Old Hospital | Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain

Antic Hospital del Ajuntament de Sant Feliu de Guíxols

Sant Feliu de Guíxols is located at the southern end of the Baix Empordà county, in the province of Girona, Catalonia (Spain). The town is surrounded by the Gavarres and Ardenya mountain ranges, areas of high ecological value protected under the Natura 2000 Network and the Plan for Areas of Natural Interest of Catalonia. Together with neighboring towns in the Aro Valley, Sant Feliu forms a natural subregion with a long-standing agricultural tradition. The garden of the Old Hospital is situated at 25-35 Hospital Street, in a building recognized as a Cultural Property of Local Interest. This site houses the Museum of History – Space of the Doctor and Rural Health, which holds ethnological and health-related collections. Both the hospital’s rooms and its garden preserve historical elements that reflect its past. As a place of memory concerning health and illness in the region, it remains open to further oral research and serves as a museum dedicated to these themes. The Old Hospital of Sant Feliu de Guíxols represents two key pillars of memory preservation: a unique architectural heritage and a historic healthcare space. Its botanical garden was an essential part of the hospital, evolving through various reforms from the 16th to the 20th centuries. A notable renovation in the 1920s, led by architect Joan Bordàs, introduced neoclassical elements and a hygienic design philosophy that emphasized natural light and the therapeutic use of the garden.