The Gaudí Palace of Astorga has presented this Friday its calendar of activities for the Gaudí Year 2026, on the occasion of the centenary of the death of the architect. The program, which will run throughout the year, wants to pay tribute to the genius of Reus and its link with Astorga, while inviting all citizens to participate in a collective celebration that unites art, history and memory.
The calendar will begin in January with the presentation of the “Piece of the Month” project, which in 2026 will be entirely dedicated to Antoni Gaudí. Throughout the year, original documents linking him to the Palace and the city of Astorga will be on display, as well as pieces by the architect himself, in a proposal that will allow visitors to discover the most human and creative dimension of the author.
In February, the focus will be on schoolchildren, with activities and visits designed especially for them, with the aim of bringing the figure of Gaudí to the new generations.
March will be dedicated to Juan Bautista Grau y Vallespinós, the bishop of Reus who, after seeing the old episcopal palace burn, commissioned a young Antoni Gaudí to design the new building. This month will include conferences, the presentation of a book on Grau, the Cultural Music Week of the Conservatory of Astorga and the unveiling of a sculpture in homage to the prelate.
In April, the Palace will celebrate Easter and International Monuments Day, with musical and cultural activities that will underline the spiritual and artistic character of the building.
The month of May will be dedicated to the gardens, with their inauguration and guided tours of both the Palace and its surroundings, highlighting the relationship between architecture and nature that inspired Gaudí so much.
June will be Gaudí Month. On June 10, a mass will be held at the Sagrada Familia to commemorate the centenary of his death. At the Palace, the most significant dates will be June 24, the anniversary of the laying of the first stone of the building in 1889, and June 25, the date of the architect’s birth. There will be lectures, music, a Eucharist in the chapel and the unveiling of a sculpture dedicated to Gaudí, in a month that will unite remembrance and celebration.
In July, the Palace will participate in the Escorial summer course entitled “Gaudí and Astorga in its centenary”, which will bring together specialists and scholars of the architect’s work.
The month of September will be dedicated to Pío Gullón, a politician from Asturias who promoted the construction of the Palace and obtained the necessary financing to make Gaudí’s project a reality. This month will include the unveiling of a sculpture dedicated to Gullón, as well as several events promoted by the Astorga City Council.
October will mark the completion of the construction of the Palace on October 12, 1912. The opening of the moat is planned as a new visitable space within the tour “The Hidden Palace”, as well as a day of architecture organized in collaboration with the Sagrada Familia and Gaudí’s Way, the alliance of the three Gaudí buildings located outside Catalonia.
Finally, December will be dedicated to Christmas at the Palace, with activities that will invite you to enjoy the beauty of the building in a festive and family atmosphere.
Also, the Palace will launch the project “Ambassadors of the Palace”, an initiative to invite individuals, registered in the City of Astorga and consistories of the region, and companies to collaborate with the monument this Gaudí Year 2026. “In addition to the tax benefits that this action can bring them and the visibility that we will give them, we will offer a card that will enable their entry for free throughout the year 2026 and from 2027 and for five years, they can also enter for free whenever they bring to know the Palace to someone, hence the word ambassadors. In addition, they will have preference and a guaranteed place to access the various events that we will hold this year in the building,” said Friday the director of the Palace, Victor Murias. This program is expected to be presented before the end of the year.
The Gaudí Palace wants this commemoration to become a celebration shared by the whole city and the province of León. For this reason, free invitations to all the events will be available to the public, so that no one is left out of this tribute to the creativity, faith and genius of Antoni Gaudí.
The events will have limited capacity, depending on the characteristics of each space. Throughout the year there will be new proposals and activities, so everyone is invited to stay tuned and celebrate this special Gaudí Year.
