Casa de les Punxes
Three houses for three sisters, fused into one building that looks like a castle dropped into the Eixample.
At a glance
The Casa de les Punxes, or Casa Terradas, is a Modernista building by Josep Puig i Cadafalch at the meeting of Avinguda Diagonal, Carrer Rosselló and Carrer Bruc in Barcelona’s Eixample. Commissioned in 1905 by Bartomeu Terradas Brutau as three linked houses for his sisters, it resembles a medieval castle, with six pointed towers crowned by conical spikes — the punxes, or spikes, that gave it its popular name. It is one of the most recognisable buildings in the city.
Key facts
- Architect: Josep Puig i Cadafalch
- Commissioned: 1905, by Bartomeu Terradas Brutau
- For: his three sisters, Angela, Josefa and Rosa
- Location: Avinguda Diagonal / Rosselló / Bruc, Eixample
- Signature: six pointed towers with conical spikes
- Protection: historical monument of national interest, 1976
History
The Terradas Brutau family came from Catalan textile money. Bartomeu Terradas i Mont, a manufacturer, left part of his fortune to his wife and three daughters; with it, his son Bartomeu financed a single building to house his three sisters, Rosa, Josefa and Àngela.
Late in 1903 he turned to his friend Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and the project took shape around 1905. Puig i Cadafalch combined the three dwellings into one mass, drawing on medieval and Central European models and fitting it out with the technical innovations of the day. The result reads as a fortress with a Modernista skin.
Declared a historical monument of national interest in 1976, the building is now in private ownership and used for offices, having undergone rehabilitation work in 2016.
What you see
The shape is the point: a free-standing block with rounded corner towers, each capped by a sharp conical spike, so the silhouette bristles against the sky. It is unusual in the gridded Eixample, where most blocks present flat street fronts.
Closer up, the castle theme softens into Modernista detail — brickwork, wrought iron and ceramic panels — including a celebrated tiled image of Saint George, patron of Catalonia. Puig i Cadafalch here turns historical nostalgia into something deliberately modern.
Practical information
- The building is privately used for offices; interior access varies and may be closed.
- The exterior is best seen from Avinguda Diagonal at any time.
- It pairs well with a walk along the Diagonal toward La Pedrera.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes for the exterior.
Getting there
Casa de les Punxes is on Avinguda Diagonal at Carrer Bruc, a short walk from the Diagonal and Verdaguer metro stations and on several bus lines.
Nearby
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera), a few blocks away.
- The Block of Discord on Passeig de Gràcia.
- The Sagrada Família, to the east.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN), “Casa de les Punxes”.
- Barcelona city heritage information.
- Institut del Patrimoni Cultural (Catalan heritage catalogue).
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