- On the occasion of its 575th anniversary, the University of Barcelona is offering a series of guided tours to explore the interesting and prolific connection between its iconic headquarters and literature.
- The tour is based on excerpts from classic and contemporary works by Joan Maragall, Alexandre Cirici, Francesc Vallverdú, Teresa Pàmies, Glòria Sabaté, Maria Aurèlia Capmany and Mercè Ibarz.
Apart from being Catalonia’s leading university in terms of student numbers and academic offerings, and topping most international university rankings for the excellence of its research, the University of Barcelona, and in particular its Historic Building, has been a source of inspiration for numerous acclaimed and accomplished writers. On the occasion of its 575th anniversary, the UB is launching a series of tours to explore this fascinating connection between its iconic headquarters and literature.
The tours, which will last approximately one hour and will be led by an expert guide, take place in the Historic Building based on a brief selection of texts that used it as a setting. The selected authors and works are:
- Maragall, Joan. "Notes autobiogràfiques". A: Com si entrés en una pàtria: cartes a Josep M. Lloret (1882-1895) i notes autobiogràfiques (1885/1910).
- Cirici, Alexandre. El temps barrat. Barcelona: Destino, 1973, p. 28-29 i 32-36. (El Dofí collection).
- Vallverdú, Francesc. "La Universitat" [1962]. A: Poesia, 1956-1976. Barcelona: Edicions 62, 1976, p. 240. (Cara i Creu, 23).
- Pàmies, Teresa. Maig de les dones:crònica d’unes jornades. Barcelona: Laia, 1976, p.7-8.
- Capmany, Maria Aurèlia. Mala memòria. Records dels esdeveniments d’una existència lluny de la nostàlgia i el rancor. Barcelona: Planeta, 1987, p. 162-164.
- Sabaté, Glòria. El vel de la deessa. Barcelona: Columna, 2020, p. 63 i 68. (Col·lecció Clàssica, 1275).
- Ibarz, Mercè. Una noia a la ciutat. Barcelona: Anagrama, 2025.
"Through these tours, the Historic Building can be rediscovered not only as an academic space but as a living stage of memory, culture and creativity. The 575th anniversary of the UB is the perfect occasion to bring to the public the texts and authors who brought our headquarters to life on the page," says Agustí Alcoberro , vice-rector for Culture, Memory and Heritage at the UB.
Since its official inauguration in 1872, the Historic Building has been both a historical witness and a key academic and cultural landmark for several generations of students and for Barcelona. In the context of the 150th anniversary of its headquarters, in 2023 UB Editions published the book Mons secrets. L’Edifici Històric de la Universitat de Barcelona en la literatura. Antologia by Noemí Montetes-Mairal and Joan Santanach, which gathers all the literary texts in which the building at Plaça Universitat or any of its elements are mentioned.
In addition to the authors mentioned during the guided tour, other writers who have also featured the Historic Building in their works include Carmen Laforet, Josep Pla, Jaume Cabré, Josep Carner, Gaziel, Juan Marsé, Màrius Serra, Francesc Parcerisas, Care Santos oand Montserrat Roig, among others.
How the literary tours work
The UB offers five literary tours : Wednesday, 21 January; Wednesday, 11 February; Wednesday, 11 March; Wednesday, 15 April; and Wednesday, 13 May. All visits will begin at 11.00 a.m. To take part, prior registration is required by writing to visitesguiades@ub.edu.
The tour consists of seven stops, each corresponding to a different area of the Historic Building. At each point, the guide will explain the physical and historical context of the space, introducing the author, and reading a selected passage, which will be interpreted in relation to the building. For example, one of the stops is the Paranymph Gallery, where a passage from Teresa Pàmies’s book Maig de les dones: crònica d’unes jornades will be read:
"Puc entrar a l’imposant Paranimf de la Universitat de Catalunya, que encara es diu Central. No hi havia posat mai els peus. M’impressiona la seva alçària, la seva estranya decoració llatino-bizantino-mudejar. Al fons de tot, la imatge de la Immaculada Concepció, un quadre massa petit per tot l’espai que el volta. Les dues trones laterals també semblen escarransides, com dos nius d’orenetes en un immens balcó. Els senyorials bancs, a una banda i altra de la taula magna, són folrats de vellut roig. El bust de Milà i Fontanals i el de Menéndez Pelayo són els únics que identifico. De les enormes medalles de personatges desconeguts em sembla reconèixer Jaume Balmes. Alço els ulls i veig, damunt la porta d’entrada, una mena de galliner al qual no té accés el públic. Hi han instal·lat un reflector."
In English: "I can enter the imposing Paranymph Hall of the University of Catalonia, still called la Central. I had never set foot in it before. I am struck by its height and its strange Latin-Byzantine-Mudéjar decoration. At the very back, the image of the Immaculate Conception - a painting far too small for all the surrounding space. The two side thrones also look puny, like two swallow nests on a huge balcony. The stately benches, on either side of the main table, are lined with red velvet. The busts of Milà i Fontanals and Menéndez Pelayo are the only ones I recognize. Among the enormous medallions of unknown figures, I think I recognize Jaume Balmes. I lift my eyes and see, above the entrance door, a kind of pigeon loft inaccessible to the public. A spotlight has been installed there."
Literary tours in the Historic Building:
- Dates: Wednesday 21 January, 11 February, 11 March, 15 April and 13 May
- Time:00 a.m.
- Start: Vestibule of the Historic Building (Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585)
- Length: one hour
