The Palau Mercader Museum is located in the middle of the urban park of the same name, in the stately home that was the residence of the Counts of Bell-lloc.
The Palace was built between 1865 and 1867 by order of Joaquim de Mercader i Bell-lloc, as a place of recreation. In 1899, due to an economic downturn that forced the family to sell their residence in Barcelona—a small palace on Passeig de Gràcia—they moved their official residence to Cornellà. The Cornellà Palace was renovated in order to house their neo-Arabic furniture, as well as their collections of museum quality antiquities and natural history collection. The Palau Mercader Museum thus illustrates the decline of a Catalan aristocratic family between the mid-19th century and the first half of the 20th century, and provides an illustrative example of the lifestyles and tastes of the Catalan wealthy classes, between 1864 and 1953.
Website: cornella.cat/ca/viure-a-cornella/cornella-humana/patrimoni-cultural/museus/museu-palau-mercader
Updated May 14, 2025.
