* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
Today, in La Vanguardia Readers’ Photos, we are located in the Plaza Major in Manresa, the capital of the Bages region. And, specifically, we have entered the porch of the town’s Town Hall.
This porch has five arches and artificial lighting at night, when, taking a walk through the center of Manresa, I thought about taking this photograph.
A photograph that, although I had passed in front of this building several times in recent years, I had never thought of taking until now.
The Manresa Town Hall building was designed by Joan Garrido and was built between 1739 and 1777. This headquarters replaced the spaces that housed the Corts del Veguer and del Alcalde and the Casa del Consell de la Ciutat, which were burned down during the War of Succession, specifically on August 3, 1713, as a result of a reprisal by Philip V against the city.
Architecturally, this building is considered a fully rational work, structured around a central interior patio. From the outside, the sober symmetry of the façade stands out, with three floors and the access portico that is the protagonist of the photograph. It is presided over by the city’s coat of arms.
It is also worth mentioning the Plenary Room inside the building, built in 1885, since the Bases of Manresa were drawn up here, which are usually considered the “birth certificate of political Catalanism” with conservative roots.
