What to during your Barcelona trip?
The colour, shapes, and the creativity of Antoni Gaudí’s work are incomparable. The overflowing imagination he applied to his buildings has made him an icon of architecture, recognisable all over the world. Barcelona is the epicentre of his work, the city where you can admire most of his buildings and monuments, which are emblematic and original. These are key monuments that you should visit in Barcelona, and you will be amazed by the talent of Gaudí, a revolutionary genius of universal architecture.
Sagrada Família
La Sagrada Família is probably Gaudí’s most famous building, for its architectural complexity and the impressive imagination that it reflected in every detail. A visit to the Sagrada Familia is an incredible experience of light and colour that you will never forget.
Gaudí wanted the Sagrada Família to be a unique place of worship in the world that would communicate the evangelical message through its special architecture inspired by nature, like a Bible set in stone.
The architect was aware that he would not see the completed construction of the Sagrada Família, and he left several plans of each part of his work. The hyperboloids, the branched columns or the helicoids of the spiral stairs shape Gaudí’s work with a distinct structure which are the symbol of the relation between sky and earth in the Sagrada Família.
Look up at the roof and let yourself be overwhelmed by this temple, where faith and art combined in a unique way.
Casa Batlló
You only need to go near the Caso Batlló to experience its impact: dozens of people admire and take photos of its colourful façade at any time of the day. Built between 1904 and 1906 on the most prestigious avenue of Barcelona, Casa Batlló is one of Gaudí’s most emblematic work. The Catalan architect created a façade with spectacular shapes that are made of stone and trencadís ceramic, symbolic and colourful elements, which are an allegory to nature.
The façade also evokes the legend of Sant Jordi, the patron of Catalonia and knight who beat the dragon to save the princess, a symbol of the victory of good over evil.
The inside is equally impressive, with wavy roofs and walls and rich ornamentation which transforms the building into one of the most modern of its time.
It is worth reading about it before going in order to appreciate each detail during the visit, since Casa Batlló is, in itself, a real architectural jewel of modernism that you can’t miss.
La Pedrera (Casa Milá)
Its twisted and wavy shape is a distinctive of Gaudí’s aesthetic and towers above one of Barcelona’s most central streets. La Pedrera was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984 and thousands of visitors have been able to admire this proof of Gaudí’s architectural talent since then.
To visit the inside of La Pedrera is to embark on an adventure back to life at the time it was built, thanks to the recreation of the furniture and rooms of the house, which can be visited during a sightseeing tour. In the attic of the building, you’ll find the Gaudí’s Space, which offers a large exhibition of his work with scale models, furniture, objects and audiovisual content.
Today La Pedrera has become a cultural centre which as well offering an excellent exhibition of modernism, also hosts top quality art exhibitions all year round. Discover La Pedrera in detail and enjoy your visit.
Park Güell
Park Güell’s trees and green areas pale into the background of structures and artistic details that Gaudí designed for this Barcelona park, which was first designed as a private urbanization and later converted into a public park.
Eusebi Güell, a friend and patron of the architect, asked Gaudí to build a complex for bourgeois families, in a luxurious environment with amazing sea and city views at that time. The architect designed some pavilions at the entrance of the site, a shelter for coaches, a huge stairway where there is the famous lizard statue, a temple, a huge square with a wavy bench and uncountable pathways made of stone. All of thesehave turned the Park Güell into a must-see attraction where you can admire Barcelona from a privileged spot.
Gaudí himself moved in one of the two houses, which is now the Casa Museo Gaudí, although 60 other houses were also supposed to be built. Many reasons explain why the project came to a hault, one of them is the First World War. Many years after the project stopped, the park was handed over to Barcelona’s council, which have which done many renovations to restore the original style at the time of Gaudí and Güell’s.
To enter the Park Güell is walk into a fantasy world worthy of an overflowing tale of imagination.
Palacio Güell
Despite being located in the old town of Barcelona, the Palacio Güell can be hard to find and is often left unnoticed since it is in a narrow street connected to Las Ramblas. This majestic building was at first a house for the entrepreneur Eusebi Güell, who would later become a great admirer of Gaudí’s work.
Palacio Güell was one of Antonio Gaudí first works, and he designing up to 25 different façades for the building, which stands out for an innovative conception of its space, illumination and use of materials.
Palacio Güell is the lively representation of the arts and crafts movement of that time, when the use of traditional materials was transformed in unique artistic marvels. In this context, Gaudí used stone, cast iron, wood, glasss and ceramic to create an innovative palace to match the avant garde expectations of his client. It is worth reading about Palacio Güell beforehand in order to appreciate every detail during your visit.
It is essential to see Palacio Güell in order to understand the work of the incredible architect and his relentless search for perfection.
If you want to fully enjoy the visit, it’s recommended to be informed before going to the sites you are interested in, so you will appreciate every detail and make your visit a great and unforgettable experience. Barcelona is a city like no other where you can discover modern architecture in its highest expression.
