Tona town hall

Tona Town Hall (Ajuntament de Tona) occupies a building on Carrer Font 8-10, right in the heart of this small town in the Osona district, Barcelona province. It houses the local municipal government and marks a natural landmark for anyone exploring the town centre.

How do you get there?

Tona sits along the historic road linking the Plana de Vic to Barcelona, a route that has made it a natural stopping point for centuries. Driving from Barcelona takes roughly an hour, and the town hall itself stands right in the town centre, an easy walk from the main streets and the central square. There's no dedicated car park at the building, but on-street parking is available around the centre.

What will you see at the town hall?

The current building was designed by architect Josep Travesa Vila. It has a two-slope tiled roof and is laid out over a ground floor, two upper storeys and an attic. The most distinctive feature of the façade is the centred main entrance, topped by a semi-circular arch — the single detail that catches most visitors' eyes. The overall design reflects the plain, functional style typical of Catalan municipal buildings from the first half of the 20th century.

The town hall was built on the site of an older structure, a former sausage factory known locally as cal Balaguer, which had stood closed for years before being demolished to make way for the new municipal building.

What's the history behind the building and the town?

Before the current town hall existed, local government was based in the old guild house of Tona's cloth-makers and weavers, a building that still stands in the town today. That trade shaped the town's growth back in the 16th century, when weavers and cloth workers settled along the road connecting the Plana de Vic to Barcelona and eventually organised into a guild.

Tona's roots go back much further, into the medieval period. For nearly two centuries the Montcada family held the town's castle and surrounding lands, until their line ended with Guillema de Montcada, who died without heirs. With Barcelona's support, the townspeople won back their independence from feudal rule. A turning point came in 1401, when King Martí l'Humà granted Tona the right of carreratge, effectively making it a "street of Barcelona" — its residents gained the same rights and obligations as citizens of the Catalan capital.

When's the best time to visit?

Spring and early autumn bring the most comfortable weather for walking around Tona's centre, with mild temperatures across the Osona region. Summers in Catalonia can run hot and winters cooler, but the town hall and the historic centre around it are worth a stop year-round — this is a living part of the town's everyday landscape, not a seasonal attraction.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside Tona Town Hall? It's a working municipal building, so access is limited to opening hours and public-facing areas — it isn't set up as a museum with a regular visitor route.

Who designed the building? Architect Josep Travesa Vila designed the current town hall, which replaced an earlier industrial building, the former cal Balaguer sausage factory.

Are there other sights near the town hall? Tona's centre, where the town hall stands, also includes the historic guild house of the local cloth-makers and other landmarks tied to the town's past as a former "street of Barcelona."

How large is the town hall building? It has a ground floor, two upper floors and an attic, under a two-slope tiled roof, with a distinctive semi-circular arched main entrance.