The Gaudí Palace of Astorga has been present at the opening ceremony of the Gaudí Year 2026 – Any Gaudí – held this Saturday, November 8 in the towns of Riudoms and Reus (Tarragona), a day that gave official start to the commemoration of the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, to be held in 2026.
Representing Gaudí Palace were Víctor Murias and Alfonso Nistal, who participated in the various events organized throughout the day, accompanied by Tomás Valle, councilor of the Astorga City Council.
The day began in Riudoms, where the institutional reception took place at the Town Hall, chaired by the mayor Ricard Gili Ferré and the commissioner of the Any Gaudí, Galdric Santana Roma. The attendees visited Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Pairal and enjoyed a festive atmosphere with parades and performances open to the public, before the institutional speeches led by the president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa i Roca, who valued very positively that all the buildings that Gaudí built outside Catalonia were present at the inauguration.
In the afternoon, in Reus, the program continued with a lunch at the Gaudí Centre, where institutional and cultural representatives from all over Catalonia gathered, and the official opening ceremony at the Bartrina Theater, with speeches by the main regional and local authorities, the projection of the commemorative video and a musical performance by Camerata XXI.
The day concluded in the gardens of the Santuari de la Misericòrdia with a large-format opening show, created by La Puça Espectacles, which combined art, technology and live music to pay tribute to the origins and creative genius of Antoni Gaudí.
From the Gaudí Palace of Astorga we express our satisfaction and enthusiasm for having been able to inaugurate together the Gaudí Year 2026, sharing this historic moment with the institutions and entities that guard the work of the Catalan architect. This meeting strengthens the bond between Gaudí’s buildings and consolidates a spirit of unity, collaboration and common admiration for Gaudí’s universal legacy.
During the day, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, expressed his interest and willingness to visit the Gaudí Palace over the next year. He showed special interest in the city of Astorga, its history and population, and expressed his desire to see first hand the building designed by Gaudí in the capital of the Maragata region. Also, the mayor of Reus, Sandra Guaita, highlighted the twinning between Reus and Astorga since 1988. Also, the councilor pointed out the special value of this year in which, from the Asturias Palace, we will honor two outstanding reusenses as Grau and Gaudí.
