The Ateneo Barcelonés celebrates 150 years of history.

The Catalan institution will host a series of conferences to reflect on future challenges.
The institution's aim is to walk along Catalan society and culture by supporting the intellectual debate.

30.06.2011
Barcelona, March 2011. - The Ateneo Barcelonés has reached its first 150 years of history. This institution, whose main goal is to disseminate Catalan culture and participate in the country's development, is also, according to Josep Pla “ a fitting refuge to think, debate and explain different ideas and proyects that have on many occasions been crucial for Catalonia”.

To commemorate this anniversary, a series of cultural, political, economical and sociological conferences have been scheduled under the title Catalonia 2050. What will the Catalan society be like in 50 years. These debates will take place during the whole of 2011. Furthermore, different spaces have undergone restoration such as the façade, the conference hall, the Verdaguer area of the Savassona Palace and the library, the latter is considered one of the most important for itsprominent art collection.

The construction of the Ateneo Catalán (www.ateneubcn.org), the original structure of the current Ateneo Barcelonés, dates back to 1860, is currently presided by the architect Oriol Bohigas and has always been a social reference point with a future view. For this reason, the institution headquartered in Canuda street, edits books and has strengthened its presence in social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter in order to attract a wider and younger audience. Another of its praiseworthy activities is called sponsor a book, which allows to restore, safeguard and protect unique treasures through the generosity of individual sponsors.

The Ateneo Barcelonés has achieved 4200 new subscriptions over the last decade, mainly regarding women in addition to a growing of younger people between the ages of 16 and 18.