Can Pou

Can Pou is a 19th-century farmhouse (masia) in Premià de Mar, listed on Catalonia's local heritage register. The building stands in the neighbourhood that carries its name, in the eastern part of town, and offers a rare glimpse of rural Maresme architecture from before the coast turned toward tourism.

What kind of building is Can Pou?

Can Pou is a classic masia — the traditional Catalan farmhouse that combined living quarters and working spaces under one roof. Built in the 19th century, it follows the plain, functional style typical of rural settlements in the area, dating from a time when Premià de Mar was still an agricultural community rather than a seaside town. The structure has kept its original layout, making it a useful reference point for the town's settlement history.

What does the building look like?

The floor plan is rectangular and divided into six bays: four taller ones in the centre and two lower ones at each end. The staircase and the main entrance are both located in the second bay. The roof is covered in traditional ceramic Arabic tiles, with a double-pitched slope over the central section and single-pitched slopes over the two end bays — giving the roofline a distinctive stepped profile.

At street level, the façade alternates doors and windows in a rhythmic pattern of three openings. The upper floor is lit by four evenly spaced windows across the full width of the front. This restrained arrangement, without decorative flourishes, is characteristic of working rural buildings of the period, in contrast to the more ornamented townhouses found closer to the seafront.

Why is Can Pou protected?

The building is registered as a Bé Cultural d'Interès Local (BCIL), Catalonia's designation for locally significant cultural assets, under registration number BCIL 9109-I, and it appears in the Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Catalonia. This category protects buildings valued for their historic or architectural significance to a specific town, even when — as with Can Pou — they are modest farmhouses rather than grand mansions or religious monuments. Its protected status reflects its role as a surviving, authentic example of everyday rural building in the Maresme.

Where exactly is Can Pou located?

The building sits in the eastern part of Premià de Mar, within the district that shares its name, Can Pou. Its coordinates are 41.49419 N, 2.370285 E, set back from the seafront in an area that was originally farmland rather than beachfront property, which explains the building's rural, working character.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Can Pou? Can Pou is a 19th-century Catalan farmhouse (masia) in Premià de Mar, protected as a local cultural heritage asset.

Can visitors go inside Can Pou? The building is listed on the local heritage register, but available records do not specify whether it currently serves a public function or remains privately used — it's worth checking its current status before visiting.

What makes the architecture of Can Pou distinctive? Its defining features are the rectangular plan of six bays at two different heights, a double-pitched roof over the central section paired with single-pitched roofs at the ends, and a façade with three alternating openings on the ground floor and four windows above.

Where does the name Can Pou come from? The name follows the Catalan tradition of naming a masia after the family that owned it, preceded by "Can" (a contraction of "Ca'n", meaning "the house of"). The same name is now used for the surrounding neighbourhood in Premià de Mar.