Torre Lligé

Torre Lligé is a historic tower house in the heart of Cardedeu, a Catalan town in the Vallès Oriental region, that has served as the seat of the local town hall for decades. The building went up in 1890 to a design by architect Adrià Casademunt, built as a summer residence for the Lligé family, Barcelona-based summer visitors that included an influential political figure looking for a retreat outside the city.

How do you get there?

Torre Lligé stands right in the centre of Cardedeu, on a corner where three streets meet, so it is hard to miss while walking through the old town. Cardedeu sits in the Vallès Oriental, about 35 km north of Barcelona, and is well served by rail — FGC trains on the Barcelona–Sant Celoni/Ripoll line stop at the station in the town centre, a few minutes' walk from the tower. Drivers can reach the town via the AP-7 motorway or the C-251 road.

What will you see on site?

The building has kept the look of a summer villa, even though the interior has been adapted for municipal offices. The front façade draws the eye with a balustraded terrace resting on a ground-floor portico of rounded arches. A lookout turret rises from the four-slope roof — the feature that gave the house its name and a hallmark of Catalan summer residences from the late 19th century.

The most valuable room inside is the Sala de les Columnes (Hall of Columns), the Lligé family's former dining room, which has kept its original character and is now used as the council's assembly hall and a venue for civil weddings. It is the one part of the building that still lets visitors picture what life here looked like before it became a public office.

Torre Lligé is best appreciated in its wider context: around the turn of the 20th century, Cardedeu was a favourite summer destination for wealthy Barcelona families, who built villas here ranging from eclecticism and classicism to modernisme and noucentisme. The town still holds works by well-known architects of that period, such as Manuel J. Raspall and Ramon Puig Giralt, as well as Casa Gual by Eduard M. Balcells — a walk between these buildings explains why Cardedeu is sometimes called a town of summer towers.

When is the best time to visit?

Since Torre Lligé functions as a town hall, its exterior can be admired year-round, while access to representative interiors such as the Hall of Columns is usually possible during office hours, Monday to Friday. Spring and early autumn are the most pleasant times to visit, when the weather in the Vallès Oriental is mild and a stroll past the neighbouring modernista houses is at its most enjoyable. It is worth checking the town's event calendar too, since local festivals often turn the building and the square in front of it into a focal point of the celebrations.

Frequently asked questions

What is Torre Lligé? A historic tower built in 1890 as the summer residence of the Lligé family, now home to Cardedeu's town hall.

Who designed the building? Architect Adrià Casademunt, who gave it the shape of a typical Catalan summer tower complete with a lookout turret.

Can visitors see the inside of the tower? Yes — during office hours the Sala de les Columnes, the former dining room now used as the council chamber and a civil wedding venue, is usually accessible.

Since when has the building served as the town hall? Torre Lligé has been the seat of Cardedeu's local government since 1953.