Esperanto in Subirats - Self-guided route and visit to the Esperanto Documentation Center

Esperanto in Subirats has its own name: Lluís M. Hernández Yzal (1917–2002), a Barcelona pharmacist who had lived in Sant Pau d'Ordal since 1945, became interested in the Esperanto language in the late 1950s. This interest led him to establish an epistolary relationship with people from around the world and to begin collecting books and magazines in Esperanto.

In 1968, the foundation of what would become the Subirats Esperanto Museum was inaugurated in an annex of his pharmacy. In 1974, the new museum opened to the public at Zamenhof street, 12, housing one of the finest private Esperanto collections in the world.

The unique museum facility was open to the public until the end of 2019 and was dedicated to promoting Esperanto and its values, advocating for linguistic diversity, and preserving and disseminating the collection amassed over more than 50 years. This collection, one of the most important in the world, includes a wide variety of objects: books on different topics, postcards, posters, magazines and newsletters, photographs, badges, plaques, games, sculptures, and much more.

Currently the museum's documentary collection is housed in the Historical Archive of the Subirats city council. To facilitate access and consultation, the Subirats Esperanto Documentation Center has been opened to the public, featuring a permanent exhibition with a curated selection of objects from the Lluís M. Hernández Yzal collection.

The self-guided Esperanto route serves to promote cultural heritage and the values of Esperanto, as well as to understand Subirats' connection to the Esperanto language, where the history of Esperanto began in Sant Pau d’Ordal town.

We recommend doing the self-guided Esperanto route through Sant Pau d'Ordal before visiting the Esperanto Documentation Center exhibition.