Puig i Cadalfach's building is also known as the Casa de les Punxes (House of Spikes), because of its sharply pointed gables and towers. Built between 1903 and 1905, its clearly modernist style is most evident in the floral sculptures on the façade, the use of red brick and in some of its Central European Gothic features. It was completely renovated at the end of the 1980s, but remains closed to public.
Start at Plaça Francesc Macià, with a branch of El Corte Inglés, a quality department store that has become a national institution. Just next door is Pedralbes Centre, an exclusive shopping mall with brand-name shops, shoes stores, a jeweller's, perfumeries and high-quality accessories, as well as shops such as Pepa Paper and Items d'Ho, which sell arts, crafts and plenty of great gifts. Further down stands L'Illa del Diagonal, a huge shopping mall with an entire floor dedicated to gastronomic delicacies. As well as numerous shops, the avant-garde building houses a hotel, offices and several restaurants - Moncho's seafood cocktails are a favourite amongst their business clients. Head down to Les Glòries roundabout for Centre de Les Glòries, the largest in the city, popular with barcelonians, who appreciate the wide range of goods and affordable prices, not to mention the free parking.
Gaudí began this utterly surreal temple in 1882 and it still has not been completed. It was originally intended to be a modest, neo-Gothic church, but it has become the most famous building in Barcelona. Gaudí broke away from the reigning neo-Gothic style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and imbued every element of the Sagrada Família with symbolic meaning. Turtles form the base of columns (the Chinese symbol of order within chaos) and the capitals are palm trees. The most outstanding feature of this building is its baroque style, plus the mixture of colors and the diversity of materials used (plaster, ceramics, mosaic, iron and many types of stone).
Part of the Illa de la Discòrdia (Block of Discord), Lluís Domènech i Muntaner's design displays a spectacular use of mosaic as well as stained-glass windows by Lluís Rigalt and sculptures by Eusebi Arnau. These decorative elements reflect Hellenistic, Gothic and Renaissance influences, especially the stained-glass windows. Built between 1902 and 1906, it stands in the same residential block as two other outstanding modernist buildings created by different architects in hugely different styles, hence the collective name - Block of Discord.
This historic restaurant opened in 1897. It was the favourite haunt of avant-garde artists and intellectuals in the early 1900s. It is said that Picasso used to hang out here too. The menu ranges from tapas and sandwiches at the bar and elaborate and expensive meals available in the restaurant. The establishment has its own newspaper with articles about the art of cooking as well as the plastic arts. The authentic modernist-style interior and the live piano music combine to create a great atmosphere.
This pretty little restaurant in Dreta Eixample will serve you some exquisite Catalan delicacies for surprisingly low prices. You will love to taste their Spanish regulars like gazpachos and carpaccios but if you wish to try out something new, L'Hostal will surely not disappoint you. However, it's not always easy to get a table as they do not take reservations, and you might even have to queue up, but then it's worth the wait.
Built between 1910 and 1914 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gaudí's original aim in this 20-hectare park was to create a harmonious combination of urban and natural landscapes by building houses, gardens and public institutions, but the project was never completed. However, you do get to see a great mixture of architectural styles. For instance, the columns of the Sala de las Cien Columnas (Hall of the Hundred Columns) are purely classical, while the balcony they support is an example of romantic style; plus it's covered in colored mosaic tiles.
Templo Expiatorio of the Sagrada Família is the unfinished and most expensive project by Antoni Gaudí, the great architect. This unique exhibit includes plans, drawings, photographs and models related to the construction of the temple, and pieces made from wrought iron, bronze and wood as well. Visitors can also see how the temple was devised and its origins. The museum is located in the crypt of the basilica and you enter from the side of the Passió façade (Carrer Sardenya). There is also a lift that takes visitors to one of the towers, from which there is an excellent view over this unfinished though magnificent construction.
A stop by this monumental edifice will spice up any walking tour of Barcelona. Located just off the Avinguda Diagonal, this towering architectural achievement, replete with swooping lines and ever-fantastical adornments, is a post-modern futurist gingerbread house come to life.
Plaça Catalunya once stood outside the city walls, between what is now Eixample and Ciutat Vella (Old City). It's an enormous square (50000 square meters), surrounded by huge buildings that house the headquarters of banks and other large companies. You'll find two outstanding sculptures here: Josep Clarà's La Divinidad and Pablo Gargallo's Pastor tocando el caramillo. If you're not a fan of pigeons, steer clear.
Antoni Gaudí, the architect who built this jewel of Catalan modernism, wanted the façade to reflect his romantic and anti-classical ideas about design. It was built for the Milà family between 1906 and 1910. Neither the family nor the public were much impressed, and it was dubbed La Pedrera (stone quarry) as an insult. Only later in 1984, it won great acclaim when the UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. Now internationally celebrated, Casa Mila is a prime example of Gaudi's civil architecture; a real example of form following function that is aesthetically appealing as well as outstandingly practical.
This charming 19th-century square is just off the Ramblas and Carrer Ferran. It was the site of a Capuchin convent that was demolished in 1835 when Barcelona underwent a period of urban renewal. Architect Francesc Daniel Molina was put in charge of filling the vacant space. Plaça Reial has undergone a number of renovations since then. The street lamps in the shape of trees were designed by Antoni Gaudí. The Las Tres Gracias fountain in the center dates from the end of the 19th century. Now Plaça Reial is a meeting point for young people on their way to and from the nearby clubs and bars.
To cope with the exponential expansion outside the city's medieval walls, Ildefons Cerdà developed a new city plan in 1850: a grid structure of vertical and horizontal streets that formed squares when they crossed. Cerdà wanted to build residential accommodation in these square blocks and have communal yards in the middle with gardens where children could play. This part of the plan was sadly never accomplished, but the original design gives the blocks plenty of light. L'Eixample was built between 1860 and 1920, coinciding with the boom in Modernist architecture that is well represented here. The district is divided between the Dreta de L'Eixample (The Right) and the Esquerra de L'Eixample (The Left).
Casa Batlló is one of the masterpieces by the world-renowned architect Antoni Gaudi. A mosaic of different architectural styles, colored glass and designs with a history going back to 1875, it is a culture aficionado's delight. Tour the intriguing interiors of the beautiful 20th century home of the Batlló family—the dragon—like structure has magical rooms like the elegant Piano Nobile, the sky—lit coach house, and more. The Casa is available as a magnificent venue for special events, gatherings and conferences. Don't miss your chance to explore this heritage structure, seemingly straight out of a psychedelic fairy tale. Check the website for details.
Built between 1898 and 1900 by the modernist architect Puig i Cadafalch, this structure together with Casa Lleó Morera and Casa Batlló, is a part of the Illa de la Discòrdia (Block of Discord). These three modernist buildings, the designs of which clash radically, hold great architectural and aesthetic value. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed inside, but the view from the street is still impressive. Casa Ametller's design has Central European Gothic influences, which is particularly evident in the pyramid-shaped roof; a touch of Catalan Gothic style in visible in the window arches, but on the whole, it's clearly a modernist design.
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