Records of the old masia (typical Catalan farmhouse) date from the year 1293. Until the mid 20th. century the building was successively the home and agricultural production center of three traditional families of farmers: Noguera, Miró and Llobet. The Nogueras were the first owners of the masia from the 13th. century into the mid 14th. Historical records show it belonging to the Miros from 1434 until the 20th. century when, by virtue of marriage, the Llobets became the owners of the farmhouse.

Located between the Moronta Valley, the sierra of Puig Delmo and several streams rolling down from the sierra of Galliners, the masia enjoyed a privileged site next to rich farmland, water sources and the sierra forests. The original owners traded different varieties of wheat and grain, cattle, oxen and donkeys , and later on, vineyards were planted.


While agricultural activities developed in the masia, it was not immune to historical events such as wars, epidemics and social changes. A number of wars against France between the 16th. and 19th. centuries left their imprint on the land. Likewise, trouble with Castilian and French soldiers, especially due to forced quartering and rationing, affected the Miro family. The Reapers' War and the War of Independence had considerable effects on the area, especially because the lords of the castle, the Marimon, were strong supporters of royal authority, frequently opposing the Catalan political institutions. Large oak forests like Can Miró's were felled to buid galleys and warships. Like the other farming families, the Mirós had to contribute financially to the construction of the new parochial church of Sant Martí of Cerdanyola.

Finally, the construction of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 1971 on the land of Can Miró brought about the final disappearance of the farmhouse, although the main eastern facade remains standing today as a testimony to the masia. It is in this restored and expanded building that The Graduate School is lodged today. Its first stone ceremony took place on October 28, 1997.

Text excerpts from the book by Cerdanyola historian Miquel Sánchez i González, Història del mas Miró, abans dit Noguera, unpublished, 2001.
Photos: Scenes from rural life in the 30's at the old masía can Miró.