In contrast to other areas in the interior of the Iberian mountainous system, Vilafranca has a predominantly urban character. Textile activity and population growth are the main reasons behind the expansion of its urban perimeter beyond the walled enclosure, especially after the 19th century.

As a result of industrial expansion, there arose an affluent local middle class during the industrialisation process. Some members of this middle class built Modernist houses that, although unusual in villages, were meant to show off their owners’ good tastes.

One of these buildings is the “Moderno” (1926), with a round façade and some Modernist and Academicist elements. It was the doctor Manuel Palomo y Pallarés who built it as his clinic and private residence. He was also the creator of the Royal cinema-theatre, called Victoria after the Civil War; the founder of the local Banda de Música in 1928; and the principal promoter of the construction of the bullring in 1933.

This magnificent building can be admired at the village square dedicated to the founder of Vilafranca, Blasco de Alagón.

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