Palacio de los Duques de Villahermosa, Baroque palace in Predicadores Street, Zaragoza, Spain
The Palacio de los Duques de Villahermosa is a baroque palace with a striking brick facade organized in three levels above a stone base, accented by a series of balconies trimmed in black stone moldings. Small towers stand on each side of the structure, and the upper floor windows feature distinctive purse-shaped stone lintels.
The palace was built in the late 1600s as a residential mansion for a wealthy family. In 1842, it was repurposed as a public prison and later adapted to house courtrooms, marking significant changes in its function.
The building displays the residential character of aristocratic life, with its expansive facade and ornate balconies reflecting the way wealthy families wanted to live and present themselves in the city. These features show how social standing was expressed through architectural choices during that era.
The palace is located on Predicadores Street and is easily spotted from the street thanks to its distinctive brick facade and central location. While the interior is not regularly open to the public due to its current institutional use, the exterior architecture can be fully appreciated from the street level.
The structure retains two small defensive towers on each side that echo medieval castle design, showing how noble residences built centuries later still incorporated elements of fortress architecture. These towers served more as symbols of power than as actual defensive structures.
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