Centuries of history at the heart of La Selva del Camp
Plaza Portal d'Avall is much more than our home address: it is the gateway to the old town of La Selva del Camp, one of the two main entrances to the walled medieval town. Its defensive tower was completed in 1559 following an invasion by bandits that alerted the entire region. For centuries, this place was a witness to the passage of merchants, farmers and travelers entering and leaving the walled town.
Right in our square stands one of the most imposing towers of the walled enclosure: the Baron's Tower, also known as the Vila Sun Tower. In the 14th century it was called the Beixa Tower, and its modern name links it with the adjacent manor that belonged to the barons of Montoliva, from Vilallonga del Camp. Living in Casa Portal d'Avall means living surrounded by this living history, which is breathed in through every stone in the old town.
Before becoming a home, these walls were already part of the history of the Selva del Camp. The house literally rises above the outline of the old medieval wall of the town, a defensive structure built in the mid-14th century, during the reign of King Peter III the Ceremonious, when most Catalan towns fortified their fortifications in the face of conflicts with Castile.
Right next to it, overlooking what is today known as the Plaza del Portal d’Avall, stood one of the most important entrances to the walled enclosure: the Portal d’Avall, also known as the Portal Jussà. An imposing tower stood on its top, documented as early as 1340 under the name of Torre d’en Beixa. Over time it came to be known as the Tower of the Sun of the Town and, later, as the Tower of the Baron, a name derived from the neighboring house of the barons of la Montoliva, of Vilallonga —a lineage linked to the Selva through Pau de Magrinyà, a municipal councillor in 1723.
What makes this house special is that it doesn’t just stand nearby: an archaeological intervention carried out in 2018 has made it possible to document, hidden behind its own walls, an original wall gate that is almost 14 meters long and up to 8.5 meters high, built with stone and lime mortar as it was done more than six centuries ago. A piece of history that has survived wars, renovations, and the passage of time, and that today continues to literally support the house where you will be staying.
The Casa del Portal d’Avall has been documented since the 14th century. The oldest name known of the house is ca Rabassa, a name that has survived since ancient times until the late 19th century. The house is located on Major Street, at the corner with Ollers Street, where the tilemakers lived and worked until well into the 19th century. In medieval times, the house was built using the wall of the southern part of the wall that surrounded the town and next to the Portal d’Avall, one of the main gates of access to the walled enclosure of the historic center of the Selva. The origins of the first fortified perimeter of the town date back to the 12th and 13th centuries.
The Portal d’Avall, also known as Portal Jussà, is mentioned in a document from 1340, where a tower located above the Portal is mentioned. Later, starting in 1373, the construction of houses around this Portal is documented, which shows the urban development of this area and probably it was at this time that the house was built. Like the other Portals, the Portal d’Avall closed its doors to protect the town from the warlike threats of each era. Finally, between 1854 and 1856, it is recorded that the Portal was demolished.
In the early 20th century and well into the seventies, the lower floors of the house housed a bar, popularly known as the Rat Bar. Located in such a central point of the town, this space was for decades a meeting place that was very present in the memories of several generations of Selvatans. In the 1950s, the house was completely renovated with the construction of the terrace, an element that today gives the house its unique character. As the 21st century began, the house began a new phase as a building that houses tourist apartments.
Thus, Casa del Portal d’Avall constitutes a testimony to the urban evolution of the Selva; its privileged location has made it a direct witness to the transformation of the Selva and the lives of its inhabitants. Over the centuries, the house has undergone various renovations and transformations, adapting to the needs of each era until reaching its current state. Despite these changes, it still retains its connection with the past and the urban space that surrounds it.
Staying here is therefore much more than finding a place to sleep: it is entering a house that has seen time pass by, located in one of the spaces with the most memory in the village, and continuing, even for a few days, a story that began more than seven centuries ago.
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