The earliest documentation of the country house known as Can Busquets dates to the 15th century. Its current state makes it difficult to imagine the significance it held for the village of Vallcanera, especially in the late 19th and early 20th century, when it was the centrepiece of an estate of thirteen or fourteen buildings owned by husband and wife Rafael Baster—a financier and important member of the Catalan agricultural employers’ association—and Victoria Robert. The estate was managed so successfully that it acquired great prestige as a forestry and agricultural operation. Although they lived in Barcelona, both the couple and their daughters, Victòria and Maria, spent long summer seasons at the house, a neo-Gothic construction with gardens, ponds, bridges and its own chapel, inaugurated in 1897.
As befitted their status, the family organized charitable activities typical of Catholic paternalism. They were intensely involved in the life of the village of Vallcanera, putting on recreational, cultural, musical and religious events for the local residents, and helping to build the cemetery and schools (1929).
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Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan – Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU
Local Development and Employment Officer (AODL) within the new tourism management model for La Selva. Initiative subsidised by the Public Employment Service of Catalonia as part of the Local Development Support Programmes.
