Modernisme arrived in Sóller through a story shaped by hard work and emigration.

In the mid-19th century, the valley enjoyed a period of great prosperity thanks to agriculture. In 1860 alone, nearly 8,000 tonnes of oranges were produced, along with almonds, grapes and apples.

But in 1865, a disease affecting the orange trees changed everything. Poverty forced many people from Sóller to emigrate. Some travelled to the Americas—Puerto Rico, Mexico and Cuba—where they cultivated coffee and sugar or produced spirits. Others moved to Europe, mainly France, Belgium and Switzerland, where they opened small grocery shops with names that evoked their homeland, such as Les Jardins de l’Espagne.

These emigrants came into contact with the new artistic and architectural movements of Modernisme. After many years of hard work, many returned to Sóller. Wealthy and respected, they decided to build the houses we admire today. In France they had lived modestly, often behind their shops; back in Sóller, they were able to create true symbols of prestige.

This was the context in which Modernisme flourished in the valley. It first appeared in public institutions and the most representative buildings, before spreading to private homes and more popular architectural details.

All of this is concentrated around Plaça de la Constitució, a place where the three great powers of the time—economic, religious and political—came together.