CAN BECH – TOWN HALL 

 

The Town Hall building, known locally as Can Bech, was built in 1925 as a residence. It was the family home of the married couple, Josep Bech de Careda Olivas and Rosa Plana Avellí. The Bech de Careda family, who came from Agullana in the province of Girona, had a close relationship with Palafrugell, in part due to the cork stoppers they sold to Palafrugell’s trading houses.

 

Stand-out features of this large, “noucentista” house include classically-inspired decorative elements, such as columns, capitals, floral motifs and balusters. The property also had a guardhouse and a large area of patios and gardens, which stretched from Cervantes road to Ample road.

 

In 1963, in an aim to decongest the centre of town, which was, by then, very crowded, the Town Hall bought the property and moved its municipal offices there the following year. The area was reorganised and Josep Pla avenue was opened up. A public carpark was created and the old garden was turned into a park. The current Telefónica building and the Josep Pla Cultural Centre were also built on the property.