Lleida's intriguing blacksmith's balcony, a historical relic in the Palau de la

The Palau de la Diputació de Lleida, located on Rambla de Ferran and Carrer del Carme, houses the central seat of the Diputació de Lleida since 1898. Constructed between 1789 and 1795 as a hospice on the site of the old Hospital del Sant Esperit destroyed during the War of Succession, part of the property of Gaspar de Portolà was used for its construction. The Diputació de Lleida intended to establish the seat of the Diputació in this location in 1873, but the hospice was in ruins.

To build a new building financed with the sale of the old hospice on Carre del Carme, the Diputats had to abandon the old convent of Sant Francesc and renovate the existing building instead. Notably, the blacksmith's balcony on Carre del Carme was originally part of a patrician house, later installed in the Palau de la Diputació. The building features elements such as pillars, pilasters, and lintels that lend it high architectural quality.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons