The Mathematics Academy of Barcelona was the school where military engineers were trained for more than a century.
It was created in 1720 in Barcelona at the end of the War of Succession that brought the fall of the Catalan capital in 1714 at the hands of Philip V’s troops.
Although it was not an institution of great prestige, it was not very popular.
However, since 2016 and still in force, there is an exhibition entitled Engineers, Soldiers and Sages that recalls the Academy. The exhibition is at the headquarters of the military government.
300 years of history of the Barcelona Academy of Mathematics
The Mathematics Academy was a benchmark of the time, as it trained military engineers who were part of the construction of public works and urban planning of cities and neighborhoods.
The best example is Barceloneta, which was conceived in a layout of perpendicular streets and numbered islands in the military style.
There, state-of-the-art information was taught under a model inspired by the military engineering school in Brussels.
The main promoter of this educational initiative was Prospero de Verboom, Philip V’s engineer of reference.
In addition to the military, the Academy also had civilian students who also received a very complete training.
The subjects they received were arithmetic, geometry, algebra, physics, trigonometry, mechanics, hydraulics, artillery, military and civil architecture, astronomy, optics, geography and nautical science.
They were so demanding that not only was it enough to pass the courses, but at the end of their studies the students had to take a selection exam, which was passed by only 10 out of every 60 students who took it.
The building
The school itself was created by the victors of the war and a large part of its work was to build military complexes for defense against external aggression, but also to exercise internal repression.
It initially operated in 1720 in a building in the Ciutadella. By 1752 it was moved to Sant Agustí Vell, a former convent that was damaged in the fighting of 1714 and was rebuilt to house the school at the time.
It remained there until 1803 when it was dissolved with the creation of the Military Academy of Zamora and the Academy of Engineers of Alcalá de Henares.
An exhibition still in force
At present, the Military Government’s exhibition tells in detail about the work of the Academy of Mathematics and, of course, the work of military engineering.
Although it has not been a highly publicized exhibition, with only a few banners on the facade of the building, it has been visited.
In fact, despite two years of pandemic restrictions, the exhibition has so far received more than 144,000 visitors.
If you want to see it you can still do it. It is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm.
