Monument a Cebrià Calvet

The Monument a Cebrià Calvet stands on Carrer Calvet 10 in Castellterçol, a small town in Catalonia's Moianès region. It looks, at first glance, like an ordinary piece of street furniture — but it hides one of the town's most curious stories, because this is a monument its own subject had built to honor himself.

Who was Cebrià Calvet?

Cebrià Calvet Jané was born in Barcelona in 1855, the son of a cart driver, and died in 1932. In Castellterçol he's remembered by his nickname, "Canuto." His father, who worked hauling goods by cart, married a woman from Castellterçol in 1873, which is how the Calvet family put down roots in the town. Cebrià took over and grew the family's cart-transport business, turning it into a solid fortune. He poured that money back into Castellterçol, helping promote the town as a summer retreat for Barcelona's middle class and building several houses locally, including in the Pedregar neighborhood.

Why did he build a monument to himself?

This is the part visitors find most memorable. According to local oral tradition, in 1919 Calvet learned that the town intended to erect a monument to Enric Prat de la Riba, a politician and writer connected to Castellterçol who had, however, left the town. Calvet felt overlooked: in his view, he was the one who had actually stayed, invested, and built up the place, while Prat de la Riba had simply been born nearby and moved on. So Calvet "self-erected" — paid for and installed himself — a monument to his own memory, while he was still very much alive. It stands at the entrance to the Pedregar neighborhood, the same area where he had earlier built houses.

What else is near the monument?

Right next to it stands a fountain attached to the Can Fruns farmhouse, built in exposed brick and decorated with the town's coat of arms. It's a small architectural detail worth a glance during a short stop, and together the two pieces form a modest but coherent urban ensemble where the town's older fabric meets its early-20th-century growth.

How do you get to the monument?

The monument sits on Carrer Calvet 10, in an easily walkable part of Castellterçol, a town in the Moianès region between Barcelona and Vic. There's no need for a dedicated trip — it fits naturally into a walk through the historic center, alongside other pieces of the town's local heritage.

Is the monument worth visiting?

The monument itself is modest in scale, dating from the 1911–1929 period and typical of public art commissioned in small Catalan towns at the time — it won't overwhelm you visually. Its real interest lies elsewhere: in the story of local rivalry over memory and recognition at the turn of the 20th century, and in how a single self-made entrepreneur shaped both the physical layout and social fabric of Castellterçol.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Cebrià Calvet, known as "Canuto"? A Barcelona-born transport entrepreneur (1855–1932) who, through his family's marriage ties, settled in Castellterçol and invested his fortune in developing the town, promoting it as a summer destination.

Why is the monument called "self-erected"? Because Calvet personally financed and built it in his own honor in 1919, while he was still alive — an unusual case among public monuments.

Exactly where does the monument stand? On Carrer Calvet 10 in Castellterçol, at the entrance to the Pedregar neighborhood, an area Calvet helped develop.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The adjacent fountain at the Can Fruns farmhouse, built in brick and decorated with Castellterçol's coat of arms.