Girona is a city in the Catalonia region, located at the meeting of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Guell. It is located 99 km (62 mi.) northeast of Barcelona. With a population of nearly 100,000, it is one of the major Catalan cities. Catalan, of course, is an autonomous community in Spain, designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy. A significant portion of the population has been demonstrating for complete independence from Spain for hundreds of years. This call has reached a feverish pitch in just the past several years.

The first historical inhabitants in the region were Iberians. Girona is the ancient Gerunda, a city of the Ausetani. Later, the Romans built a citidel there, which was given the name of Gerunda. The Visigoths ruled in Girona until it was conquered by the Moors in 715...

Charlemagne reconquered it in 785 and made it one of the fourteen original counties of Catalonia. It was wrested temporarily from the Moors, who recaptured it in 793. From this time until the Moors were finally driven out, 1015, the city repeatedly changed hands and was sacked several times by the Moors (in 827, 842, 845, 935, 982).

Girona has undergone twenty-five sieges and been captured seven times. It was besieged by the French royal armies under Charles de Monchy d'Hocquincourt in 1653, under Bernardin Gigault de Bellefonds in 1684, and twice in 1694 under Anne Jules de Noailles. In May 1809, it was besieged by 35,000 French Napoleonic troops under Vergier, Augereau and St. Cyr, and held out obstinately under the leadership of Alvarez until disease and famine compelled it to capitulate on the 12th of December. Finally, the French conquered the city in 1809, after 7 months of siege. Girona was center of the Ter department during the French rule, which lasted from 1809 to 1813.

(Wikipedia)

DRAMATIC TIMES

I arrived in Girona on June 4, two days after Catalonia had once again regained a form of independence from the Spanish government with the seating of a new regional Parliament in Barcelona. (See El Pais article below.) Signs of rebellion were everywhere, particular the use of yellow ribbons on government offices, commercial structures, residences, and hanging from trees in parks throughout the city.

Yellow ribbons began to be used in late October 2017 by the Catalan independence movement as a symbol of solidarity with the leaders of two secessionist organizations, ANC and Omnium Cultural who, along with other senior Catalan separatist politicians were placed in preventive custody with charges of sedition and rebellion. The former President is living in exile in Europe, having fled Barcelona when the Spanish government re-took direct control of the region.

The most immediate effect of the turmoil was the use of language. With a bit of tourist Spanish now under my belt, I was prepared to deal with everyday issues in Girona. To my dismay, my Spanish was often either ignored or responded to in English. The second language of Catalonia is now clearly English, not Spanish. And Catalan (and its linguistic cousin, Valencian) is a dramatically different language from the majority Castilian Spanish.

Adding to the national political turmoil, there was clearly also a major local issue: the loss of residential housing to tourist operations. Next to many of the independence banners and yellow ribbons were placards demanding "+BARRI; -PISOS TORISTICS" (Neighborhood, yes; tourist apartments, no). There is a similar problem and backlash movement in Valencia's old town Carmen district. How to deal with the influx of tourists to Spain has become a major problem for the local, regional, and the national government(s).

.________________________________________________

Camilo S. Baquer

Twitter

Barcelona 2 JUN 2018 - 15:22 CEST

New Catalan government sworn in, paving way for suspension of direct rule

New regional premier Quim Torra turns ceremony in Barcelona today into homage to the politicians currently in jail or who fled Spain to avoid arrest

TThe new members of the Catalan regional government officially took office on Saturday, the same day that Spain's sevent prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, was alos officially sworn into his role.

The premier of Catalonia, Quim Torra, used the occasion to pay homage to the pro-independence political leaders who have either fled the country to evade arrest, or are currently being held in pre-trial custody, over their role in last year’s unilateral declaration of independence.

During the ceremony, which took place in the Palau de Generalitat, the palace in Barcelona that is home to the presidency of the regional government, Torrar restated his intention to "advance towardthe construction of an independent state, and called on new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to begin a dialogue so that the current situation in Catalonia does not last "a single day more."

The northeastern Spanish region saw its autonomous powers suspended late last year, in the wake of the illegal independence region held there and the subsequent declaration of independence that was passed through the Catalan parliament. In response, the Popular Party (PP) government of now ex-Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy triggered Article 155 of the Constitution, allowing for Madrid to take control of the region’s governance, while the key politicians behind the pro-independence drive were subject to arrest by the Spanish authorities. Some, such as Catalan Republican Left (ERC) president have been held in custody since November ahead of trial, while others, such as former regional premier Carles Puigdemont fled the country. Puigdemont is currently in Germany awaiting possible extradtion to Spain...

(https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/02/inenglish/1527944812_829249.html)

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("The Catalan Republic Is The Way)

Tourism accounts for 16% of the Spanish GDP, with more than 75 million tourists visiting the country in 2016. (This is contrasted to the 41 million inbound tourists to the United States, accounting for approx. 2.5% of the country's GDP.) What do you do if you are government official trying to preserve the national identity, while at the same time encouraging economic growth?

Some claim that Barcelona is teetering on the edge of becoming a full-scale Spanish Disneyland. Toledo already has become one (see my May, 2017 blog post). Valencia recently severely limited Airbnb operations in the city in terms of allowed location within buildings and how many months per year the units can be rented.

Girona? Who knows? For the moment, there is more than enough to make the city a real place. More proof? See Part 2 of this blog post, "Girona: Museums / Sculpture / Street Art" for multiple examples of how public art, both commissioned and ad hoc helps to transform a city.

Reading the below, you might be inclined to think that I was singularly disappointed with much if not all of the modern architecture in the city. Clearly, there was nothing in this category that made me open my eyes and go, "Wow!" As a result, I began experiencing an increasing level of frustration. For a relatively small town, there was a good deal of modern design. All of it, in one way or another, seemed to point to lost opportunities. Places that could have enriched the city's history and made it even more livable were nothing more than paper architecture and urban design. When you note it, my commentary reflects this disappointment.

A CITY IN THOUGHT:

Chalk Boards

At various points in the city, chalk boards sponsored by the city's cultural department allows residents and visitors to actively participate in public art - and thought. Kudos to Girona.

At one location: "Before I die" in Catalan.
(Answers in several languages.)

At another location, "Before I die" in English.
(Answers in several languages.)

PASSEIG DE LA MURALLA

(http://www.mobilemaplets.com/showplace/3805)

The remnants of the 14th century city wall, built on the foundations of the original 1st century BC Roman walls is known as the Passeig de la Muralla. At the start of the 16th century, the wall was absorbed into the city. There are two extant segments: the much longer southern portion, and a shorter northern portion. These can be seen as the red lines on the right-hand side of the map above.

One morning, I walked the 800m (1/2 mile) length of the southern portion. Clearly, there has been an effort to maintain and "upgrade" this major civic treasure, including the addition or (or restoration and improvements to?) several "lookout" towers along the route (eyebrows on map). The views are exciting. On a clear day, you apparently can see the snow-covered Pyranees. This day, storm clouds filled the sky that slowly cleared during the leisurely 1.5 hour walk.

At the eastern end the of the wall, one of the overall three pedestrian access points to the walls. At the base, a park and some interesting children's playground equipment.

Behind the wall and continuing up the slope of the hills, suburban Girona development. It is obviously a prime residential location. Of particular interest to me was how familiar this scene looked: it could be anywhere in the 20-21st century Western world.

A portion of the University of Girona.

The park behind the Cathedral at one of the access/egress points from the walls.

STREET SCENES

Honoring Francesc d'Asis Xavier Cugat Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu, born in Girona on 1, January 1900. There is also a boulevard, the Rambla de Xavier Cugat, in the city (not shown).

("Girona Pride")

PLAҪA DE LA INDEPENDÈNCIA

(Independence Plaza)

PLAҪA DE SANTA LLÚCIA

PLAҪA DE L'U D'OCTUBRE DE 2017

October 1, 2017 Plaza)

(Formerly, Plaça de la Constitució)

JOSÉ ANTONIO MARTÍNEZ LAPEÑA & ELÍAS TORRES Architects

1993 (project initiated 1983)

Winner of the European Prize for Urban Public Space which is a biennial competition organized with the aim of "recognising and making known all kinds of works to create, recover and improve public spaces in European cities."

(Above 3 photographs by the architects.)

"Description: The square occupies an irregular plot and is surrounded by a series of buildings which are heterogeneous in function and shape.

The square is divided into two distinct areas. The pedestrianized area - which had to be made of hard materials as it is placed over an underground car park- is raised slightly above street level and bounded by a wall of exposed concrete. This emphasizes the impression of a "contained" space. We also find a "natural" area planted with trees set out in parallel rows reminiscent of the Girona landscape. The trees alternate with unusual sculptures and street furniture which evoke the city and the buildings around the square with humour and irony.

The side overlooking the convex façade of the Banco de España is inlaid with bronze elements reproducing giant-size Spanish coins. Other unusual -almost surreal- elements are the shapes of flies set into the tree pits (in reference to Saint Narcissus the city's patron saint), the anthropomorphic shapes of the benches, the waterspouts shaped like carp, the PA system on legs, and the fountain made of letters which spouts water towards the city’s four rivers. A bronze figure, by Francisco López, of a girl born in Girona on the day the Constitution was announced, stands on a low plinth in front of the fountain.

Every five or ten years a new statue of the same girl will be added, with the symbolic intention that the square should continue to change as time goes by."

Albert García Espuche, architect

(https://www.publicspace.org/works/-/project/z023-placa-de-la-constitucio)

The October 1, 2017 Plaza was steps from my hotel in one direction and I passed through it at least a half dozen times - as quickly as I could. The only photograph I took was of the decomposed granite square fronting the Mercadal Church. My shot is towards the October 1 Plaza itself, visible in the distance to the right. This view at least has a bit of humanity to it.

The description above of the October 1 Plaza is archibabble at its worst. What is more perplexing is that the Plaza is, in fact, not composed of two areas as is stated, but of three with the abutting Church square. This is clearly visible in the aerial photo: the entire triangular site near the center of the photo. (The Church is on the right-hand side of the photo; you can vaguely see its tower.) And, in fact, the Plaza is actually visibly connected to yet another square which is slightly below in the aerial photograph.

Altogether, this is a major open space in the city, now only vaguely tied together, a large portion filled with oddly shaped and seemingly randomly-placed concrete abutments, and the rest either not landscaped or so self-consciously landscaped as to be completely indecipherable by any person who finds themselves trapped there.

Whether it celebrates the post-Franco Spanish Constitution of 1978 or the 2017 and on-going Catalan insurgency, it is a late 20th-century urban and landscape design mistake.

Plaça de Santa Susanna

and

Parròquia de Santa Susanna del Mercadal

(Mercadal Church)

PLAҪA D'ESPANYA

This is the new vacant space created by the construction of the new high-speed rail line that has been under-grounded. In the distance at the rear is a concrete block of a building that passes for the new train station.

To the left of the first photograph you can see the elevated platform for the local train service. Long-term plans are for this to be combined with the high-speed platforms below grade, creating even more undefined public space.

The odd-shaped sculptural elements are a designer's attempt at making a silk purse out of the sow's ear of exhaust ducts, and parking access points. Given the vast scale of the place, it is rather like children's toys scattered across a playroom.

(There is a blue one too, but I did not photograph it...

I mean, at some point you have to ask: What, in fact, is the point?)

At the end of the plaza is the requisite new urban redevelopment: in this case, a clunky residential tower that appears to be surrounded by permanent concrete barricades and a truly unfortunate triangulated entry block.

LA CATEDRAL DE SANTA MARIA DE GIRONA

(Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona)

11th-century - 18th-century

Of the Romanesque work, the 12th-century cloister and bell tower survive. The 13th-15th century Gothic work predominates, although the facade is mainly Baroque from the early 17th-century (not completed until 1961). The bell tower was completed in the 18th-century.

Much is made of the fact that the cathedral's interior includes the widest Gothic nave in the world with a width of 22m (72 ft.) and the second-widest of any church after that of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome whose nave is 27.5m (90.2 ft.) wide. For further comparison, the nave of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is 12m wide. The statistics aside, this cathedral's interior space is very impressive.

The south entrance. For those interested, there are 91 steps...Salvation requires effort. Below, the east entrance. Fewer steps, but one must have already reached the upper heights (of the city) to access this portal.

SANT FELIU

"The Collegiate Church of Sant Feliu is noteworthy from an architectural point of view. Its style is 14th-century Gothic, the façade dating from the 18th, and it is one of the few Spanish churches which possesses a genuine spire. It contains, besides the sepulchre of its patron and the tomb of the valiant Álvarez, a chapel dedicated to St. Narcissus, who according to tradition was one of the early bishops of the see."

(Wikipedia)

BANYS ÀRABS

(Arab Baths)

12th century

Abandoned in the 14th century

The building is in the Romanesque style but follows the model of Roman baths, the Arab baths and the Jewish mikvahs from a tradition that was restored during the 11th century, with the development of the urban areas and the need to improve hygiene.

The building is divided into several rooms that allow one to move from the areas with the coldest water to those with the hottest. Visitors enter through a small vestibule that leads up to the apodyterium (the 'undressing room’); it is without doubt the most emblematic space in the baths with a central pool of 8 sides and 8 columns crowned with beautiful decorated capitals

(http://patrimoni.gencat.cat/en/collection/arab-baths-girona.)

PONT PALANQUES VERMELLES /

PONT DE LES PEIXATERIES

(Familiary known as the Eiffel Bridge)

Built by Gustave Eiffel et Companie around 1877, prior to Eiffel's work on the (much) more famous tower in Paris that was constructed between 1877-79. The bridge was restored and reinforced in 1979.

CENTRE CULTURAL DE MERCÈ

(The Mercè Cultural Center)

This city-run institution, houses the l'Escola Municipal d'Art (EMA) (The Municipal School of Art) and the l'Escola Municipal d'Humanitats (EMHU) (The Municipal School of Humanities. It is housed in the old convent of La Mercè, a building constructed in the 14th century that was used as a military hospital during the nineteenth century and part of the twentieth century. The building has clearly had a number of interventions during its history. The present multidisciplinary cultural center opened in 1984.

Photo by others of the performance space located in the original convent church.

CASA MASÓ

(The Masó House)

House Museum and Foundation Offices

Casa Masó is the birthplace (and family home) of the architect Rafael Masó (1880-1935), a symbol of the development of "Noucentisme" in Girona. Perfectly integrated into the urban environment, the building consists of a ground floor, three apartments and the roof.

The current house is the union of four craftsman-type houses purchased by the Masó family. The façade in Carrer Ballesteries combines the Secessionist style with Barroque-inspired elments. At the rear, glass and ceramic collonades frame the Onyar river.

Rafael Masó made two major alterations to the house. The first, in 1911, when his father commissioned him to adapt the house to the needs of a large and socially ascending family. The second renovation was in 1918, when his brother inherited the house. In addition to unifying the façades, he designed the staircase, the stained glass windows and much of the furniture inside.

For the renovations, the architect turned to the "Modernista" (Catalan Art Nouveau) style prevailing at the time, although he continued to introduce more elements of the nascent "Noucentisme" movement.

Since 2006, this affluent house has been the home of the Rafael Masó Foundation and is currently the only house along the Onyar (river) open to the public.

(http://patrimoni.gencat.cat/en/collection/casa-maso)

I was not sure what to expect from this house museum. Maso was a new name for me, as was Noucentisme. Nor had I known about the house before I arrived in the city. I became intrigued with Moderisme in Barcelona, so I was excited by my visit to architect's home. My overall reaction? I kept on coming up with one word: restraint.

Maybe because he was a young architect? Maybe because it was essentially a project for his father? Maybe because Girona is a conservative relative of Barcelona? Maybe because they were trying to save money? The exuberance of Moderisme was missing. The over-the-top design flourishes were missing. Even the wonderful riot of color was missing.

There were some interesting details. Fewer intersting spaces: Maso did little to tie the four houses together. Their long and narrow plans made for a hodgepodge of small and dark (gloomy?) rooms. The fittings were equally a bit somber. Definitely more oriented towards the 19th-century than the 20th.

A very interesting visit, but ultimately, in terms of architecture, a slightly disappointing one.

The river view from the house, admittedly on a bit of an angle. For the head-on view, see the black-and-white photograph at the opening of this blog.

The (somewhat) integrated facade of the four townhouses are painted white with blue-grey trim by Maso to distinguish it from the other houses along the river.

Wikipedia reports that the façades along the river are painted according to a palette created by Enric Ansesa, James J. Faixó and the architects Fuses and J. Viader. This is an interesting restriction, part of what must be early modern urban design.  Assuming Maso's white intervention was completed before the color palette requirement, the palette does not seem to take into account this anomaly.

In either case - before or after a required color chart - the result is not particularly aesthetic.  The facade itself is out-of-scale with the rest of the river facade.   It adds nothing of interest to the overall view of the riverfront while at the same time creating unneeded dissonance. And the white only accentuates this disquiet. Perhaps, if the facade itself was more interesting...

(Additional Maso projects in the city.)

Teixidor Apartment Block, "la Punxa"

1918-22

(Photo by others.)

Alfons Teixidor House and Flour Mill

1910-11

Casa Colomer

1927-28

Casa Gispert Souche

1921-23

Casa Corominas

1927-28

(Uncertain attribution.)

CALL DELS JUEUS

(The Jewish Quarter)

888 - First Girona Synagogue

13th century - Community reaches a height of 1000 persons

1492 - Expulsion of all Jews from Spain; 20 Jewish families remain in the Call.

"The most prominent figure within the context of Jewish Girona was the rabbi Moses ben Nahman, also known as Nahmanides or Ramban and, according to some historians, by the Catalan name of Bonastruc ça Porta. This philosopher, exegete, poet and doctor was born in the city in around 1194. He was a wise, pious man who left his mark on the history of Girona and all of Catalonia.

He followed the Kabbalistic postulates and acted wisely as a mediator the confrontation between traditionalists and maimonidists. In 1263 he took part in the controversy known as the Disputation of Barcelona in which he dialectically came up against the convert Pau Cristià (Pablo Christiani) to publicly defend – and at the request of the King – the Jewish religion. Shortly afterwards he set off for the Holy Land; he died at San Juan de Acre in Israel in around 1270.

His memory is alive and well and his work is still a mandatory reference for a knowledge of how people thought and felt in medieval times."

(https://www.redjuderias.org/google/google_maps_print/cronologia-girona-en.html)

TEATRE MUNICIPAL

(Municipal Theater)

Amm Arquitectes, 2006

and the

Plaça del Pallol

"The Teatre Municipal was the first theatre in Girona and organises a varied programme with something for everybody.
________________

The Teatre Municipal de Girona exudes history through its very walls: built by the architect Martí Sureda, it was inaugurated in 1860 under the name of Teatro de la Reina. It was, in fact, the city's first theatre. During the Spanish Civil War, the CNT (Confederación Nacional de Trabajo, a confederation of independent trade unions) occupied the theatre and socialised it, putting on a programme of social and anarchist plays. Later, the theatre was taken over by the local council, then by the Grup Proscenium before eventually being returned to the council. The Municipal Theatre closed for renovation works in 1999, and it reopened seven years later. Since then, it's scheduled a widespread programme of events with something for everybody"

(https://www.timeout.com/girona/theatre/teatre-municipal)

So, somewhere inside this metal-clad box is the remnants of the original theater. A contemporary photo (by, I think, the architects) of the space is shown below. I cannot tell you much more. I spent over an hour on the internet - far surpassing my normal 15-minute maximum - attempting to find a history of the place and of the renovation.

Finding the architects' name was through a backdoor: from visiting the link to a Google photo. The architects' website seems current, but is absolutely devoid of contact information - even in which city they are located. There are a few photos of the teatre and one cross-section (not copyable), but not much else. It is almost as if they do not want to be found. Nor is there much information or photographs on any of the city's cultural and/or tourist websites. One can only speculate why.

To the side of the plaza, another contemporaneous structure of unknown purpose. Tickets? Mechanical exhaust? A "balancing" of the composition by the architects?

ESCOLA PÚBLICA ANNEXA-JOAN PUIGBERT

(Joan Puigbert Public School Annex)

Miàs Arquitectes, 2010

2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award - Finalist

(Photo by Adria Goula)

(Photo by architects(?))

This is a classic architecture project about blending old with new. The original, neo-classical school has presence, but is perhaps lacking in pedigree. The new building is attempting to be both attentive to the existing structure, while at the same time exploding in an entirely different direction.

Even with the extensions of the new to the old in the rear, it is not the smoothest of transitions. More importantly, though, the new building is not altogether lacking in panache. I can see this place as being particularly exciting to young students, even if in classic aesthetic terms it seems a bit over-wrought.

A detail: I understand the motivation to place the final, leaf-like piece of metal overlapping the two structures on the street facade as almost a statement of intended unity. It was clearly meticulously thought-out, although to some it might appear as an after-thought. Certainly, the local graffiti taggers think so.

EspaiCaixa

(Caixa Space)

"To promote the active role of the elderly."

MIRAG Arquitectura

2010

This social services center is a project of one of Spain's largest banks, Caixa, who have similar facilities and initiatives around the country. My introduction to the project was an architectural website that featured new architecture in Girona. So, when the taxi dropped me off in front of this almost anonymous entrance, I assumed I had copied the wrong address.

Much to my surprise, when I walked through the doors, I was confronted with an almost surreal design transformation: An entirely new structure that extended well into the city block-sized courtyard of the building at ground level and below. As architecture, a lot effort for not the most distinguished result, but again a place that I can imagine is a shot-in-the-arm for its users.

.

In the auditorium, a male choral group prepares for a concert of traditional Spanish folk songs. Wonderful.

Equally interesting was the rest of the very large building that is obviously a later-20th century structure. It clearly is a residential structure, but the signage indicates, "Building owned by the pension fund for old age and savings." Possibly, a senior citizen's residence or simply an investment property for the pension fund?

Next door to the entrance to the EspaiCaixa, a hairdressing academy occupying several storefronts. I assumed at first that all of the detailing was brought to the building.

I then realized that tying together the entire structure is a large number of identical-sized bas relief sculptures, each telling a different story of workers. This is clearly an original feature. The entire series is shown in the "Sculpture" portion of the second part of this blog: Girona (2).