Architecture sights in Barcelona
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Castell de Montjuïc
The forbidding Castell (castle or fort) de Montjuïc dominates the southeastern heights of Montjuïc and enjoys commanding views over the Mediterranean. It dates, in its present form, to the late 17th and 18th centuries. For most of its dark history, it has been used to watch over the city and as a political prison and killing ground. Anarchists were executed here around the end of the 19th century, fascists during the civil war and Republicans after it – most notoriously Lluís Companys in 1940. The castle is surrounded by a network of ditches and walls (from which its strategic position over the city and port become clear). Until 2009, the castle was home to a somewhat fus…
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Palau de la Virreina
The Palau de la Virreina is a grand 18th-century rococo mansion (with some neoclassical elements) housing an arts/entertainment information and ticket office run by the Ajuntament (town hall). Built by the then corrupt captain-general of Chile (a Spanish colony that included the Peruvian silver mines of Potosí), Manuel d’Amat i de Junyent, it is a rare example of such postbaroque building in Barcelona. In a series of exhibition rooms, including the bulk of the 1st floor, it houses the Centre de la Imatge, scene of rotating photo exhibitions; admission prices and opening hours vary.
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Casa Amatller
The Casa Amatller, done by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, has Gothic-style window frames, a stepped gable borrowed from the urban architecture of the Netherlands, and all sorts of unlikely sculptures and busts jutting out. The pillared foyer and the staircase lit by stained glass are like the inside of some romantic castle. The building was renovated in 1900 for the chocolate baron and philanthropist Antoni Amatller (1851–1910) and is partly open to the public. Renovation due for completion in 2012 will see the 1st (main) floor converted into a museum with period pieces.
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Palau Montaner
Interesting on the outside and made all the more enticing by its gardens, this creation by Domènech i Montaner is spectacular on the inside. Completed in 1896, its central feature is a grand staircase beneath a broad, ornamental skylight. The interior is laden with sculptures (some by Eusebi Arnau), mosaics and fine woodwork. Interior and exterior decoration depicts themes related to the printing industry. It is advisable to call ahead if you want to be sure to visit, as the building is sometimes closed to the public on weekends, too.
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Sant Cugat del Vallès
Marauding Muslims razed the one-time Roman encampment–turned–Visigothic monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès to the ground in the 8th century. What you see today is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic buildings. The lower floor of the cloister is a fine demonstration of Romanesque design and it’s the principal reason for coming. From the train station, head left along Avinguda d’Alfonso Sala Conde de Egara and turn right down Carrer de Ruis i Taulet, followed by a left into Carrer de Santiago Rusiñol, which leads to the monastery.
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Casa de l’Ardiaca
At the northern end of Carrer del Bisbe, poke your head into the courtyard of the 16th-century Casa de l’Ardiaca. On the outside of this building, at the end of Carrer del Bisbe, the foundations of the rounded towers that flanked a Roman gate are visible. The lower part of the Casa de l’Ardiaca’s northwest wall was part of the Roman walls, which ran along present-day Plaça de la Seu. Inside the building itself you can see parts of the wall.
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Universitat de Barcelona
Although a university was first set up on what is now La Rambla in the 16th century, the present, glorious mix of Romanesque, Gothic, Islamic and Mudéjar architecture is an eclectic caprice of the 19th century (built 1863–82). Wander into the main hall, up the grand staircase and around the various leafy cloisters. On the 1st floor, the main hall for big occasions is the Mudéjar-style Paranimfo. Take a stroll in the gardens out the back.
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Bellesguard
Gaudí fanatics might also want to reach Bellesguard, a private house he built in 1909 on the site of the ancient palace of the Catalan count-king Martí I. You can get a reasonable idea of the house peering in from the roadside. The castlelike appearance is reinforced by the heavy stonework, generous wrought iron and a tall spire. Gaudí also worked in some characteristically playful mosaic and colourful tiles.
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Casa Llotja de Mar
The centrepiece of the city’s medieval stock exchange (more affectionately known as La Llotja) is the fine Gothic Saló de Contractacions (Transaction Hall), built in the 14th century. The stock exchange was in action until well into the 20th century and the building remains in the hands of the city’s chamber of commerce. Occasionally they open their doors to the public but the rooms are more generally hired out for events.
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Colònia Güell
Apart from La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s last big project was the creation of a utopian textile workers’ complex, the Colònia Güell, built for his magnate patron Eusebi Güell outside Barcelona at Santa Coloma de Cervelló. Gaudí’s main role was to erect the colony’s church. Work began in 1908 but the idea fizzled eight years later and Gaudí only finished the crypt, which still serves as a working church.
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Col.legi de Les Teresianes
Gaudí, like any freelancer, was busy all over town. He added some personal touches in 1889 to the Col.legi de les Teresianes. Although you can see parts of the wing he designed (to the right through the entrance gate) from the outside, the most unique features are those hardest to see – the distinctive parabolic arches inside. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to visit the school.
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Església de les Saleses
A singular neo-Gothic effort, this church is interesting above all because of who built it. Raised in 1878–85 with an adjacent convent (badly damaged in the civil war and now a school), it was designed by Joan Martorell i Montells (1833–1906), Gaudí’s architecture professor. Indeed, the church offers some hints of what was to come with Modernisme, with his use of brick, mosaics and sober stained glass.
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Palau del Lloctinent
The southwest side of Plaça del Rei is taken up by the Palau del Lloctinent, built in the 1550s as the residence of the Spanish viceroy of Catalonia and now home to part of the Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragón. This unique archive houses documents, from the 12th century onwards, detailing the history of the Crown of Aragón and Catalonia. Some of them appear in temporary exhibitions.
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Pavellons Güell
Over by Avinguda de Pedralbes on the Palau Reial de Pedralbes grounds are the Gaudí-designed stables and porter’s lodge for the Finca Güell, as the Güell estate here was called. They were built in the mid-1880s, when Gaudí was strongly impressed by Islamic architecture. Outside visiting hours, there is nothing to stop you admiring Gaudí’s wrought-iron dragon gate from the outside.
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Parlament de Catalunya
Southeast, in La Ciutadella’s former arsenal, is the regional Parlament de Catalunya. Head up the sweeping Escala d’Honor (Stairway of Honour) and through several solemn halls to the Saló de Sessions, the semicircular auditorium where parliament sits. You can join free guided tours. It also opens on the first Friday of the month and on 11 and 12 September.
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Casa Lleó Morera
On the same block as Casa Battló is an utterly diff erent house by one of the senior figures of Modernista architecture: Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s Casa Lleó Morera, which is closed to the public. This house is swathed in art nouveau carving on the outside and has a bright, tiled lobby, in which floral motifs predominate.
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Casa Granell
The colourful Casa Granell, built between 1901 and 1903 by Jeroni Granell (1867–1931), is a peculiar building, with its serpentine lines (check out the roof) and gently curving decorative facade framing the rectangular windows. If you get the chance, take a peek inside the entrance and stairwell, both richly decorated.
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Església De Betlem
The early 18th-century Church of Jerusalem was once considered the most splendid of Barcelona's few baroque offerings. Its exterior still makes a powerful impression, but arsonists destroyed much of the inside at the outset of the civil war in 1936. In the run-up to Christmas, check out the pessebres (nativity scenes).
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Casa Macaya
Constructed in 1901, Puig i Cadafalch’s Casa Macaya has a wonderful courtyard and features the typical playful, pseudo-Gothic decoration that characterises many of the architect’s projects. It belongs to the La Caixa bank and is occasionally used for temporary exhibitions, when visitors are permitted to enter.
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Casa Llopis i Bofill
Built in 1902, Casa Llopis i Bofill is an interesting block of flats designed by Antoni Gallissà (1861–1903). The graffiti-covered facade is particularly striking to the visitor’s eye. The use of elaborate parabolic arches on the ground floor is a clear Modernista touch, as are the wrought-iron balconies.
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Casa Thomas
Completed in 1912, Casa Thomas was one of Domènech i Montaner’s earlier efforts – the ceramic details are a trademark and the massive ground-level wrought-iron decoration (and protection?) is magnificent. Wander inside to the Cubiña design store to admire his interior work.
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Cases Cabot
Josep Vilaseca (1848–1910) was one of many architects working in Modernista Barcelona whose names have not come down to us as stars. His two contiguous Cases Cabot, built in 1901–04, are quite different from one another. The doorway of the house at Nos 8–10 has particularly fine decoration.
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Casa Sayrach
It’s worth walking two blocks west of Casa Serra to see Casa Sayrach, built in 1915–18 by Manuel Sayrach (1886–1937). One of the last Modernista buildings, it’s home to a chic restaurant and vaguely resembles La Pedrera. While not as nutty as Gaudí’s efforts, the stone facade is all curves.
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Centre d'Interpretació
Just inside the main entrance on Carrer d'Olot, visit the park's Centre d'Interpretació in the Pavellóde Consergeria, the typically curvaceous, Gaudían former porter's home that hosts a display on Gaudí's building methods and the history of the park.
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Casa Mulleras
In among the big three of the Manzana de la Discordia, Casa Mulleras, built in 1906 by Enric Sagnier (1858–1931), is a relatively demure contribution. The facade transmits a restrained classicism, but it’s not devoid of light floral decoration and a fine gallery.
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