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THE PLACE | Vidàlia

Vidalia gives a new life to the old textile mill town of Cal Vidal considered as Industrial Cultural Heritage

It is in a privileged location at the gates of the Pre-Pyrenees.

Vidalia’s project is located in the former Colonia Vidal in the province of Barcelona.

Colonia Vidal, also known as Cal Vidal, is an old textile colony conceived as a self-sufficient nucleus, with housing for workers, church, school, etc … on the banks of the river Llobregat, in the municipality of Puig -Reig in the Berguedá area, included in the Inventory of the Architectural Heritage of Catalonia.

Església a Vidalia Cal Vidal
finestre poble patrimonio industrial Cal Vidal

Privileged Location

We highlight the location for several reasons. First of all for all buildings are listed as Industrial Heritage. On the other hand, because it solves very well the needs of a housing cooperative, offering community spaces and personal spaces. And lastly, because of its good communication as well as being in the middle of the forest, next to the bed of the river Llobregat and being the gateway to the Pre-Pyrenees.

“Cal Vidal is one of the most well located and picturesque colonies in Catalonia.”

History of the textile colony

The founder of Colonia Vidal was Ignasi Vidal and Ballet along with his family, the “Vidalet”. In 1882 the Vidal family bought the land necessary for the construction of the Colony. The construction of this one began in 1892, from the project of one of its owners, the engineer Vicente Vidal and Casacuberta, but it was not finished until 1901. Ignasi Vidal died before finishing the works and passed the baton to his two sons. The colony was in operation for 80 years, from 1901 until it closed its doors in 1980.

More information: Colonia Vidal and Colonia Textil in Wikipedia

The Vidal Colony Museum in Puig-reig is currently located and receives 17,000 visitors a month each year. It is part of the Territorial System of the Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia. The muesu shows us what life and work was like in the colonies at the beginning of the 20th century.

In recent times…

After the closure of the factory, people gradually moved away from the colony and in 2005 it was bought by Hines, a US real estate corporation, through a company created specifically for the transaction, Hines Cal Vidal, SL, to make a great urban project at a time of generalized real state agent growth.

After some years the owner Hines Cal Vidal S.L desestimated his plan and start a dilaogue with the mortgage holder at that time, Banco Popular S.A.,  in order to look for an alternative project to the initial one that allows to give sense to the Colony, at the same time that to make viable the restructuring of the debt to pass to small loans for the users. In this sense, our team of technicians has been commissioned to facilitate this mission. In order to conserve the Colony in a minimal state, the Banco Popular of 2015-2017 had a working fund and assumed the financing of emergency repairs when needed to avoid the degradation of the property, as has been done with the roof of the church, the closure of the chimney and industrial buildings, and soon with the facade of a part of the buildings of the Plaza. The negotiations on the mortgage and other outstanding issues are a long burocratic process .

The Urban Master Plan for the Colonies of 2007 has, among its objectives, to articulate a limited and respectful urban network that preserves heritage, favours first residence housing, rejuvenates the population, ensures the quality of the offer at competitive prices; as well as the full employment of native residents until reaching a population density close to that of the adjacent towns of about 50 inhab/ha. and a minimum of 110 dwellings for the isolated Colonies.

The Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Union are in favour of our project to recover the colony as a living space and community; at the same time as encouraging the owner to carry out the essential refurbishment works and ensure the safety of all its visitors (more than 17,000 a year).

Puig-reig

Puig-reig is a municipality located in central Catalonia, in the Berguedà region and in the province of Barcelona. Within its municipal district there are 7 old textile colonies, being the town that has more textile colonies..

Puig-reig on Wikipedia

Puig-reig Town Hall website

Berguedà County Council

Berguedà Development Agency – Agència de Desenvolupament del Berguedà

Connexions

Des de la colònia hi ha 15 minuts en bicicleta fins a Puig-reig, 20minuts en Cotxe fins a Manresa i 60 minuts en cotxe fins a Barcelona. Hi ha autobusos directes al centre de Barcelona (10 al dia; 1h30min) i Manresa (10 al dia 40min).

Aquí Berguedà: Web with relevant information on how to get to Puig-reig and Bergudeà in general, with the local buses and their timetables.

More info go to CONTACT

 

Som part dels Projectes Singulars 2019 i el Programa Treball i Formació

PROMOTED

DRIVEN BY

APMU - Associació per la Promoció de la Masoveria Urbana

ESPAI DE VIDA, SCCL

LA VIDALENCA, SCCL

 

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