Gaudi's work is admired by architects around the World
as being one of the most unique and distinctive styles.
His work has greatly influenced the face of Barcelona
Architecture and you will see Gaudi's work all over
the city.
Antoni Gaudi was born in Reus in 1852 and received his
Architectural degree in 1878.
From the very beginning his designs were different from
those of his contemporaries.
Gaudi's work was greatly influenced by forms of nature
and this is reflected by the use of curved construction
stones, twisted iron sculptures, and organic-like forms
which are traits of Gaudi's Barcelona architecture.
Gaudi also adorned many of his buildings with coloured
tiles arranged in mosaic patterns. This added another
important dimension to his buildings which is so often
overlooked by architects – the use of colour.
The combination of original design, interesting shaped
stonework, and vibrant colours in Gaudi's work give
the viewer a truly breathtaking visual experience.
La Sagrada Familia is one of Gaudi's
most famous works in Barcelona. It is a giant gothic-style
cathedral that has been under construction since 1882
(that's not a typing error!) and it's not expected to
be completed for another 80 years!
When you visit the building you will see the contrast
in the stone colour between the front and back of the
building. Also the actual style of construction appears
somewhat different between the new and old parts of
the building.
Park Guell was commissioned by Eusebi
Güell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona
aristocracy.
Guell park contains amazing stone structures (see below),
stunning tiling and fascinating buildings. You can see
from this picture the Gaudi dragon fountain that is
at the entrance to Guell park. This dragon is adorned
in beautiful coloured tiling and there is something
rather hypnotic and magical about it.
Casa Batllo is one of the two great
buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi on Passeig de Gracia,
the other being La Pedrera
From the outside the façade of Casa Batllo looks
like it has been made from sculls and bones. The "Skulls"
are in fact balconies and the "bones" are
supporting pillars.
Gaudi used colours and shapes found in marine life as
inspiration for his creativity in this building e.g.
the colours chosen for the façade are those found
in natural coral.
The building was designed by Gaudi for Josep Batlló,
a wealthy aristocrat, as an upmarket home. Senor Batlló
lived in the lower two floors with his family and the
upper floors were rented out as apartments.
La Sagrada Familia
Address: Baixada Monestir, 9, 08034, Barcelona
Opening hours 09:00-18:00 (Oct-Mar) 09:00-20:00 (Apr-Sep)
Admission : 8 €
Disabled Access: Yes
Metro: Sagrada Familia (Blue and Purple lines)
Park Guell
Metro stop “Lesseps” Green line.
On leaving the metro follow the street signposts for
the park
Open hours form 10 am (closing time varies for different
times of year but is normally around 7pm).
Entrance Fee - Free
Casa Batllo
Address No.43 Passeig de Gràcia (5 min's
walk from the metro stop)
Metro "Passeig de Gràcia" – Green
line.
Entrance Fee - 8 Euros / Audio guide an additional 2
Euros
Opening hours 10:30am onwards but closing times vary
for the time of year and day of the week. Check with
the Placa de Catalunya tourist office for operating
hours.
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