In July 1348, there was a terrible massacre in the Jewish quarter of Tàrrega. We know its scope from the documentation of the Royal Chancellery, the account of Josef ha-Kohen, The Valley of Tears, and the excavations in the mass graves carried out in 2007 at the Roquetes site. Both children and women, adults and the elderly died, and in that indiscriminate and furious attack, swords, axes, other types of bladed weapons and tools, and stones were used. The bone remains show extreme violence and atrocious beatings. For the first time, we also have the origin and composition of their DNA. A study by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)  promoted by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which has been published in Genes, has for the first time traced the genetic history of a medieval Jewish community in the Iberian Peninsula. Until now, none had been done for this community before their expulsion in 1492.

On March 26, 1938, a bomb dropped by Franco's air force fell in the heart of Reus, in the Plaça del Mercadal, damaging Casa Navàs. The projectile caused damage to the upper part of the building and toppled the turret that crowned one of Reus's most emblematic buildings, a Modernist jewel built at the beginning of the 20th century by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Fortunately, the main floor was not affected, and during the 1940s the upper part of the building was rebuilt, but not the turret. More than eighty years later, the current owner of Casa Navàs, Maser Grup, has decided to reconstruct this distinctive feature. Work on the building began last July, but much preparation was required before the first scaffolding was erected.

Casa Navàs, due to its unique character, is one of the finest examples of Modernisme in Europe. Built between 1901 and 1908 by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and the decorator Gaspar Homar, it is the only Modernista building in Spain that has survived to this day in its original state. The building was commissioned by Joaquim Navàs, a wealthy textile merchant, during a period of great economic activity in Reus. Navàs and his wife, Pepa Blasco, asked Domènech i Montaner to design a shop-house on one of the corners of Plaça del Mercadal. The commission had a virtually unlimited budget, which explains why it became one of the Barcelona architect's most lavish works.

Lluís Domènech i Montaner (Barcelona, ​​1849-1923) was one of the most important architects of Catalan Modernism. A graduate in architecture in 1873, he designed such imposing buildings as the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona. As a teacher, he mentored such prominent figures of Catalan Modernism as Antoni Gaudí, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and Josep Maria Jujol. Domènech i Montaner also excelled as a type designer, illustrator, and bookbinder. His political involvement was particularly significant. Committed to Catalan political identity, he was a driving force behind the Regionalist League and also served as a member of the Spanish Parliament. He combined his profession with studies in heraldry and Romanesque art.

About fifteen subscribers to ARA newspaper's Premium Club They enjoyed a guided tour of Casa Navàs in Reus. Located in the heart of the Baix Camp capital, on Plaça Mercadal, this house designed by Domènech i Montaner is one of Catalonia's modernist gems. Many elements are reminiscent of the Palau de la Música Catalana, also by the same architect.

From its inception, the Abertis Foundation has placed culture and heritage at the heart of its activities, promoting projects that connect artistic expression with the communities in the countries where the group operates. This commitment takes shape in cultural outreach programs, international exhibitions, and institutional partnerships that make the Abertis Foundation a key player in promoting art beyond borders. The Castellet Castle is one of its heritage assets of exceptional interest, which the Foundation makes available to the public. In addition to being its headquarters, the site houses the International Centre for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves (UNESCOMED), following the declaration adopted on April 5, 2014, at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. Castellet has thus become a benchmark in the field of Mediterranean cultural and natural heritage, open to the public and highlighting the Foundation's commitment to culture in the broadest sense of the word.

Casa Navàs is the subject of a new book dedicated entirely to this iconic Modernist building designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, located in Reus. The volume, titled The Navàs House Written by Raimon Portell, this book offers a profound look at the architectural and artistic essence of this unique jewel of European Modernism. Published by Setier and Triangle Books, it features a carefully curated photographic collection by Pierre Grubius and Joan Capdevila Vallvé, allowing readers to discover in detail the richness of Casa Navàs's interior spaces. Two editions have been published: one in Catalan and English, and the other in Spanish and French. With an initial print run of 5,000 copies between the two editions, they are now available in bookstores in Reus and at Casa Navàs for €15.

For the past few weeks, as also happened in Tarragona, the Royal Congregation of the Most Pure Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, better known as the Blood of Reus, has been experiencing turbulent times in Reus. From abandonments and missteps to resignations, delegated commissioners, keys and locks, leaflets, and construction work, this conflict has reached the headlines of media outlets throughout the country.

You can't imagine, dear readers, how much we want to celebrate here. Celebrating ten years of a newspaper in Catalonia is already an achievement; doing so in the Camp de Tarragona region, even more so. And if we add the opportunity to write about heritage—both tangible and intangible—from here and for this territory… well, that's definitely worth popping the champagne and cracking open the cookie jar!

Two Wild West wagons, a Finnish sleigh over two centuries old that can be pulled by a reindeer or a horse, the carriage in which General Prim's mother traveled from Reus to the Vila-seca farmhouse, and a cart carrying 72 cases of Chartreuse bottles in their original packaging, ready to be opened. These are just some of the more than one hundred animal-drawn vehicles that make up the collection of carts, carriages, and wagons that Jordi Rovira Fortuny, from Torrent, has assembled over half a century of research and countless hours of restoration work. Rovira is certain that, with over one hundred vehicles, his is the leading collection of carts in Catalonia, and in the entire country, only a handful can be counted on one hand that can compare in some aspects. Most of the cars he collects are on display in a warehouse in the Francolí industrial park, and this November and the first week of December, they can be visited thanks to the Tarragona Cancer Association. The cost is 5 euros per person, and all proceeds will go to the association, which supports projects focused on support, research, and prevention in the fight against cancer. Those interested should send an email to tarragona@contraelcancer.es indicating the day, time, and number of people in their group, and an attempt will be made to arrange the groups.

For decades now, many of the most renowned squares in the Western world have been transformed into large roundabouts designed for vehicular traffic, relegating pedestrians to the periphery—or even just the sidewalks—of these spaces. This metamorphosis has profoundly altered our understanding of the square: it is no longer the meeting place and social hub our grandparents knew, but a thoroughfare, subject to the logic of the vehicle.

The government of Aragon accuses the MNAC of having acted with "negligence" and "lack of diligence" in the care of the mural paintings of Sijena and maintains that it is "safer" to install them in the monastery than to keep them in Barcelona. As reported by ACN, the preliminary results of the reports prepared by Aragonese technicians indicate a "lack of maintenance," "direct" effects due to humidity in some fragments, and the presence of dirt—such as cigarette butts, insects, or debris—behind the scenes, within the support structures of the paintings. "The conservation of the paintings has not met the necessary and desirable standards. If it were Catalan heritage, they would have preferred it, but it belongs to the Aragonese," stated the Director General of Culture of Aragon, Pedro Olloqui.

Today we continue with asset management. Let's imagine we need liquidity to cover a major expense, but we don't have the necessary money. However, we do have an existing investment portfolio: stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. One option in this case would be to pledge the stocks, that is, leave them as collateral to obtain financing.

It was 1973 and Salvador Puig Antich entered the Funicular bar, run by Agustina Cardete, with a friend. He had a Bitter Kas. The friend ordered an orange soda. Little did he know that he was about to be arrested in a police operation. We already know the tragic end of the story: the young anarchist and militant of the Iberian Liberation Movement was arrested and sentenced to death by garrote vil. Puig Antich is considered the last official victim of Franco's regime. Well, this is just one episode of many that have happened in this bar on Consell de Cent Street. A popular establishment with a beautiful red facade.

Ramon Cabau (Lleida, 1924 – Barcelona, ​​1987) was one of the world's most important restaurateurs and met a tragic end. He committed suicide in La Boquería, which he considered his home, by ingesting cyanide. When journalist Marc Casanovas Anguera discovered the figure of this pharmacist, public relations expert, farmer, chameleon, visionary, charismatic, womanizer, media figure, elegant, and a host of other adjectives, he realized there wasn't much information about him and was shocked. This is how the book was born. A gastronomic opera. The life and death of Ramon Cabau, the soul of La Boqueria. (Ara Llibres), which will be presented at the Finestres bookstore this Monday, September 8, at 7 p.m.

Writing about Caldes de Malavella is a bit intimidating because great writers such as Joaquim Carbó, Josep Pla, Josep Maria de Sagarra, and a few years ago Rafael Nadal (have already written texts about this municipality)The Italian's son), among many others. In Caldes itself, on the street, you can read some fragments of texts by these authors. I'm including this one, from Palau i Fabre: "Before marrying my father, my mother already went to Caldes to take the waters, because she had a bad liver. Later, the whole family went. We stayed at the Prats Spa. A party in the Vichy building. It was a kind of costume ball in which some very daring situations occurred, considering the time.

"They took us for fools when we opened the studio in the Rec neighborhood," says Lluís Jubert, a graphic designer from Igualada who, in the late 1990s, with the painter Ramon Enrich, acquired and renovated the old Cal Segall tannery, one of the oldest in Igualada, to set up the office. Now it's a coworking space (as they call it). coworking), Rec. Spaces. "Many of the tanneries and industrial buildings had been empty for years. There were, for example, some operating tanneries," Lluís tells me. We are in the basement of Cal Segall, where the hides were treated. The space retains its original vaulted structure. We are at a lower level than the irrigation ditch: this is how the water from this open-air canal that runs right next to it could reach.

Romanesque art, nature, and hot springs make an unbeatable combination in Caldes de Boí. Of these three elements, the first thing that attracted visitors to the valley was the waters. Families of Barcelona's bourgeoisie began frequenting Caldes de Boí when the valley's Romanesque churches were not yet World Heritage Sites—nor were they of much interest—and there were no jeeps to take tourists from all over the world up the mountains. This was back in the days when there were no cars, or very few of them. Wealthy Barcelona residents would travel to Pont de Suert by bus and then, along a dirt road, with a donkey and a pile of packages., They would go up to Caldes, where they would stay for many days—sometimes even with a maid—to "take the waters" and to receive care and rest. They would stay for a fortnight, a novena (nine days), or more.

There are days when I wake up very early to work, and I wonder who's working when it's still dark. Today I met some who "get going" at 5:30. At that time, they leave their tent and go to the hot spring in front of the church in Caldes de Montbui, with a wheelbarrow and three special (thicker) hot water jugs. When they get back to the tent, with the jugs full, they change the water for the chickpeas that had been soaking overnight—they pour in the hot spring water they brought—and put the pot on the fire. They do the same with the beans.

There are numerous vestiges of ancient irrigation ditches throughout the country. Xavier Cervera, from Vic, has dedicated himself to finding traces of the so-called Marquès irrigation ditch, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Aigües Vic. Now you can draw your route on the map with extreme precision, and you can recognize it from a distance, especially since the rows of trees and reeds are the best indicator.