What is Casa Adret? Barcelona's Medieval Jewish House | Toldot Barcelona

Casa Adret is one of the oldest surviving houses in Barcelona's Jewish Quarter (El Call), believed to date back to the 12th century and now home to a living cultural centre dedicated to Jewish heritage.

A medieval palace. A Jewish home. A living cultural centre.

Hidden within the winding streets of El Call, Barcelona's medieval Jewish Quarter, Casa Adret is one of the oldest surviving houses in the city. Believed to date back to the 12th century, it originally formed part of a larger medieval palace and offers one of the most authentic windows into the history of Jewish Barcelona.

Casa Adret takes its name from its last documented Jewish owner, Astruc Isaac Adret, a wealthy member of the Jewish community of Cervera. Following the anti-Jewish attacks of 1391, Astruc and his wife Bonafilla were forced to convert to Christianity, taking the names Lluís de Junyent and Sibil·la. Two years later, in 1393, they sold the house, marking the end of its Jewish ownership. Despite its name, Casa Adret has no connection to the famous Rabbi Solomon ben Adret (the Rashba).

More than eight centuries later, the building still preserves extraordinary traces of its past. Original medieval stonework, Romanesque architectural elements, and the rare mezuzah niches carved into the stone doorposts remain visible, offering a tangible connection to the Jewish families who once lived here. In the central courtyard, the outline of the original well can still be seen, recalling everyday life in medieval Barcelona.

The building has undergone many transformations throughout its history. Its façades were carefully restored in 1956 by the architect Adolf Florensa, while the award-winning rehabilitation by Martínez Lapeña–Torres Arquitectos in 2000 recovered much of the original courtyard by removing later additions and introducing a contemporary steel staircase that evokes the medieval staircase that once stood at its heart. Rather than recreating the past, the project allows the building's different historical layers to remain visible, telling the story of more than 800 years of architectural evolution. The result is truly magnificent.

Founded in 2017 by cultural platform Mozaika, Casa Adret has entered a new chapter as a vibrant centre for Jewish culture and heritage. Today it hosts lectures, exhibitions, concerts, educational programmes, podcasts, artist residencies and community events. It is also home to organisations including the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ), Toldot Barcelona, Alhayam Podcast, the Institute of Jewish Studies, and LABA Barcelona, making it once again a place of Jewish life, learning, and dialogue.

When you visit Casa Adret with Toldot Barcelona, you're doing more than exploring a remarkable historic building. Every tour directly supports the preservation of this unique heritage site, helping to sustain its restoration, cultural programming, educational initiatives, and community projects.

By choosing Toldot, you become part of the living story of Jewish Barcelona, helping to ensure that this extraordinary place continues to inspire future generations.

📍 Casa Adret | El Call, Barcelona

Come and discover one of Barcelona's oldest surviving houses, where history is not only preserved, it is lived.