Catalan modernisme was the artistic movement that transformed Barcelona between about 1888 and 1911. The bourgeoisie, enriched by the textile industry, wanted houses, mansions and institutions expressing wealth, modernity and Catalan pride, and found brilliant architects who blended Gothic, Islamic art and natural forms with the latest techniques, iron, glass and ceramics. It is part of the Barcelona guide.
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí was born in 1852 near Reus, the son of a coppersmith, and studied architecture in Barcelona. His great patron was industrialist Eusebi Güell. Deeply religious and an obsessive observer of nature, Gaudí invented a unique language: parabolic arches, leaning columns, undulating surfaces, broken-tile mosaics (trencadís). Seven of his works are UNESCO World Heritage. Besides the Sagrada Família, here are the main ones.
Park Güell
Conceived as a garden city for wealthy families on Carmel hill (1900-1914), it was a commercial failure: only two houses were sold. Today it is a public park with a paid monumental zone: the staircase with the famous mosaic dragon (the salamander), the hypostyle hall of 86 Doric columns, the great terrace with its undulating trencadís bench and city views, and the gatekeeper's lodges straight out of a fairy tale. The park also holds the Gaudí House Museum, where the architect lived for twenty years. Reach it by bus or on foot from Lesseps or Vallcarca metro, uphill.
Casa Batlló
On the Passeig de Gràcia, Casa Batlló (1904-1906) is the remodelling of an existing building: the shimmering mosaic façade recalls the sea or a carpet of water lilies, the balconies look like masks or skulls, and the roof is the back of a dragon pierced by St George's cross. Inside no line is straight: the staircase resembles an animal's spine, and the light well shifts from deep blue to white to spread the light. Visits are with audio guide and augmented reality.
Casa Milà, La Pedrera
A little further up, at the corner of calle de Provença, Casa Milà (1906-1912), nicknamed La Pedrera, the stone quarry, for its undulating cliff-like façade. It has no load-bearing walls: the structure rests on columns, so apartments can be freely reshaped. The roof with its warrior-shaped chimneys is one of Barcelona's most spectacular spots; you also see the attic with its parabolic arches and a period apartment. In summer there are evening visits.
Palau Güell, Casa Vicens and the Güell Crypt
- Palau Güell (1886-1890), in the Raval steps from the Rambla, the Güell family residence, with a central hall under a perforated dome like a starry sky and a roof of colourful chimneys.
- Casa Vicens (1883-1885), in Gràcia, Gaudí's first house, with Moorish influences and flowered tiles.
- The Colonia Güell Crypt, in Santa Coloma de Cervelló outside the city, a testing ground for the structural solutions later used in the Sagrada Família.
The other masters
- Lluís Domènech i Montaner designed the Palau de la Música Catalana (1905-1908) in La Ribera, a concert hall with a stained-glass skylight like an inverted sun, UNESCO-listed, to visit or, better, to experience at a concert; and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, a hospital-city of decorated pavilions, gardens and underground tunnels, also UNESCO-listed.
- Josep Puig i Cadafalch designed Casa Amatller, next to Casa Batlló, with its stepped Flemish gable, and the Casa de les Punxes on avinguda Diagonal.
The stretch of Passeig de Gràcia between calle del Consell de Cent and calle d'Aragó, where Domènech's Casa Lleó Morera, Casa Amatller and Casa Batlló stand side by side, is called the Block of Discord for the three architects' contest of styles. See the Eixample.
A one-day route
Morning at the Sagrada Família (booked for 9am), then walk along avinguda de Gaudí to the Hospital de Sant Pau; lunch in Gràcia; Park Güell in the afternoon; Casa Batlló or the Pedrera roof at sunset; in the evening a concert at the Palau de la Música.
Tips
- All the houses and Park Güell require online booking with a time slot: in high season tickets sell out days ahead.
- Gaudí house tickets are expensive: choose one or two to visit inside and admire the others from outside.
- The city's Ruta del Modernisme marks over a hundred modernista buildings with a red tile on the pavement.
See also what to see in Barcelona.