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Mission
The mission of the Society of Friends of the Nation of Barcelona
is defined in its
website:
Amics del País is an entity dedicated to serving the progress of the nation and of the
city. Its mission is to contribute to the definition of the principal chalenges
facing the nation, and through the debate and interaction among the different
agents of our society, to colaborate in making possible the realization of the
desired new scenarios.
History
An important historical group of associations occurred
in Spain following the example of
Xavier María de Munibe (1723-1785), the
Count of Peñaflorida, who in 1763, with a few of his friends, founded the
Royal Basque
Society of Friends of the Country. The society concentrated on improving
agricultural and industrial practices through studies, publications, and contests.
The Barcelona version was created by an order of King Charles III in 1775.
But its activities did not start until 1834, when it was effectively
actualized. During the XIX century, many of the most distinguished
personalities of the city, such as Fernando de Lesseps, Duran y Bas,
Roberto y Laureano Figuerola, and many others were active participants
in the society. From its beginning, the society has made use of former houses of
the nobility as its site, to insure their maintenance. The present building was
acquired in 1998 and restored in 2001.
Among its important accomplishments have been
night schools for laborers,
savings associations, agricutural credit unions and technical support studies,
public hygiene and natural park inititatives. |
Photo: ©
Wikipedia: Economic Society of Friends of the Nation of Barcelona
Author: Jordiferrer
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