In the course of the 19th century, Manresa, like other towns situated on the banks of the rivers Llobregat and Cardener, became an industrial city. The first textile mills appeared, just as did, consequently, the first dynasties of industrialists. The city became transformed, the last remains of the walls that encircled the town of Manresa were demolished, and much broader avenues were constructed. The boulevard Passeig de Pere III, which was urbanised in the 19th century, became the preferred place of residence of the new bourgeoisie.

Accordingly, the industrialists who had made their fortunes thanks to the textile mills, built their houses in the Modernista aesthetic along Passeig de Pere III. Most of these buildings were designed by local architects who followed the trend then prevalent in Barcelona. Two from among the most important of them may be mentioned: Ignasi Oms i Ponsa and Alexandre Soler i March. The former, Ignasi Oms, is considered the foremost representative of Modernisme in Manresa. He was a collaborator of Domènech i Montaner and served for many years as the municipal architect of the city. Manresa is full of buildings by Ignasi Oms and there is even a street that bears his name because it contains four of his buildings. Like Ignasi Oms, Alexandre Soler was trained in Barcelona and he also had Domènech i Montaner as his teacher. One of the most notable works that he designed was the enlargement of the Convent of Santa Clara.

The Modernista guided tour unfolds almost entirely in the area of Plaça de Sant Domènec, Passeig de Pere III and Carrer del Born.

- Farmàcia Esteve (1926) and Quiosc de l’Arpa (1917) are good examples of Modernisme applied to establishments and street furniture. They were designed by the architect Josep Firmat. Of special note at the pharmacy are its stained-glass windows, carved woodwork and wrought-iron elements.

- Sastreria Tuneu. This tailor’s shop still has signs of Modernista design conceived by the painter Francesc Cuixart.

- Casa Torrents or Buresa. A building designed by Ignasi Oms in the year 1905 under commission from one of the wealthiest families of the times: the Torrents. This structure is a re-creation of a house-palace in the Neo-Gothic style. It has four floors and a tower on each side. Projecting outward from the middle of the façade is a central body with a tribune on the first floor, crowned at the top by four pinnacles and an image of the Sacred Heart, a common feature of many Modernista buildings. Some floors still have their luxurious Modernista decoration.

- Casal Regionalista. Designed by Alexandre Soler in the year 1918. With a sober regular style, it distances itself from Modernista postulates and approaches Noucentisme.

- Casino. Situated at the most central point of Passeig de Pere III, this is the foremost Modernista building in Manresa. It was designed by Ignasi Oms and was built in the year 1909. It was called “the gentlemen’s casino” because it functioned as a social club and a gambling place for the well-to-do classes of the times. The Casino closed down in the 1970s, entering a period of decline. Later, the Town Council went on to buy it and now it houses the public library and a cultural centre. The Casino is a work of transition towards Modernisme. Its façade reflects a type of classical structure but also contains Modernista elements such as the design of the windows and balconies and the ornamental motifs. Some of the interior rooms, today reading rooms, have their original stained-glass windows and a very elaborate ornamentation.

- Casa Lluvià. Designed by Ignasi Oms in 1908, this is considered the most purely Modernista work of the Manresan architect. As opposed to the Casino, Casa Lluvià stands apart from classicism. The architect combines in it a central body with two towers of different proportions and heights. The façade shows a typically Modernista ornamentation while the interior of the building also has some typical elements, such as stone columns with reliefs and paintings of naïve tendency. It now shelters the headquarters of the Association of Architects of Bages and Berguedà Counties.

- Casa Torra. Designed by Ignasi Oms in the year 1910, this structure stands out because it clearly presents the principles of a separate house and at the same time it is integrated into the urban space.

- Casa Gabernet Espanyol. A building by Ignasi Oms, designed in 1898. This is an example of a historicist Modernisme that combines Gothic and Romanesque elements.

- Casa Padró. Situated on a chamfered corner of Passeig Pere III, this building was designed in the year 1918 by Bernat Pejoan. Inside it now shelters diverse commercial establishments.

- Casa Padró Domènech. A work by Ignasi Oms, designed in 1903.

- Col•legi-Asil dels Infants. This Children’s Home and School by Ignasi Oms was built between 1901 and 1911. It belongs to the historicist Modernisme.

- Casa Armengou. A building by Ignasi Oms, designed in 1889. It presents a mixture of eclectic style and Modernisme.

- Institut Lluís de Peguera. A building by Alexandre Soler. This structure is considered to be in the Modernista style of transition towards Noucentisme. The works began in 1907 but were not completed until 1927.

- Convent of Santa Clara. A building of medieval origin that still preserves a Romanesque doorway. The architect Ignasi Oms esigned an enlargement of the structure in 1904, taking his inspiration from the Gothic.

The Tourist Office has a guide service for the Modernista route. The tour lasts approximately two hours and participation must be reserved in advance. In the case of groups of less than 20 persons, the price is € 54 per visit, and if the group is larger than 20 persons, the price is € 3.60 per person.
The Modernisme route of Barcelona includes a 15% discount coupon that will be applied to the fee of € 54 or €. 3.60 If visitors prefer to follow the Modernista route on their own, the Tourist Office can provide a tourist map on which the whole itinerary is clearly marked, with a description of each of the buildings.