Menu
No trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to La Sagrada Familia. This still unfinished church is the most unconventional place of worship in Europe. The brainchild of the local architect Antoni Gaudi is the main calling card for the art movement that reigned supreme between 1880 and 1910 as Catalan Modernism. In this variation on Art Nouveau, Gaudi gave free rein to all his fantasies when designing La Sagrada Familia. Characteristics of Modernism such as individualism, nature, daring shapes and an adventurous combination of seemingly contradictory materials are all reflected in the design of the church. Since Gaudi also did not shy away from borrowing from earlier medieval architectural movements, this resulted in a building with an almost fairytale appearance. To comprehend it all and to fathom the details, the visitor falls short. It is not surprising that La Sagrada Familia is the most visited monument in Spain.
The frivolous ideas of Gaudi, and many of his contemporaries, are visible almost everywhere in Barcelona. Six of his projects in the city have been placed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. One of these was the park Guell. During a walk through the park, everyone will regularly be amazed and amazed at Gaudi's frivolous hunches. His ceramic giant salamander on a staircase railing, the serpentine bench that winds longitudinally, the leaning columns that support a plateau and the bird nests in a wall are all examples of both a love for nature and a constant search for new forms of expression.
If you take a look at the four other buildings on Unesco's list, you will experience at least two things. Gaudi's innovative and daring ideas are one thing. But just as striking is the world of difference in the four buildings. Casa Vicens is the first house he designed. The mix of materials and Oriental elements are typical of this building. With the Palau Guell he experiments with bizarre ironwork. The Casa Mila is one of his most striking designs. The undulating stone facade and twisted wrought-iron balconies were a powerful statement that Gaudi did not want to elaborate on any particular visual idea. Perhaps this is most evident in the Casa Battlo in the center of Barcelona, nicknamed the 'house of bones'. The facade looks like an internal skeleton and has an organic quality. The colors, curves, oddly shaped glass and mosaics all contribute to a building that is completely unique in the world.
But even take a look in Barcelona and enjoy Gaudi's wonderful world. As a foretaste, here are some pictures.
