Guided tours to the Pedro i Pons Estate
Each month, the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) opens the doors of this heritage building in a bid to make its history and architecture known.
The Universitat de Barcelona (UB) is once a month organising a guided tour to one of its least known heritage buildings. It is the Pedro i Pons Estate, which was added to the heritage of the academic institution thanks to the donation of its owner, Dr Agustí Pedro Pons (Barcelona, 1898-1971).
Agustí Pedro i Pons grew up in an artistic environment, mainly in his parents' shop, where he began to develop his love of music, theatre and reading. He studied medicine at the UB and worked as a volunteer intern at the Hospital de la Santa Creu. In 1927 he became a professor and directed the Clínica Médica until 1969, when he was appointed elected member of the Royal National Academy of Medicine and director of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital.
When it comes to his scientific research, he stood out thanks to his contribution to all fields of internal medicine, with works about Banti's disease, the Malta fever, menorrhagia of puberty and portal hypertension. He was the driving force behind the creation of the UB School of Hematology in 1967 and also directed the journal Medicina Clínica, which he founded in 1943, until 1971.
Doctor Pedro Pons also made a name for himself in the field of his childhood hobbies. He liked classical music, zarzuelas and popular music and was well versed in literature, theatre, cinema and painting. He was also an art collector. In addition, he was a patron for the publication of the History of Catalan Theatre and provided financial support for the salvation of the Teatre Romea. He frequently travelled to Paris to visit theatres, exhibitions, museums, cabarets and, above all, antique shops. When it comes to books, he developed a great passion and ended up collecting an excellent personal library with old volumes, magazines, newspapers and limited edition or original highly valued archives.
Today, the farmhouse preserves a large part of the original living space and the art collection cherished by its owner. Located at the bottom of the Funicular, the Pedro i Pons Estate is an exceptional viewpoint over the city of Barcelona. The façade is, without a doubt, the most relevant characteristic exterior element of the building, decorated with colourful 18th-century sgraffito. However, the whole Estate stands out because of its Italian style gardens and the rest of the green spaces, where there is a great botanical variety.
The visits last about an hour and a half and have a maximum capacity of 20 people. The ones on 20 April and 18 May are already full, but you can register for the ones on 15 June and 13 July at visitesguiades@ub.edu.