Private Works Licenses of Vila de Gràcia

Gràcia had just over 13,000 inhabitants at the time it was established as an independent municipality in 1850. When, 47 years later, it was annexed back to the city of Barcelona, the population had grown to 62,000 inhabitants. That is, it had almost quintupled. This accelerated growth, consequence of the industrialization process, profoundly transformed the urban fabric of the Vila. Thanks to the series of private works licenses from the collection of the old Gràcia Town Hall, preserved in the AMDG, we can learn in detail how this phenomenon developed: we can access the original plans of the buildings, many of which still exist, and learn about the promoters, architects, and master builders who participated in the construction. It must be taken into account, however, that the Municipal Archive of Gràcia burned down during the Quintas revolt of 1870, which is why the documentation prior to this date has not been preserved.

To access the documentation, you can navigate the map by clicking on the area or property that interests you and pointers will appear with the number of available files. At each point, a window will be displayed with the year and title of these files. By clicking on “More information”, you can consult the digitized file in the Online Catalog of the Municipal Archive. Using the menu on the left, you can refine the search by street name, type of work or year. For any additional questions, you can contact the District Municipal Archive of Gràcia.