Grounds, Location and Early History
The grounds governed by the squat include almost a hectare of land in use as gardens, an abandoned nunnery and hospital facility and about 15 hectares of mostly hilly forests. The building spans four floors and is draped over the side of a hill. It includes 24 different rooms of various sizes including a large hall.
Can Masdeu is located up the hill from the Canyelles L3 Metro station in Barcelona. There is a sign for it before the 0,5 km walk up a dirt road to the site.
The building was built on an ancient Roman site, and was surrounded by vineyards before the city expanded into Nou Barris. Of the existing structure, first the temple (masia) was completed in the 17th century. In the early 20th century the living units, common space and kitchen were added. After functioning as a nunnery for some years, the facility was converted into a leper hospital. It was ultimately shuttered and abandoned in 1948. Fear of leprosy may have been a factor in this large facility being left vacant for over half a century.
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