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Jardins del Palau de les Heures. Photo by Districte d'Horta Guinardó (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
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Parc de les Heures, photo by Bob Masters courtesy of Generalitat de Catalunya (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 ES).
Though not as famous as the neighboring Parc del Laberint d’Horta, the park surrounding the Palau de les Heures is one of the most romantic in the city.
Designed by Adrià Piera, the gardens are divided into three terraces facing south, structured around a central pond adorned with fountains. A 19th century palace sits on the first terrace with a small garden laid out directly in front of it, while the second and third terraces contain much larger gardens carefully landscaped in the French and Italian Renaissance style.
From the first terrace you can see breathtaking views of the grounds. The colorful flowerbeds, walkways and small ponds are laid out in geometric designs below, with imposing palm trees towering over all and providing shade. All three terraces are surrounded by woodlands, making the site a secluded oasis that seems to exist apart from our busy modern times.
The abundant plant life is the most defining feature of the grounds: palms, ivy, aromatic plants, roses and many other kinds of flowers grow there, and cedars, pines, cypresses, holm oaks, olive trees, acacias, magnolias, chestnuts and orange trees also flourish. The artful combination of landscaped beds with apparently wild foliage makes the space look like something out of a fairy tale.
Jardins del Palau de les Heures. Photo by Districte d'Horta Guinardó (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
The Palace
Arguably one of the most unique buildings within the city limits of Barcelona, el Palau de les Heures—also known as Casa Gallart—was built at the end of the 19th century. Towering over the gardens, it is both whimsical and imposing. Its four turrets capped by conical peaks were built to echo the look of a French château. Two wide staircases, one on either side of the reddish building, extend down the mountainside, offering access to various lovely spots in the gardens below. Once you reach the lower gardens, the view behind you is nearly as spectacular as the perspective from above, as the palace and tiered landscaping looms over you.
The wrought-iron fence is decorated with the motif that gives the palace its name: ivy. The terracotta façade of the palace is guarded by a group of sculptures by noted Spanish artist Josep Campeny Santamaría; these are meant to represent an allegory of Les Heures (the ivy).
The inside of the palace is as sumptuous as the outside, with black and white marble tiles, sweeping staircases with wooden and wrought-iron railings, and high ceilings supported by interior arches and pillars.
Jardins del Palau de les Heures. Photo by Districte d'Horta Guinardó (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
History
The land where the Palau and its gardens are located was once the site of the Can Duran farmhouse, owned by a man named Jaume Martí Codolar and his family. The industrialist Josep Gallart Forgas bought the estate in 1893, with money he made by building his fortunes over a period of nearly five decades in Puerto Rico. He is one of the so-called “Indianos” who sought adventure overseas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; many of those who could afford it returned home with the desire to show off their newly amassed wealth.
Gallart wanted to build a house that would leave no doubts as to the financial success he’d achieved; he entrusted the design of the mansion to noted architect August Font i Carreras, who had previously designed and built the Palacio de Las Belles Artes for the 1888 Universal Exhibition, and Las Arenas bullring in Barcelona.
The construction was completed in 1895, but unfortunately, Gallart would die just two years later, leaving his lands and fortune to his son, José Gallart Folch. When the younger Gallart accepted a position as technical director of La Hispanio-Suiza car factory, he moved to Guadalajara, neglecting the maintenance of the Palau de les Hueres until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
Les Heures, sculpture "Allegory of the Ivies," 1895 by Josep Campeny. Photo by Josep Bracons (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Common.
It was then that the house was appropriated for use by the President of the Generalitat, though the president at the time, Manuel Azaña, never had the opportunity to actually make use of it. The next President, Lluís Companys, did eventually move into the home. The spot was chosen to house the country’s leaders during this dangerous time because it was logistically complicated to attack it from the air. However, an underground bunker was constructed on the grounds, just in case.
In 1939, Gallart was allowed to resume control of the house and grounds, and set himself to the task of repairing the damages caused by both the Civil War and his years away, however, the house was never lived in again.
The Provincial Council of Barcelona eventually acquired part of the estate in 1958 and later annexed it to the non-profit organization Llars Mundet, which dedicates itself to helping members of the local community in need, such as orphans, the sick and the elderly.
In 1998, the Provincial Council and the Barcelona City Council signed an agreement through which the gardens were opened to public use by the city’s residents. (The green spaces were remodeled by Patrizia Falcone, who was also responsible for restoring other local public gardens such as the Laberint d’Horta.) The palace is currently occupied by the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, which offers ongoing education programs in collaboration with the Mundet Campus of the University of Barcelona.
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Parc de les Heures photo by Bob Masters courtesy of Generalitat de Catalunya (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 ES).
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Jardins del palau de les Heures photo by Joandrés (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
Visiting the Gardens
TO GET THERE: The gardens are located in the Horta-Guinardó district at Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron 171, at the base of the Collserola mountains, close to the path that leads up to the Sant Cebrià hermitage.
You can take the metro L3 (green line) to the Mundet station and walk along Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron, then turn onto Carrer d'Hipàtia d'Alexandria which will lead you directly to the gardens. You can also take buses 27, 60, 76, H4 or V23.
OPENING TIMES: The gardens can be visited from 10:00 to 18:00 in the fall and winter, and from 10:00 until 20:00 in the spring and summer.