Architecture sights in Barcelona
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Casa Batlló
One of the strangest residential buildings in Europe, this is Gaudí at his hallucinogenic best. The facade, sprinkled with bits of blue, mauve and green tiles and studded with wave-shaped window frames and balconies, rises to an uneven blue-tiled roof with a solitary tower.
It is one of the three houses on the block between Carrer del Consell de Cent and Carrer d’Aragó that gave it the playful name Manzana de la Discordia, meaning ‘Apple (Block) of Discord’. The others are Puig i Cadafalch’s Casa Amatller and Domènech i Montaner’s Casa Lleó Morera. They were all renovated between 1898 and 1906 and show how eclectic a ‘style’ Modernisme was.
Locals know…
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Palau de la Música Catalana
This concert hall is a high point of Barcelona’s Modernista architecture. It’s not exactly a symphony, but more a series of crescendos in tile, brick, sculpted stone and stained glass. Built by Domènech i Montaner between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeo Català musical society, it was conceived as a temple for the Catalan Renaixença (Renaissance).
The palace was built with the help of some of the best Catalan artisans of the time, in the cloister of the former Convent de Sant Francesc, and since 1990 it has undergone several major changes.
The palau, like a peacock, shows off much of its splendour on the outside. Take in the principal facade with its mosaics, floral…
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La Pedrera
This undulating beast is another madcap Gaudí masterpiece, built in 1905-10 as a combined apartment and office block. Formally called Casa Milà, after the businessman who commissioned it, it is better known as La Pedrera (the Quarry) because of its uneven grey stone facade, which ripples around the corner of Carrer de Provença.
Pere Milà had married the older and far richer Roser Guardiola, the wealthy widow of Josep Guardiola, and knew how to spend his new wife's money – Milà was one of the city’s first car owners and Gaudí built parking space into this building, itself a first. When commissioned to design this apartment building, Gaudí wanted to top anything else…
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Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau
Domènech i Montaner outdid himself as architect and philanthropist with this Modernista masterpiece, long considered one of the city’s most important hospitals. The complex, including 16 pavilions – together with the Palau de la Música Catalana, a joint World Heritage Site – is lavishly decorated and each pavilion is unique.
Domènech i Montaner wanted to create a unique environment that would also cheer up patients. Among artists who contributed statuary, ceramics and artwork was the prolific Eusebi Arnau. The hospital facilities have been transferred to a new complex on the premises, freeing up the century-old structures, which are being restored to their former…
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Palau del Baró Quadras
Puig i Cadafalch designed Palau del Baró Quadras (built 1902–06) in an exuberant Gothic-inspired style. The main facade is its most intriguing, with a soaring, glassed-in gallery. Take a closer look at the gargoyles and reliefs – the pair of toothy fish and the sword-wielding knight clearly have the same artistic signature as the architect behind Casa Amatller.
Decor inside is eclectic, but dominated by Middle Eastern and East Asian themes. The setting is appropriate for its occupant: Casa Asia is a cultural centre celebrating the relationship between Spain and the Asia-Pacific region. Visiting the varied temporary exhibitions (mostly on the 2nd floor) allows you…
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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
One of Puig i Cadafalch’s most striking bits of Modernista fantasy, Casa Amatller combines Gothic window frames with a stepped gable borrowed from Dutch urban architecture. But the busts and reliefs of dragons, knights and other characters dripping off the main facade are pure caprice.
The pillared foyer and 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 it will one day open partly to the public. Renovation due for completion in 2012 – though still continuing at the time of research – will see the 1st (main) floor converted into a…
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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. It is advisable to call ahead if you want to visit, as the building is sometimes closed to the public on weekends.
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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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Pavelló Mies van der Rohe
The Pavelló Mies van der Rohe is not only a work of breathtaking beauty and simplicity, it is a highly influential building emblematic of the modern movement. The structure has been the subject of many studies and interpretations, and it has inspired several generations of architects.
Designed in 1929 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) as the Pavelló Alemany (German Pavilion) for the World Exhibition, it was removed after the show and reconstructed only in 1980, after the building had been consistently referred to as one of the key works of modern architecture. The Pavelló was built using glass, steel and marble, reflecting Mies van der Rohe's originality in the…
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Xalet Golferichs
This quirky mansion is an oddity of another era on one of the city’s busiest boulevards. Its owner, businessman Macari Golferichs, wanted a Modernista villa and he got one. Brick, ceramics and timber are the main building elements of the house, which displays a distinctly Gothic flavour. It came close to demolition in the 1970s but was saved by the town hall and converted into a cultural centre. Opening times can vary depending on temporary exhibitions and other cultural activities.
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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 (neo) Romanesque, Gothic, Islamic and Mudéjar architecture is a caprice of the 19th century (built 1863–82). Wander into the main hall, up the grand staircase and around the various leafy cloisters, or take a stroll in the rear gardens.
On the 1st floor, the main hall for big occasions is the Mudéjar-style Paranimfo.
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Bellesguard
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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. Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró attended the art school that was housed in the Saló dels Cònsols from 1849.
These and five other halls were encased in a neoclassical shell in the 18th 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 it opens the doors to the public but the rooms are more generally hired out for events.
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Col.legi de les Teresianes
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Torre Agbar
Barcelona’s very own cucumber-shaped tower, Jean Nouvel’s luminous Torre Agbar (which houses the city water company’s headquarters) is the most daring addition to Barcelona’s skyline since the first towers of La Sagrada Família went up. Completed in 2005, it shimmers at night in shades of midnight blue and lipstick red. Unfortunately, you can only enter the foyer on the ground floor, frequently used to host temporary exhibitions on water-related topics.
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Pavellons Güell
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Ajuntament
The Ajuntament, otherwise known as the Casa de la Ciutat, has been the seat of power for centuries. The Consell de Cent (the city’s ruling council) first sat here in the 14th century, but the building has lamentably undergone many changes since the days of Barcelona’s Gothic-era splendour.
Only the original, now disused, entrance on Carrer de la Ciutat retains its Gothic ornament. The main 19th-century neoclassical facade on the square is a charmless riposte to the Palau de la Generalitat. Inside, the Saló de Cent is the hall in which the town council once held its plenary sessions. The broad vaulting is pure Catalan Gothic and the artesonado (Mudéjar wooden ceiling…
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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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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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