Casa de la Vall

Casa de la Vall was built in 1580 as a family house and bought by the Andorran General Council in 1702 to serve as its seat, which it did until the parliament moved to a new building in 2011. It holds the Sala del Consell where the council met, a chapel, a kitchen and the Closet of the Seven Keys, a cupboard holding the country's archives with a lock for each of the parishes.

Background

The house was built in 1580 by the Busquets family as a manor with a defensive tower, and their coat of arms still hangs at the door beside that of Andorra. It was acquired in 1702 by the Consell de la Terra. Inside, the ground floor held the court, and the main floor has the council chamber, a chapel to St Ermengol and the closet with a lock for each parish, where old documents such as the Manual Digest are kept. A dovecote tower stands in one corner, the garden holds a sculpture called La Danse by Francesc Viladomat, and the house appears on Andorra's 1 euro coin.

Source: Wikipedia, "Casa de la Vall"

What you'll find

• The Sala del Consell - the chamber the General Council met in for three centuries.
• The Closet of the Seven Keys - the archive cupboard with one lock for each parish.
• The 1580 house - the stone building the parliament took over in 1702.
• The kitchen and chapel - the domestic rooms kept from the house's earlier life.

When to go

Year round; visits are guided and run at set times. It closes on some days. Booking is advised in season.

Practical notes

Visits are guided only at set times and the house is otherwise closed. It is small and an hour covers it. Guiding is mostly in Catalan and Spanish.

Nearby

Andorra la Vella's old quarter is around it, and Santa Coloma is south.

Key facts