History
This is not just the history of an exclusive place; it is that of a house that holds stories about Indians, love, war and exile. Castell de Ben Viure also embodies the memory of more than seven generations of a family.
Organize your events in a venue with stories to be told.
The origins
Castell de Ben Viure lies in a estate that was purchased by the great-grandparents of Dionisia Canadell two centuries ago. In the late 19th century Dionisia became an orphan. She was a child then and lived in a boarding school in Barcelona until she fell in love and married Dr. Rafael Bufill Fors, an Indian who had been born in Havana and brought up in Europe. It was he who undertook the project of building a mansion in her wife’s estate with a view to spending time periods with his family there.
A little bit of Cuba in Barcelona
Dr. Bufill chose for the house a singular West Indies colonial style with neoclassical traits which revives the essence of his native Havana in Barcelona. Construction began in 1928 for the Universal Exposition of 1929 and was completed shortly before 1935, the year of Dr. Bufill’s death. The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War dispersed the children of the couple abroad.
The youngest son, Enrique, met Maria Rosa Soler in Italy. She was also a daughter to Indian parents. However, destiny separated them until they were again reunited in Cuba two years later. They married and lived there for some years until they decided to move back to Barcelona to start a family.
A new beginning
In 1978 Rafael Bufill Soler, son of Enrique and Maria Rosa, settled in the estate and, a few years later, he started a long restoration process of the mansion which his children have joined with the same enthusiasm.
Castell de Ben Viure is much more than a site for celebrating events. It is a life project that pays tribute to our ancestors, history and our family heritage, which are at the same time part of the cultural and architectural heritage of this country.