The Herbolari del Rei opens the doors of its historic and museum shop. It had been closed for almost three years. We feared foreshadowing the most disastrous. It hurt a lot.
His trajectory throughout 195 years has been impeccable. The delicacy with which it was decorated, already in that distant 1828, was soon significantly enriched. Not in vain was the prominent set designer and painter Francesc Soler y Rovirosa hired, who deserved to be honored with a monument in Corts Catalanes in front of the Avenida Palace hotel. Hand in hand with him arose the creation of a delicious artistic group and very consistent with the specialty. He took great care, because it was not in vain that he was a friend of the owner Josep Vilà, a guest speaker and a customer.
The masterpiece of such an intense and welcoming space is the large sculpture chiselled in marble by the Baratta brothers (authors of the figure of the Geni Català that culminates the monumental fountain of Pla de Palau), dedicated to exalting the memory of the wise Linneo.
Such a set has just averted closure and even its disappearance. The owner of the property reached a rental agreement with Paulina Doroshenko, a Ukrainian national, who has shown a very fine-tuned sensitivity and in keeping with the specialty that has distinguished the Herbolari.
Not only has this museum legacy, which was maintained with such rigor by the previous tenants, Trinitat Sabatés and Josep Parés, been carefully adapted and cared for, but it has also decided to introduce some practices, such as the following: no kind of plastic will be used and the use of paper, cardboard and bags.
The people of Barcelona, aware of the wealth that their city treasures in terms of emblematic and historical shops, denounce the constant closures suffered by the heritage. What would undoubtedly help to alleviate this unfortunate scenario would be a change in their behavior: less shopping in department stores and preferring to distinguish themselves as customers of emblematic establishments.
The Herbarium of the King awaits your visit.
