Casa del Piñón in La Unión
The 19th century modernist building is home to the Town Hall, the Tourist Office and two museums
The Casa del Piñón in La Unión is at one and the same time a historical monument to the grandeur and 
prosperity of the second half of the nineteenth century, which was the result of the intense mining activity in the mountains to the south, and the centre of the municipality’s administration, having been the Town Hall since its recent renovation.
Construction of this grand modernist building, designed by Pedro Cerdán, was completed in 1899 after it was commissioned by the mining entrepreneur Joaquín Peñalver Nieto, and in principle it was intended for rental to the prosperous families settling in La Unión as a result of their professional and business interests. Unfortunately not many of the stylish turn-of-the-century houses which were built in the town still survive, but the Casa del Piñón, together with the Mercado Antiguo and various other constructions in Calle Mayor and Calle Real, provides evidence of the wealth which existed in the area at the time.
The elaborately decorated façade consists of three storeys and a balustraded attic, and on the ground floor the arched doorways on Calle Mayor and Calle Alfonso X, decorated with lion heads, call to mind the style of Italian palaces. The uniformity of the balconies on the first and second floors reflect the fact that they were designed to be used by those renting out apartments in the building. One of the second-floor apartments was for Joaquín Peñalver Nieto’s own use, and was far more ornately decorated inside than the others.
Above the attic, although it’s difficult to appreciate from street level, is a zinc-roofed dome designed by none other than Gustave Eiffel.
The restoration project which was undertaken in the Casa del Piñón in 2006 completely altered the distribution of rooms inside so that it could be used as the Town Hall, and in addition it also houses the Tourist Office of La Unión and two important museums.
One of these is the Museo del Cante de las Minas, which contributes along with the annual festival of the same name to the town’s importance in the world of flamenco. This museum traces the history of the mining flamenco which developed in La Unión while at the same time showing the hardships suffered by those who worked in the mines. The main thrust of the exhibits, though, is the history of the summer festival itself, which was first held in 1961 and has since become one of the most important of its kind in Spain (and indeed the world). Needless to say, audiovisual exhibits are among the most important on display.
At present the Casa del Piñón is also home to the Museo Minero, or mining museum, which features exhibits related not only to the mines of La Unión and Cartagena but also to the history of mining in the whole of Spain. In addition the Casa del Piñón is home to various works of art which are permanently on loan from the Museo de Bellas Artes of the Region of Murcia.
In short, the Casa del Piñón is now one of the focal points of life in La Unión (alongside the Antiguo Mercado Público), with most of the town’s administrative and cultural activity being organized behind its historic façade.
Address:
Calle Mayor 55 La Unión ( the main street running straight through the centre of La Unión)
Click for map, Calle Mayor La Unión
Ayuntamiento de La Unión
Tel: 968 560 660
info@ayto-launion.org
Public hours:
Winter ( September to June)from 09:00am to 14:00pm
Summer ( July and August)
From 09:00am to 13:30 pm
Alcaldía Portmán 968 548 074
Alcaldía Roche 968 548 751
