Ajuntament de Tortosa - Turisme

The starting point is the l'avinguda Generalitat in the Temple district. The first stop on this route is Casa Pallarès (35), commonly known as Villa Alícia. This is the work of Pau Monguió i Segura. The building consists of a basement, covered by a wide lowered vault, ground floor, first floor and loft and combines modernist features and decorative elements from romanticism period.

Going a bit further on, you will come across Casa Piñana. This is the work of the architect Pau Monguió i Segura. The first floor has an exterior facade designed as a large gallery and is divided into three parts by arches between dishes and half way up, profiled with mosaic decoration and the rose detail.

The new areas meant that the lively city centres were moved and, among others, there was a concern to provide green leisure areas. As a result of this in 1848 a modest promenade was built with two rows of mulberry trees and little by little land was gained until 1880. This was the origin of what we know nowadays as Teodor Gonzalez Park. The medieval fish market (17) has been located in the park since 1933.

Walking along the path and the avinguda Generalitat we reach the former Pescaors district, which was destroyed during the Civil War, but two of the most interesting public buildings have been preserved, the Municipal Market (25) and the Fish Market. The former was built between 1884-87 by the architect Joan Abril and is a very interesting piece within the eclectic Catalan architecture. The Fish market is a building designed in a rationalist style by Agustí Barlett.

Go back along the path towards Alfons XII square, built between the two crossroads of the extended area, to contemplate the cast iron work of one of the buildings built by Ballester. Just in front, on the other side of the square, you will find the former Sabaté Clinic (34). It has a classical structure, if you pay attention to the severity and orderly layout of the openings, you will see that the building has an obvious eastern influence due to its decorative Egyptian motifs.

Go on towards carrer Cervantes to find other interesting examples, such as Casa Margenat and Casa Albacar and the Serves de Jesús Convent. You will arrive at Casa Bau (33), in carrer Berenguer IV. In this building, with an eclectic style, you should observe the rhythmic form of the arches on the ground floor, supported by cylindrical short cannon columns with capitals decorated in a floral design. 

Go back to carrer Cervantes to find more examples, such as Casa Matheu (31) and Casa Brunet (32). The former has a cushioned wall and the plant decoration is mostly on the corner, bordering the openings and in the view point, where the lead stained glass window stands out. With baroque shapes, casa Brunet breaks away from the forcefulness and weight of its volume with the decoration of the pilasters and pediments that, along with mouldings and the upper cornice, which give it a dynamic touch.

Once again, head towards carrer Sant Blai until you reach Agustí Querol square then keep going over the Estat Bridge up as far as the Ferreries district. The construction of this bridge, after the fire in which the last barques bridge was destroyed (1892), also destroyed part of the square where the former Roser Church (26) was located, now it is the Ferreries district. The walk which takes you from this district to the river includes not only the house of Antoni Llorca, but also the aforementioned church. In the former, the well-made stone plant motifs stand out that become the stars of the story. Regarding the latter, a project designed by the architect Joan Abril, the door of the church which was located in the former Les Cols square is in one of the building’s lateral facades. In this district you will also find another modernist example, the Casa Camòs. The Arab touches and curved lines stand out of the upper part of the openings on the ground floor.

Once again, go back over the bridge to Agustí Querol square to go into carrer Montcada and find the Climent Palace (36). The order of the vertical composition of the openings is obvious. The view point with a wooden structure on the corner makes the building so unique.

Follow the route until you reach the Abària Palace and, from there, you will arrive at Cinta square, to find another example of Modernism, the Casa Grego (30), where the shapes are rounder and sinuous and there is a mark of dynamism very typical of modernism.

You will end your tour near the river in front of one of the most unusual Modernist buildings in the city, which was the Municipal Slaughterhouse (29). It was built on land reclaimed from and was designed by the architect Pau Monguió i Segura between 1906 and 1908, with a structure of pavilions in which closed and open spaces are combined. 

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