Peralada invites you to immerse yourself in its hundred years of history

One hundred years have passed since the Barcelona industrialist Miquel Mateu acquired the Castell de Peralada from the Rocabertí family, counts of Peralada and Mallorca, and immediately disembarked with his art collections for which he was looking for a place to house them – paintings, capitals, ceramics, glass.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
04 May 2023 Thursday 14:27
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Peralada invites you to immerse yourself in its hundred years of history

One hundred years have passed since the Barcelona industrialist Miquel Mateu acquired the Castell de Peralada from the Rocabertí family, counts of Peralada and Mallorca, and immediately disembarked with his art collections for which he was looking for a place to house them – paintings, capitals, ceramics, glass...– and with the desire to activate the wine-producing part of the family group and revitalize that tradition in the area.

And it is with this event in hand that the Peralada Group has designed an immersive exhibition that allows you to appreciate all of this and virtually enter the iconic 14th-century Castell de Peralada, stroll through its 14th-century Gothic cloister of the Convent del Carme, and its library with 100,000 volumes, including various incunabula (more than a thousand editions of Don Quixote), in addition to flying over its vineyards, "the most spectacular in the Empordà", the incredible landscape of Garbet and the gardens where the festival takes place every summer.

And all this from Barcelona, ​​specifically from the Ideal, Center d'Arts Digitals, in Poble Nou, where Peralada 100 - Los sentidos de la historia is taking place until this Sunday, which includes an immersive wine tasting and exhibits artistic jewels from Peralada.

The exhibition part includes precisely some of these pieces of art that have been transferred from the castle's library and museum, such as the capital and a head of Saint Peter sculpted in the 12th century by Mestre de Cabestany; 15th-century religious paintings by Hans Memling and Petrus Christus II, two incunabula: Ptolemy's Cosmography, printed 1482, and the Nuremberg Chronicle, printed 1493.

There are also pieces from the 15th century glass collection, ceramics with pieces that go from the Egypt of the pharaohs to the 19th century, and opera costumes that have been held at the festival. Even curiosities, like a piece from a Hispano Suiza, the brand founded by Damià Mateu.

In another room, virtual reality glasses will help the visitor to wander around the interior of the new winery, inaugurated last year, whose innovative architecture integrated into the landscape has been highlighted.

“We celebrate one hundred years with a virtual trip to Peralada, opening its doors and sharing all its artistic legacy, its landscapes and its music festival. But we do it with our eyes set on the future and with the ambition of consolidating ourselves as a truly unique leisure and culture destination in Europe and of continuing to strengthen the Empordà brand”, said Javier Suqué, president and co-owner with his brothers of Grup Peralada.

In some passes of this exhibition of digital art at the service of leisure and culture, a tasting of the festival will be included, with live performances by the orchestra director Marc Timón, or the dancer Botis Seva, Carmen Mateu 2023 prize.

“We have proposed to transfer a piece of the Empordà to Barcelona and the festival could not be missing. Thus, this Saturday and Sunday we present at the Ideal the show L'obsequi created for the occasion and with the Peralada seal, that is, experimentation, innovation and dialogue between disciplines. A musical and scenic gift that shows how the soul of this festival has been and will continue to be”, concluded Isabel Suqué, president of the foundation.