The Square Pla de Palau in Barcelona.

The Square “ Pla de Palau ” in Barcelona.

Few people in Barcelona know about the Square Plaza of Palau because in Spanish we call it “ Pla de Palau ,” even though the Plaza has no palace in its square.

During the Middle Ages, Barcelona had no harbor. The storms from the east destroyed attempts to build docks for the port. Thus, in front of the extensive beach, there was flat land for a market, where cereals were made and animals sold. It is precisely on this esplanade that the name “Plan” was given. Over time, it has been called different things: Pla of Wheat, Pla of Forques, Pla of Market, Pla of Constitution, even Plan of the Pigs used by the most ardent supporters.

In the year 1,380, King Pere el Cerimoniós authorized the construction of a shed to store wheat. In the year 1,654, the Palace became the Residencia of the Spanish nobility, being rebuild as a Royal Palace for the monarchy of Philip IV. And later for Bourbon Philip V. Then, it was the center for the Captains of Catalonia. Lastly, in 1,846 it was the residence of the Bourbons Kings when they stayed in the city of Barcelona.

Some personalities that lived in this Royal palace were: Isabel II, Mº Cristina, Marques del Duero, Marques del Campo Sacred, Conde del Assalto, Lancaster, Mina, Dulce, among others. In general, the locals did not have much affect on this Palace. Neither did the characters that lived there.

The disappearance of Royal Palace in Barcelona.

Following the fall of Queen Elizabeth II, the Palace was included in the list of places for the dissolution of the royal patrimony. The first República of Spain auctioned the Palace in 1874. My great grandfather Mr. Domingo Busquets i Vilà, together with one of the ancestors of the locally famous Mateu family, acquired it.

When the Bourbon Monarchy was restored, in December of 1875, King Alfonso XII, wanting to recover the property that was expropriated from his ancestors, issued a job order for the Palace and sent a garrison of guards to prevent any other use. However, on Christmas Night of 1875, due to an accident where the guards set fire to curtains that were near heating elements, the Royal Palace was absolutely destroyed.

My great grandfather initiated a legal claim against the Monarchy Government. The lawsuit lasted until the 1st Universal Exhibition of Barcelona, in 1888. My great grandfather built the building that is currently there. I was born there and now my daughter lives there among other cousins.