hotel medium romàntic
History
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The building that houses the hotel medium romàntic is an almost essential stop on the “Ruta de los Indianos” in Sitges.
From a House of Indianos...
The indianos or americanos (as they are called in Sitges) left Spain for the American colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico…) in the mid to late 19th century, given the situation of grave economic crisis the country was experiencing.
In Sitges, a fishing village, there were many young people who left to try and make their fortune, including Facundo Bacardí (founder of the Bacardi drink brand) and Brugal, founder of Ron Brugal. The indianos who managed to prosper returned and built large houses where they spent the last years of their lives, retired and living off their investments.
…to a hotel
Our building, constructed in 1897 in a colonial style, is a typical casa de indianos and, as such, was the residence of well-to-do families until the 50s of the last century, when it was converted into the Hotel Tropic. Among the workers at the Tropic was Gonçal Sobrer, an artist and painter very active in the Barcelona art scene, who in 1958 took the step and acquired the hotel, as well as another building, and changed the name of the establishment: thus the Hotel Romàntic was born.
The 'fifth museum' of Sitges
The hotel’s history is marked by the charismatic figure of Sobrer who, in the words of the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana, turned the Hotel Romàntic “for half a century, into a hub of cultural activity” in Sitges. Today, the hotel houses a collection of more than 300 works of art, with murals by Sobrer himself and paintings and sculptures by various Catalan artists (Arranz Bravo, Rosa Bachs, Xaus, Pilar Perdices, Subirats, Joan Iriarte, or Gerard Sala).
For a long time, the Hotel Romàntic was the “fifth museum” of the town, but its importance went beyond the artistic field: in the 60s, it opened its doors to the gay community from all over Europe. The so-called “gay tourism” advanced discreetly through the hotel, gradually establishing itself until achieving today’s visibility. Festivals, parties, and even Carnival itself began to be celebrated in the garden and bar of the Romàntic.
The indianos, art, culture, and social changes: the history of the Hotel Romàntic is an extraordinary fragment of Sitges’ own history.
