25 DEC 2020 · The Torres Bellesguard or Casa Figueras is located at calle Bellesguard 16-20, and was designed by Antonio Gaudí and built on the ruins of an old medieval castle from the 15th century. It was the residence of the King of Aragon, Martin the Humane. This is why it still retains part of this original structure, and also why the building has some straight forms – highly unusual in Gaudí’s works.With the Torre Bellesguard, Gaudí would try out some new decorative procedures, such as using the stone mosaic technique to achieve a padding effect in the texture of the building’s walls. For this technique, Gaudí used small stones from the place, which he put in square or octagonal plaster molds, adding mortar on top. When the pieces were extracted, the stone faced outwards. Gaudí first used this technique at the Güell Palace, and again for Güell Park. The most eye-catching feature of the façade is the attic with brick arches and the tower crowned by an equal armed cross, typical of Gaudí. The attic is a real extravagance of imagination and effective construction, because simply by employing these brick arches edgewise, it creates the unnecessary use of beams or another type of parietal support. The Bellesguard Tower is currently private property and belongs to the Guilera family, which continues to live in part of the house. Photo BellesguardI by GerthMichael is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

25 DEC 2020 · Güell Park takes its name from Eusebi Güell, a rich Catalan businessman who, as we already saw on our first stop at the Güell Palace, commissioned many of Gaudí’s works. On this occasion, Güell and Gaudí conceived a garden dwelling design in an English style, within an upper class estate intended for the Catalan bourgeoisie. However, the project was a complete failure commercially and, although work in the common zones of the estate continued until the beginning of the First World War, Gaudí’s heirs sold the park to Barcelona City Council following the death of Eusebi Güell. Güell Park falls within the finest works of Gaudí’s naturalist phase, meaning we can see an extensive mix of elements inspired by nature, adding a great degree of creative liberty in its forms and imaginative creation in its decoration. The park’s structure is divided into: the main entrance, the dragon and the staircase, the Plaza de la Naturaleza (Nature Plaza), the Viaducto de las Jardineras (Gardeners’ Viaduct), the Viaducto del Algarrobo (Carob Viaduct), the Viaducto del Museo (Museum Viaduct) and the Gaudí Museum. The main entrance to the park consists of an iron door, two pavilions, a store, a shelter for carriages and a main staircase, which has become a symbol of Barcelona and is home to the sculpture of the lizard, which is often confused with a dragon. This staircase leads to the Hypostyle Room or the Room of the Hundred Columns, designed to function as a market for the residential neighborhood, although it doesn’t currently have any function. Above this porch is a plaza bordered by a Gaudí-style bench, which is in the form of a snake and covered by tiles. The views of Barcelona from here are excellent. Gaudí created viaducts that were sufficiently wide to allow carriages to cross the park. The Gardeners’ Viaduct is in the Roman style; the Carob Viaduct is in the Baroque style with wave-like columns; and the Museum Viaduct is in the Gothic style. Lastly, the Gaudí Museum-House was the architect’s residence up until a few months before his death, and was built as a sample house for the estate. The residence contains a significant collection of furniture designed by Gaudí, and diverse objects and works of some of his associates. Photo Parc Güell (Barcelona) - 58 by Angela Llop is licensed under  CC BY-SA 2.0

25 DEC 2020 · Casa Vicens is located at calle Carolines 24, in the Gracia neighborhood. This was the young Gaudí’s first major work. The building has an oriental and Mudejar feel, and stands out due to the excessive decoration that covers the façade with spectacular green and white tiles, which may be explained by the fact the owner was a tile manufacturer. Gaudí designed these stamped tiles that mix with the red brick by drawing inspiration from the damascene flowers embellishing the gardens of the property, which began a naturalist phase which the architect would use as a reference for the nature-based design. The decoration of these tiles gives the house a unique air and a strong sense of color, which draws comparisons with Arab constructions. In addition to the Mudejar style, Indian and Japanese influences are also present, such as the staggered angles to prevent classic rigidity. The house is crowned with chimneys and towers in the form of temples. The exterior also boasts a magnificent iron fence with floral motifs, a quintessential feature of Gaudí’s works, who designed the fence using clay models from the garden’s eye-catching palm leaves. Casa Vicens has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is currently owned by the Andorran bank MoraBanc, which plans to turn the property into a house-museum and open it to the public after redevelopment. Photo Casa Vicens (Barcelona) - 3 by jorapa is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

25 DEC 2020 · Tickets for Sagrada Familia: Priority EntranceThe Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada (Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) is Antonio Gaudí’s most important work, to which he dedicated the last fifteen years of his life entirely. It is also the most visited monument in Spain. The construction of this Basilica began at the end of the 19th century, and work still, as of 2014, continues. The main reason is that the construction is an expiatory church, meaning that it is built from donations. This makes it difficult to set a completion date for the Sagrada Familia. Of its current appearance, Gaudí only managed to build the Nativity façade and the crypt, but the architect was well aware that he would not finish the whole temple project, and therefore organized the construction so that it could be completed following his ideas. Among the most striking features of the exterior of this temple are its façades, which are given the names of the Nativity Façade, the Passion Façade and the Glory Façade, and the towers with their pinnacles. The Nativity Façade faces the northeast and is dedicated to the birth of Christ, It features lush decoration where all of its elements evoke life. It is divided into three porticos in honor of the theological virtues of Hope, which is the biggest of the three porticos dedicated to Jesus, on the left-hand side; Faith, located to the right and dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and finally Charity, located in the center and dedicated to Saint Joseph. This façade also includes the Door of Jesus and is finished with the Tree of Life.Photo Sagrada Familia 01 by Bernard Gagnon is licensed under  CC BY-SA 3.0

25 DEC 2020 · Casa Macaya is located at Paseo de San Juan, number 108. This is a fantastic Modernist building by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, commissioned by the industrialist Román Macaya Gibert. However, due to its location, a little out of the Modernist epicenter of Paseo de Gracia, tourists often miss this building. As we have seen, Puig i Cadafalch undertook a range of residential works for the established Catalan bourgeoisie of traders and industrialists. All of these projects fall within the dominant style of the time: Modernism. The façade of the Casa Macaya is decorated in a similar manner to medieval palaces, with white stucco, which contrasted with the stone frames that project slightly and the russet tones of the sgraffito. However, despite this austerity in the white stucco façades, Casa Macaya does not lack Modernist elements, which are particularly noticeable in the embellishments of the continuous balcony, the exterior staircase with its lavish decoration, the various floral and allegorical motifs, classic and Arab elements in columns and capitals, sgraffito, wrought works in windows and balconies, and a small gallery. In the capital on the left side of the main entrance, we can see the figure of a cyclist – a detail by the sculptor in honor of Puig i Cadafalch, who was working on the construction of Casa Amatller at the time and traveled between the two works (from Paseo de Gracia to Paseo de San Juan) on a bicycle. The vestibule and the indoor patio can be visited, where you can admire a marvelous set of details and the staircase accessing the main floor. After being used as a prison during the Civil War and suffering considerable damage, the Casa Macaya was acquired by La Caixa and converted into a Cultural Center for art exhibitions. Photo Casa Macaya (Barcelona) - 1 by Jaume Meneses is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

25 DEC 2020 · As we continue along Avenida Diagonal, at number 442 we find Casa Comalat, one of the most original examples of Modernism in Barcelona, by the architect Salvador Valeri i Pupurull, which features many elements of Gaudí’s architecture. Casa Comalat is a building made up of two different façades. These share a common formal feature: the Gaudí-esque curve that is reminiscent of the Casa Battló. The main façade, which faces Avenida Diagonal, has a more formal and symmetric air. Its key elements are the central gallery, finished in pinnacle form; the curved balconies with wrought iron railings, and the chiseled opening of the upper part of the façade with detailed floral décor. The whole is crowned by a tower shaped like a Harlequin hat coated with green stained glass ceramics. However, the part facing calle Córcega is entirely covered with polychrome-ceramic decoration that extends over the whole façade, with undulating forms and wooden galleries closed by blinds. Continuing along Avenida Diagonal, we reach number 373, the location of Palau Quadras or Palacio del Barón de Quadras (Palace of the Baron of Quadras), another Modernist building designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Like the previous stop, this is a construction with two façades displaying completely different styles. One façade is a Neo-Gothic palace, and the other a Modernist apartment block. If we look at the house from Avenida Diagonal, it recalls the Gothic palaces of northern Europe, with a Neo-Plateresque style that adds a noble air to the construction. The most striking thing about this façade is certainly its gallery, which features eye-catching sculptures in the form of busts of medieval or Renaissance figures, flowers, Heraldic coats of arms, and in the left corner, Saint George fighting a dragon. In contrast, the façade on calle Rosselló preserves elements of the old building and is decorated in the Modernist style. The palace is currently the headquarters of the Casa Asia (Asia House). Lastly, at Avenida Diagonal number 416, we see the Casa de les Punxes (House of the Spikes) in the form of a medieval Gothic castle, and also a work of Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The brick-built façade is eye-catching due to the reliefs sculpted in stone with floral designs on its galleries and balconies, and the ceramic panels in the upper part of the building with clear references to patriotic symbols of Catalonia. The house culminates in four conical towers with a pointed spike, which is where the name comes from, although it is also known as Casa Terrades (Terrades House). Photo Salvador.Valeri.i.Pupurull.Casa Comalat.Back.Detail.2.Barcelona by Yearofthedragon is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

25 DEC 2020 · Casa Milà, widely known as La Pedrera, is a unique building. It was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century by the architect Antonio Gaudí after receiving a commission from a Catalan businessman. It was originally intended to be a family residence and rental apartments, although is currently the headquarters of the Catalonia Foundation-La Pedrera, and home to an important cultural center of reference in Barcelona. La Pedrera has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Casa Milà reflects the architect’s great artistry, and is part of his naturalist phase, during which he perfected his personal style, being influenced by nature’s organic forms. We therefore see how the three façades of Casa Milà display a continuity of form and style that, due to the sinuous and winding shape, look like a rock molded by sea waves. This is believed to be the origin of the nickname La Pedrera (The Quarry), although there are several symbolic interpretations concerning the forms of this house. The inward and outward aspects of the façade give the overall building a dynamic feel, creating the sensation of moving, while producing an attractive effect with constantly changing light and shadow, depending on the time of day or the position of the viewer. The balconies are noteworthy due to their algae-like wrought iron railings. If we look at the top of the building, we can see that it is crowned by a terrace where Gaudí put the stairwell exits, chimney and the ventilation towers. Due to their original forms and innovative designs, these create a genuine garden of outdoor sculptures. As a structural feature, it is worth noting that, in La Pedrera, there are no load-bearing walls. The building is supported by pillars and metal beams that form a framework over which the vaults have been built. This structure means that the partitions don’t bear loads and can therefore be positioned wherever desired. Photo Milà 28-2-12 by Canaan is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

25 DEC 2020 · At number 278, calle Mallorca, we find Palau Montaner, another of the modernist works of the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The owner of the Montaner i Simón Publishing House, and the uncle of the architect, commissioned Domènech to construct this palace in the Italian style. The whole upper part of the building is decorated with large canvases of stained glass mosaics, representing the invention of the printing press through a large frieze below the overhang, where a stone eagle appears dislaying the date when the building was completed. The building is currently the headquarters of the Delegation of the Central Government in Barcelona. Moving along calle Mallorca, to number 293, we see another Modernist building constructed by the same architect, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, called Casa Thomas. The author gave the façade a highly decorated pure Modernist style. On this façade, with Neo-Gothic symbols, we can clearly identify the architect’s style through the use of the blue tones in the decorations, with a markedly floral theme, and reptile figures in the main vestibule. If you have a chance to visit this vestibule, you’ll see it’s an ornamental jewel decorated with plants, with a stunning wrought iron staircase. Photo Palau Montaner P1370297 by Pere López is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

25 DEC 2020 · The group of buildings made up of Casa Lleó Morera, Casa Amatller and Casa Batlló form part of the Manzana de la Discordia (‘Block or Apple of Discord’) due the to different styles of these three exceptional buildings. The first of these, Casa Lleó i Morera, was commissioned by Francesca Morera I Ortiz at the beginning of the 20th century. The architect, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, redesigned the previous building to create a genuine modernist work. In fact, the architect himself described it as “a family-scale Palau de la Música”. If we look at the façade, we see continuous allusions to the family’s surname, representing the mulberry (‘morera’) flower with different materials, and several allegories to 20th century inventions. The façade is crowned with an eye-catching shrine that adds a degree of originality to the building. However, the modernist features are clearest inside the residence, where visitors can admire the best preserved suites in the city, filled with stained glass, mosaics, ceramics, sculpture, wood, marble and sgraffito. The vestibule and staircase display the different modernist art forms that the artists and artisans involved in this construction were able to capture perfectly under the guidance of Domènech i Montaner. Photo Casa Amatller and Casa Batlló by Bernard Gagnon is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

25 DEC 2020 · Casa Calvet, located on calle Casp, is another example of a modernist building by Gaudí. Casa Calvet was originally built as a home and office space for the textile manufacturer Pere Calvet. It is the first and most conventional of the three houses that Gaudí designed in the Eixample of Barcelona. In fact, many experts on Gaudí consider Casa Calvet to be his most conservative work, because in terms of symmetry, balance and order, it is not characteristic of his work. This may be because, on the one hand, Gaudí had to fit the building in among the older, nearby buildings, and on the other, consider that the work would be located in an elegant neighborhood. Photo Casa Calvet by Canaan is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0