Can Mas Bagà was the second residence of a family of holidaymakers drawn by the town’s stunning surroundings, pure air and peace and quiet. These constructions were a demonstration of their economic strength and social status.
The train finally reached Llinars in 1860, and it was towards the end of the century that the bourgeois holidaymakers with the greatest economic power began building second residences here. Mas Bagà is an example of these homes and has a peculiar past. In 1897, the builder and owner of the land, Llinars-native Josep Sanfeliu, drew up plans for two simple two-storey homes facing the road. In 1901, just before finishing the second house, he sold them to Joaquim Lluhí Rissech, a lawyer and politician from Lloret. His brother Joan, a fantastic master builder, transformed the two houses into one magnificent mansion. The building has a rectangular floor plan, a gable roof with a raised attic in the middle and neo-Gothic windows and doors on both the ground and first floors. Mas Sant Jordi, as it was known at the time, also had a farmer’s cottage, and its façade still bears a depiction of the patron saint of Catalonia.
Today, the house is known by the surname of Mr Joan Mas Bagà Rubió, its owner from 1921 to 1952. Joan Mas Bagà organised numerous charitable and cultural events in the town, which is why, in 1929, the Municipal Council named the stretch of road on which the estate is located after him and blessed the house’s chapel. During the Civil War, the town’s school and library were moved to the house and cottage, and in the 1950s, it became a place of residence for Danish citizens.
In 1975, the Municipal Council purchased the estate with support from nineteen local residents, who used their property as collateral, and turned it into a cultural and recreational centre. It was subsequently used as the seat of Ràdio Llinars and several other entities. Finally, in 2007, following the renovation and rehabilitation work, it became home to municipal offices.