Palau Bofarull: An Urban Palace of Reus, Spain
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Spanish
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Palace
On this page13 sections
History
Palau Bofarull is an urban palace in Reus, Spain, built between 1780 and 1786 for the wealthy and ennobled Bofarull family. The residence belonged to a family whose commercial success, civic activity, cultural patronage, and connections with prominent political figures gave it an important place in the history of the city.
The Bofarull family and construction
The Bofarulls accumulated wealth during the eighteenth century through business and international commerce with Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Josep Bofarull y Gavaldà was ennobled by the king in 1760, became a knight in 1772, and was recognized as a nobleman in 1774. He also served as mayor of Reus. The palace was constructed by Josep Bofarull Miquel and his brother Francisco, and the family subsequently made it their residence.
Fernando de Querol y de Bofarull was the last owner to live permanently in the building. During the family’s occupation, the palace received several distinguished visitors, including the Spanish monarchs Carlos III, Carlos IV, Fernando VII, and Amadeo of Savoy, as well as General Prim, a prominent Spanish military and political figure.
Civic, cultural, and archival connections
The family’s activities extended beyond commerce and residence. The Bofarulls supported popular education and established a theatre in Reus at the end of the eighteenth century. Its profits were used to fund a hospital for the poor.
In the nineteenth century, several members of the family became associated with the Archive of the Crown of Aragon, a major institution preserving records of the territories governed by that medieval and early modern crown. Próspero, Manuel, and Francisco Bofarull formed a dynasty of archivists there. Antonio de Bofarull combined work as a historian, novelist, journalist, poet, Catalan grammarian, and archivist of the same archive. His brother Andrés wrote the first history of Reus and worked as a journalist and archivist of the municipal archive. Fernando de Querol y de Bofarull, who owned Palau Bofarull and Mas de Bofarull, a rural property associated with the family, was a lawyer, writer, poet, and novelist.
Twentieth-century changes and restoration
Part of the building was rented to the El Olimpo recreational society until 1936, when the Iberian Anarchist Federation confiscated it. After the Spanish Civil War, the Youth Front occupied the palace. It was sold in 1948 to Club Natació Reus Ploms, which preserved much of the building while changing the rear section to create two dance halls. Those spaces were later converted into a discotheque and a bingo hall.
The Tarragona Provincial Council purchased Palau Bofarull in 1986 to create a branch of the Conservatory of Music. Architect Xavier Olivé designed the restoration, which introduced a listening hall and classrooms while retaining as much of the original structure as possible.
Remains
Palau Bofarull occupies an urban site on Llovera Street near Prim Square in central Reus. Its surviving spaces combine the formal interiors of an eighteenth-century aristocratic residence with later adaptations for recreation, commerce, and music education.
Principal interiors
Noble hall
The noble hall is the palace’s most notable interior. This formal reception room measures 300 square metres and was probably painted between 1789 and 1790. Its decoration includes paintings by Pedro Pablo Montaña and Joseph Flaugier, giving the room a direct connection with the artistic culture of the late eighteenth century.
Library and portrait room
The palace contained a large library described as one of the best in eighteenth-century Reus. Its collection included books in Catalan, Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Latin. A separate family portrait room held works by leading painters of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, preserving the family’s representation within the domestic setting.
Furnishings
The interior furnishings brought together Catalan and Spanish pieces with furniture imported from Italy, France, and the United Kingdom. These objects formed part of the palace’s residential character and reflected the family’s international commercial connections.
Altered and adapted spaces
Rear section
The rear part of the building was reshaped for two dance halls during the ownership of Club Natació Reus Ploms. The halls later served as a discotheque and bingo hall, creating a distinct twentieth-century layer within the palace’s physical history.
Lower main building
The lower part of the main building houses a BBVA branch. Before its banking use, the space accommodated the Las Américas shop, then the central office of the Postal Savings Bank, and later Argentaria.
Conservatory spaces
The restored palace now contains the conservatory’s listening hall and classrooms. These facilities were fitted into the building through a project intended to preserve the original structure as far as possible, allowing the historic residence to retain its architectural fabric while serving a new educational function.
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