Can Planes (antic casal dels Verdal)

Can Planes (antic casal dels Verdal)

Former house of the Verdal family. By 1874, the building was already constructed. In 1894, the heir to the house was Margalida Serra i Morei (a) Verdal, married to Miquel Planes i Poquet. From their son – Ignasi – the manor became known as Can Planes.

Ignasi Planes, head of the conservatives and mayor of sa Pobla from 1914-1915, provincial deputy from 1921-1924. The Planes family was one of the wealthiest in the town. In 1972, the building was acquired by the 'pobler' Town Hall when Rafel Serra (a) Tianet was mayor. It was intended as a museum of ethnology, local history, and a municipal archive. With the 1988 renovation, it became the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Since then, it has become a space dedicated to artistic promotion and dissemination. Today, it also houses the Museum of Saint Anthony and the Devil. Local Authors. History and literature: An old family with a house in sa Plaça Can Verdal and notable landowners in the Poblera Marjal. They had properties in Son Bonafús, Son Ciurana, Son Vent, and Son Cebrià.

They promoted the progress of the estates by implementing gas engines of the Otto and Reig brand. Besides farming, they also engaged in banking. Their entrepreneurial spirit was manifested in the founding of the Bank of la Puebla (1922-1943), bought by Banco Español de Crédito S.A. The family lineage had significant political influence in the conservative party: Guillermo Serra Llinás, royal mayor (1798); Andreu Serra i Serra, syndic and treasurer from the Montaña side (1825), appointed by Fernando VII for a period of 3 years; Juan Serra Serra (a) Verdal, mayor in 1887 and 1889; Miguel Planes i Poquet, lawyer and mayor (1904-1906), and Ignasi Planes i Serra (1914-1915). Concerned about the welfare of the town, the reorganization of the square, the cemetery, they worked alongside the Local Health Board and defended the interests of the town together with Miquel Socias i Caymari of the liberal party, with whom they had a fierce political struggle. The two emblematic buildings of the family, now municipal property, should be highlighted: Can Verdal, intended for social services and the elderly, and the Museum of Can Planes, the cultural hub of 'poblera' life.

Can Planes Political History Notes (1900-1931). Pedro Antonio Mateu Caldés (b.1954). Researcher.