Josep Puig i Cadafalch

He was born on 17 October 1867 in Mataró. He was the architect of the Casa Martí (also known as "Els Quatre Gats"), which became a place of ideas, projects and social gatherings for such well-known artists as Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Casas. Although Puig i Cadafalch's style separated him significantly from his contemporary Gaudí, their relations were neither tense nor problematic, as demonstrated by the participation of both architects in the construction of the Cafe Torino. Another of his significant buildings was the Casa Terrades (also known as "les Punxes"), which is known for its medieval castle style from the north of Europe. He was also a great defender of Catalan culture and history which he hoped to see fully restored. He published studies of language, legal order and political organisation in the 11th–12th centuries. Amongst his important legacies is also the documentation and photographing of the culturally important buildings and art works the Vall d'Aran and Alta Ribagorça (including the Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí) during an expedition sponsored by the Institute for Catalan Studies in 1907. Puig i Cadalfach was actively involved in politics. He was a Barcelona City Councillor from 1901 to 1903, served in the Spanish Parliament from 1907 to 1910 and was the second president of the Commonwealth of Catalonia from 1917. Like other leaders of Catalan nationalism, Puig i Cadafalch supported Primo de Rivera's coup d'état in 1923. In fact, once the coup was consummated, he was one of the Catalan authorities who went to the train station to bid farewell to General Miguel Primo de Rivera when he moved to Madrid to assume the leadership of the government. Despite this, in January 1924 he was removed from office by the new regime and replaced by Alfonso Sala. From 1942 to his death in 1956, he was the president of the academic institution of the Catalan language, the Institut d'Estudis Catalans.