Palace of the Viceroy (Barcelona)
The Palace of the Viceroy (, ) was a palace in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. During the time it was a royal residence, it was known as the Royal Palace (, ), and its popular name was Hala dels Draps (Catalan for ″Hall of the Cloths″). It was located in the Pla de Palau, in the center of the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona. The building had its origin in a woolen port warehouse of medieval times, until it was converted into a palace in 1652 and became the official residence of the viceroys of Catalonia. It became the Royal Palace and residence of the Spanish royal family in Barcelona in 1844. It was destroyed by a fire in 1875. History Middle Ages The palace has its origins in the ‘Porxo del Forment’, a wheat warehouse constructed in 1314. Next to it, a cloth market was built in 1389, which was also known as the ‘Hala dels Draps’. The buildings were merged in 1514 and a floor was added to the building which served as an arsenal. Palace of the Viceroy King Philip IV confiscated the building in 1652 and purposed it to serve as the new residence of the Viceroy