana-del-Gran-Cafe-Restaurant-Colon-1.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nFa\u00e7ade of the \u201cGran Caf\u00e8-Restaurant Col\u00f3n\u201d. Source: Blog Mueble de Viena<\/a>; and Fa\u00e7ade of the \u201cGran Caf\u00e8-Restaurant Col\u00f3n\u201d, Fa\u00e7ade of the \u201cGran Caf\u00e8-Restaurant Col\u00f3n\u201d<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
![\".](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Inauguracio-del-Gran-Cafe-Restaurant-Colon.jpg\")
![\"Interior](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Interior-del-salo-del-Gran-Cafe.jpg\")
![\"Acad\u00e8mia](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Academia-de-billar.jpg\")
\u201cGran Hotel Col\u00f3n\u201d (1902-1916)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Vista](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Vista-general-del-Gran-Hotel-Colon.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Perruqueria-i-Salo-de-lectura.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Perruqueria-i-Salo-de-lecturaSouvenir-Gran-Hotel-Colon.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nHairdresser and Reading room. Images taken from: Souvenir Gran H\u00f4tel Col\u00f3n<\/a>. Source: Joaquim Folch i Torres Library<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
![\"Restaurant](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Salo-del-restaurant-del-Gran-Cafe-1.jpg\")
\u201cHotel Col\u00f3n\u201d (1918-1941) <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/exterior-del-hotel-colon-barcelona.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Exterior-Hotel-Colon-Fons-de-postals-Llegat-Matas-Ramis-de-la-Biblioteca-Joaquim-Folch-i-Torres.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nExterior of \u201cHotel Col\u00f3n\u201d. Postcard collection from the Matas-Ramis Legacy of the Joaquim Folch i Torres Library<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
![\"Battery](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sala-bateries-1024x637.jpg\")
![\"Letter](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Carta-de-la-radio.jpg\")
![\"Anunci](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Anunci-a-La-Vanguardia-2361929-Font-Hemeroteca-La-Vanguardia.jpg\")
The end of a hotel…<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Antoni](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Antoni-Campana.-LHotel-Colon.jpg\")
![\"Construction](\"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/Construccio-Banco-Espanol-de-Credito.jpg\")
Related links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n