The tower of the Baron de Pinós
In Barcelona there were three buildings, close to each other, which were named Tower of the Baron (Torre Baró). Currently, on one of the hills of Nou Barris you can see the only existing one. This was built by the Compañía de Urbanización de las Alturas NE de Horta. The intention was to do a series of garden-houses, in the style of those designed by Antonio Gaudí in Park Güell. The project failed, in general terms, due to poor communication in getting there. That company had, among its members of the board of directors, the owner of those lands called Manuel María de Sivatte Llopart.
All that area, which today includes the neighborhoods of Torre Baró, Ciudad Meridiana and Vallbona, were owned by the barons of Pinós, feudal lords of the House of Galcerán de Pinós, whose nerve center was La Cerdaña. This family had established their castles in Berga and Bagá.
The economic problems de los Pinós put the whole area up for sale. In 1871, Carlos Edmundo de Sivatte Vilar, father, and Manuel María, bought all those lands. Inside the property was the Torre del Barón de Pinós. This construction was located on the Ribes road, between Ciudad Meridiana and Vallbona. We will talk about it later. In 1797 another construction with the same name was built. This was located very close to the previous one, where the Torre Baró railway station currently stands.. It was demolished in 1967 to expand the Meridiana, its exit from Barcelona and to expand the railway network.
The Vallbona neighborhood is linked to the marquesate of the same name because, in 1899, the Carlist pretender Carlos VII granted Manuel María de Sivatte this title of nobility, which his son Mauricio would inherit, who lived in that tower for many years, until which was demolished, moving its home to Plus Ultra street in the Sarriá neighborhood of Barcelona.
The first Torre Baró, which was already owned by the Pinós family in the 16th century, has an interesting story to tell and learn. That old territory that was outside the walls of Barcelona, on the road to Gerona and La Cerdanya, also adjoined those owned by the Montcada family. The Tower of the Baron, in 1172 was known as Torre de Vallbona, as reflected in the will of Carbonell de Vallbona.
In the fourteenth century it was acquired by Guillem de Argentona. This property had problems in 1339 because the Rec Comtal –which supplied water to a part of Barcelona– changed its course, through its lands, without the king’s consent. This was a confrontation, which he lost and, in 1361, the water returned through its old channel to supply Barcelona.
During the Pedros War (1361-1363), Guillem de Argentona, son of the former, fought against the King of Castile. In 1364 he fenced off all his property and created a pasture that depended on the castle of Mont-cada. From the Argentona family it passed to the Pinós family, who built a tower and hence the name.
José Galcerán de Pinós-Santcliment y Rocabertí, Baron de Pinós and Marquis of Santa María de Barberá, was its owner during the Spanish Succession War (1700-1714). He was the son of José Galceran de Pinós i de Perapertusa castlà d’Arraona, and María de Rocabertí, Lady of Torre Salbana, of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Baroness of Rialb, Tagamanent, Vilafortuny, Graell i La Vansa. He got hold of Agustina d’Urríes. The title of marquis was granted in 1702 by Felipe V.
shortly after began to conspire in favor of Archduke Charles. He represented the archduke before the Generalitat during the siege of Barcelona in 1706. In 1707 he was colonel of the regiment of the Diputación del General and, that same year, the archduke named him Grandee of Spain. The Archduke himself named him Marquess of Alentorn. After losing the war he was taken prisoner. I transferred him to Pamplona and, from there, to Burgos, where he died in 1718.
That old Quadra de Vallbona Felipe V ordered it burned and the Tower was later destroyed. In the year 1716, about 600 people lived in those lands. After the war, the properties temporarily passed to Juan de Sarriera y de Rocabertí, second count of Solterra. A few years later, the Pinós family recovered the Quadra and, in 1797, then built the Tower, which was demolished in 1967. José Esteban Galcerán de Pinós-Santcliment Sureda-Sant Martí, IV Marquis of Santa María de Barberá, was the one who was sure to build that new one.