Was it fate or fortune that led Miquel Rigalt to acquire this land? Here before us stands Can Rigalt. It is an old stately rural estate in the Pubilla Casas neighborhood of Hospitalet de Llobregat. Since 1997, Can Rigalt, along with some adjacent land, has belonged to FC Barcelona. Currently, it remains closed and in a state of neglect.
Can Rigalt is listed as a Bien Cultural de Interés Local. This means it is a site of Local Cultural Interest. The coat of arms on the lintel of the door is listed as a Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional. That makes it a site of National Cultural Interest.
Can Rigalt was one of the large estates. These estates owned most of the land in the current Pubilla Casas neighborhood. They included the estate that gives the neighborhood its name. There were also other small farmhouses like Can Capella and Ca n’Oliveres. The extensive lands around Can Rigalt were mainly vineyards.
The present building dates back to the 18th century. It was built using walls from an earlier building. That earlier building was probably of medieval origin. The date 1693 appears on one of the facades. Miquel Ricalt bought the estate in 1728. He rebuilt it in 1741. Some of the adjacent land was landscaped in the Versailles style. It had fruit trees, ponds and fountains. Parts of these remained until the second half of the 20th century. Can Rigalt was remodeled in 1837. This is according to an inscription on another of the facades.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the property was reduced. This happened through successive segregations. These made way for the construction of the Sants cemetery. Also for the “La Canadiense” power station, now FECSA-Endesa. As well as the Red Cross Hospital and the Puig i Gairalt school. In 1976, the General Metropolitan Plan designated the undeveloped area of Can Rigalt as gardens. It established the creation of a metropolitan park.
In July 1997, FC Barcelona bought 60,750 square meters of the Can Rigalt land from the Hospitalet City Council. This included the farmhouse. The club planned to rehabilitate Can Rigalt. The aim was to turn it into a residence and school for footballers. It would replace the original La Masía of Can Planes. They also planned to build three adjoining football pitches. These were for training the first team and youth football. In November 1997, after obtaining a license from the Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council, the club began work on Can Rigalt. But in February 1998, several neighborhood associations filed complaints. The Generalitat de Catalunya blocked the reclassification of the land. It was considered a green zone. The project was definitively halted. Since then, the farmhouse has remained abandoned. It has been subject to robberies and vandalism.
In 2004, FC Barcelona, the Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council and FECSA-Endesa signed an agreement. They owned the 150,000 square meters of land at Can Rigalt. It was for the urban transformation of the area. The agreement included modifying the General Metropolitan Plan. This was to reclassify part of the land as buildable. It was intended for the construction of a thousand homes. Forty percent of them would be protected. It also included the relocation of the power station. Also the burying of high-voltage lines. As well as the construction of the new Hospital General de Hospitalet. And the creation of a 10-hectare metropolitan park. FC Barcelona also committed to ceding the farmhouse to the council. It would be converted into public facilities. In 2005, the club sold a third of its building land to the real estate company La Llave de Oro.
In 2012, the first sector of the Can Rigal Park was opened. It covers two hectares in the municipality of Barcelona. The urbanization project in the Hospitalet area is on hold. This is due to the real estate crisis.
Can Rigalt stands as a testament to time. It is a silent witness to the shifting sands of history. From its agricultural roots to its modern-day abandonment, Can Rigalt embodies resilience. May its story inspire us to protect our heritage.