The Casino de Rabassada, the history of a bourgeois dream

The Gran Hotel de la Rabassada, located in Sant Cugat, was later extended to include a casino and was home to attractions similar to those that were popular in other cities of Europe at the time. The story is intimately linked to the economic growth and expansion of the city and brought together the elite of the aristocracy of Barcelona, Spain and Europe to create a complex renowned for entertainment and luxuriousness.
 

Built in 1899 and decorated by the studio of French painter Edmon Lechavallier Chevignard, the site was extended in 1911 to include the casino, a project headed by architect Andreu Audet i Puig. The complex, a monstrously over-ambitious project with an unheard-of budget of 2.5 million pesetas, hosted a gathering of over 300 people for the inaugural gala. The complex included gaming rooms, a theatre, luxury restaurants overseen by prestigious French chefs, VIP rooms, orchestras and grandiose gardens with exotic vegetation from the world over.
 

The exhibition, which can be seen up until September the 19th, is commissioned by Carlota Giménez and Pere Fàbregas, whose idea was to revive the memory of this unique construction with its significant history, now a site given over to ruins and mystery.