Institut Guttmann is a neurorehabilitation hospital, which was opened on 27 November 1965 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. It was the first hospital in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

dedicated to the rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries, introducing some of the techniques developed by

Ludwig Guttmann Sir Ludwig Guttmann (3 July 1899 – 18 March 1980) was a German-British neurologist who established the Stoke Mandeville Games, the sporting event for people with disabilities (PWD) that evolved in England into the Paralympic Games. A Jewish ...

a few years earlier into the country. Its first medical director was Dr. Miguel Sarrias Domingo, who was a student both of

Josep Trueta Josep Trueta i Raspall (27 October 1897 – 19 January 1977) was a Catalan surgeon and researcher from Spain. Biography Born in the Poblenou neighbourhood of Barcelona, Trueta came from a progressive minded family with medical and military bac ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and Ludwig Guttmann in

Stoke Mandeville Stoke Mandeville is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located three miles (5 km) from Aylesbury and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the market town of Wendover. Although a separate civil ...

. It has been situated in

Badalona Badalona (, , , ) is a municipality in Barcelonès county, in Catalonia (Spain). It is located to the north east of Barcelona, on the left bank of the Besòs River and on the Mediterranean Sea, in the Barcelona metropolitan area. By population, ...

since 2002, and is a reference hospital for medical-surgical treatment and rehabilitation of people affected by spinal cord injuries as well as people with brain damage and other disabilities with a neurological origin. The Institut Guttmann Foundation, named after the hospital, was founded in 1962 by Guillermo González Gilbey, who, after experiencing paraplegia following a traffic accident in 1958, was treated in

Stoke Mandeville Hospital Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital located on the parish borders of Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, England. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. It was established ...

by Dr Guttmann. Upon his return to Catalonia, he decided to promote the new hospital, along with other people. In 1995, the hospital was awarded the

Creu de Sant Jordi The Creu de Sant Jordi (, in English language, English 'St George's Cross') is one of the highest civil distinctions awarded in Catalonia (Spain), surpassed only in protocol by the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Gold Medal of the G ...

and in 2001 it received the Plaza Josep Trueta award. In 2015, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of its inauguration, it was awarded the

Medalla d'Honor del Parlament de Catalunya The Medalla d'Honor del Parlament de Catalunya is a civil honorary distinction awarded by the Parliament of Catalonia since 2000, recognising members of the Parliament and other people living in Catalonia for their careers and contributions to the ...

References

External links

official website
{{coord missing, Spain Hospitals in Barcelona Hospitals established in 1965 1965 establishments in Spain Buildings and structures in Badalona