Nuria Pla House Museum

This beautiful estate house, surrounded by gardens, was once the family home of Dr. Nuria Pla, while, in 2015, it opened to the public, to exhibit her private hoard of furniture, lovingly amassed over six decades of collecting.

A trove of 800 pieces, from the 16th to the 19th century, would no doubt be enough to make the Nuria Pla House Museum one of Europe’s foremost furniture exhibits in itself, but in fact this masia-style mansion holds a fascinating story that goes beyond far beyond cabinets and commodes…

A Unique History

This house was built in 1928 for Nuria Pla’s father, Dr. Ramon Pla Armengol, along with his business partner, the veterinarian Joaquim Ravetllat i Estech. The two of them worked tirelessly to treat the disease tuberculosis and hoped to find a cure with a serum made of horse’s blood. For that reason they built this estate on the outskirts of Barcelona, which was to serve as their laboratory and stables, as well as the home of the Pla family.

A tour of the museum today starts in the very laboratory where blood was drawn from the horses and treated for human usage, to be sold as pharmaceuticals to a global consumer base.

The Furniture Collection

It was the success of the family business, which Dr. Nuria took over and continued until 1980, that allowed the doctor to indulge her passion for furniture and amass the truly impressive collection on display at the house today.

Most of the pieces originate from Spain, from 16th to 19th century, and offer a fascinating insight into household furnishings of the time, and the museum’s guides do a fantastic job of bringing them to life with details about their practicalities, such as aeration chambers, and decorative motifs and techniques.

The most spectacular pieces are saved until the end of the guided tour, amongst which is a gorgeous ‘escritorio’ or writing desk from Naples, that is decorated with a time line of Neapolitan rulers and cities under its sphere of influence. Other period pieces include colourful bureaus that hide secret draws, or else miniature shrines, the latter of which is 17th century cabinet from Flanders with a tortoise shell finish.

Visitor Information

Opening Hours

The Nuria Pla House Museum offers guided tours on Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:30am or 12:30am.

While the tour guides speak English, depending on the languages spoken by the rest of the group, an audioguide may be offered instead.

Getting There

The house museum is easily reached by metro, taking the L4 (yellow line) to Alfons X or Guinardó | Hospital de Sant Pau stop.

We would recommend getting off at Alfons X as the walk is easier (if you get off at Guinardó | Hospital de Sant Pau you face a steep walk and it’s not as clear where to go).

The house’s gardens were donated to the city in 2015, and are now part of a public park. It’s worth allowing an extra 15 minutes before or after your tour to enjoy a stroll around and the views over Barcelona.

Tickets

You can reserve tickets via the museum’s official website, or else via ticket platforms like Get Your Guide.

Tickets cost €11 and the guided tour lasts 50 minutes.