History of the Building

The building of the Foundation Casa de los Tres Mundos is called „Casa de los Leones" (House of the Lions) because there are two stone lions in the portal.

1524

Francisco Hernández de Córdoba founds the city of Granada.

1720

Construction of the Casa de Los Leones in a colonial style from the sixteenth century by the Montiel family, governing clan of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

1856

Only the stone portal of the Casa de los Leones is left intact when the city of Granada is destroyed by the fire set by William Walker.

1889

Reestablishment of the rest of the building and opening of the „Teatro Granada" in the Casa de los Leones.

1920

The house is destroyed once again and bought by the Cardenal family.

1924

The Casa´s new owner, Don Julio Cardenal Argüello, reconstructs the Casa and adds a neoclassical facade and a second floor. The building is used as: residence, grocery store, factory and toy workshop, and until 1987 as a private primary school.

1987

The Austrian actor Dietmar Schönherr and the Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal acquire the Casa de Los Leones from the heirs of Julio Cardenal, and create the Foundation Casa de los Tres Mundos. In the same year they start to restore the building to function as an International Cultural Center.

1992

Restoration of the main building and the first and second patio is completed. The restoration of the building was realized by means of almost forgotten traditional methods of construction. Today in this part of the "Casa" you can find the Municipal Archive, Offices, the Library and an apartment for artists, invited professors and volunteers.
The international culture center "The house of the three worlds" is inaugurated and given to the city with the condition of always being a cultural center.

1994

The needed area of the auditorium - a place for concerts and other public events - is finished.
Because of the increasing number of activities and workshops in the Casa and a growing need for space, the old court house of Granada is added to the Casa and is restored in a third period of construction. Today, there are studios, rooms for art-courses, and a printing workshop.

2006

On the occasion of his 80th birthday the face of the founder of the Foundation Casa de los Tres Mundos, Dietmar Schönherr, is laid in as a mosaic in the first patio.

The restoration works only were possible thanks to generous financial grants. That's why we want to thank especially the following public institutions:

• Ministry of foreign affairs of the federal government of Germany (funds for the conservation of monuments)

• Federal Government of Austria (North-South Institute)

• Swiss Government (COSUDE)

• Dutch Government (News Project)

• City of Granada