Barcelona is the cradle of the architectural genius Antoni Gaudi. Architectural style of Antonio Gaudi

After the capital, Madrid, has many attractions to surprise and captivate tourists. Among the huge number of architectural advantages, perhaps the most popular are palaces and buildings of Barcelona are the creations of the great architect Antonio Gaudi.

In his youth, he was a real “dandy” fashionista who loved an uninhibited lifestyle. After forty years, Gaudi became the complete opposite - a true Catholic, led an almost monastic lifestyle, and adhered to strict fasts.

It is difficult to understand the brilliant architect, but everyone admires his creations. Gaudi's works are not subject to any templates; each building is special, unique and, to a certain extent, mystical. Almost all of the architect's works are under UNESCO protection and make a worthy contribution to the architectural appearance.

Casa Vicens

This is the first pompous structure in Gaudí's architectural collection. Even then, the young architect demonstrated his originality and unique style, turning an ordinary private villa into a work of art. The house was built by order of Manuel Vicens. The architect's creation is classified as early modern. However, the Spanish-Arab Mudejar style is visible in the concept and decorative solutions, in particular in the upper part of the structure. The facades are decorated with various decorative elements, turrets, bay windows, balconies, striking with their beauty even from afar. The exterior of the building is complemented by the original grilles of gates, windows and balconies designed by Gaudí.

No less effort was spent on the interior of the villa.

Years of construction: 1883—1888.

Location: st. Carolines (CarrerdelesCarolines), 22-24, Barcelona district Grazia.

Casa Mila (La Pedrera)

Crazy emotions and surprise - this was the reaction of the city’s citizens after the construction of the building; people seemed completely at a loss in front of Gaudi’s architecture. Few were ready for such a bold creation. To others, the shape of the facade resembled sea waves advancing one after another. The whole building, like a living being, moves and breathes. Barcelona residents even came up with an ironic name for it: “La Pedrera”, which means “The Quarry” in Catalan.

House Mila is complex and curvilinear: broken outlines contrast with the wavy surface of the facade. The design of the building is quite well thought out: the ventilation system is natural, which allows you to do without air conditioning, there are no load-bearing or supporting walls, and there is an underground garage. The project also provides for elevators, although they were installed much later. Three courtyards - one round and two elliptical. The decorative design of the house shows natural theme- which was characteristic of the Art Nouveau style.

Years of construction: 1906—1910.

Location: intersection of Passeig de Gràcia Boulevard with Carrer de Provença.

Park Güell

Parc Güell decided to create the Catalan industrialist Ausebi Güell as a green park area in the style of the then fashionable English garden city concept. Güell was an admirer of the talent and style of the brilliant artist and a true patron of the arts of Gaudi. It was his financial support that helped implement many of the master’s projects.

An interesting corner of the park is the central entrance with two fantastic houses. The main staircase with fountains leads to the hypostyle hall - the “Hall of a Hundred Columns”, where 86 Doric columns are located. From the main square of the park, a network of footpaths and trails stretches around. All roads are designed to separate vehicles from pedestrians. On the territory of the park there is a house-museum of Gaudi, where the architect once lived. The museum has examples of furniture created by Antoni Gaudi, in particular furniture from the Casa Batllo and the Casa Mila.

Years of construction: 1900—1914.

Location: Carrer Olot street, 15-20 minutes. drive from the city center.

The park is open in November-February from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., in March and October from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., in April and September from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., from May to August from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily, including holidays.

Palace Güell

Palace Güell is a pearl of Catalan Art Nouveau, an early work of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona. The architect designed the residence palace for the Güell family.

The façade of the building is somewhat reminiscent of world-famous Venetian palazzos, with two rounded wrought iron arches designed for the passage of carriages. The interior decoration of Palais Guell speaks of the individuality of the author - marble columns, the roof is covered precious stones in the Mudejar style, the giant dome provides natural light, Venetian wooden shutters are decorated with ceramics, and the roof has chimneys in the shape of whimsical figures.

Years of construction: 1885—1890.

Location: Carrer Noudela Rambla.

Colonia Güell

Gaudi designed a custom-shaped church and crypt for his friend and regular customer Ausebi Güell. The crypt has five passages: a central one and two in opposite directions. The originality of Gaudí's style is evident inside and outside the building. The windows protrude beyond the walls, and at the top of the door there is a mosaic composition.

The crypt is built of basalt bricks with stone mosaics, which gives the structure an archaic appearance.

Years of construction: 1898—1914.

Location: Santa Coloma de Cervellóó near Barcelona.

Casa Batlló

Casa Batllo was built in 1877 for textile magnate Josep Batllo i Casanovas. In 1904-1906, Antonio Gaudi completely redesigned the lower floor and mezzanine, created original furniture, added a basement, an attic and a stepped roof.

The main façade is impressive: as if a giant dragon lay down along the entire length of the building. In the design we will not see straight lines, there are wavy outlines everywhere. The elegant and functional attic of the house is organized using parabolic arches, which are repeated in other projects.

Location: st. Passeig de Gràcia, 43 in the Eixample district.

Temple of the Holy Family (La Sagrada Familia)

The Sagrada Familia is Gaudí's most famous and last unfinished work. The church was designed back in 1892, but has not yet been completed. Since then, the cathedral has been periodically restored and completed with donations from parishioners. Completion of construction is expected no earlier than 2026. Antonio Gaudi devoted many years to work on this project. Thanks to his ambition Church of the Holy Family became a unique combination of Art Nouveau and Gothic style.

Gaudi did not compose preliminary plans work, he improvised. He was constantly at the construction site and interfered with the progress of work. Sometimes Gaudi even stopped work and demolished what was built, coming up with something more interesting. According to his plan, the church has three facades: the southern facade “Passion of Christ”, the eastern one – “Resurrection”, the northern one – “Nativity”, and twelve towers - each of which symbolizes one of the twelve apostles.

Location: Carrer de Mallorca, 401, Mallorca metro station.

Cascade Fountain

Cascada was designed by Joseph Fontzere in 1881, especially for the 1888 World's Fair. Then young Gaudi was an assistant to the master. The source of inspiration is the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome. The creations of Fontzere and Gaudi are located in the Ciutadella Park (Park de la Ciutadella) - famous place in Barcelona.

Location: north-eastern part of the Old Town, Passeig Picasso 5.

The architectural style of Antoni Gaudi is usually attributed to the Art Nouveau movement. But you can notice that in the designs of his creations the architect used individual features of many other styles. At the same time, each of them was subject to rethinking, and the architect took only those elements that he considered acceptable for his buildings.

The personality remains mysterious and incomprehensible, despite the huge amount of information about the life and work of this genius. It would seem, what new can be said about a person who spent his whole life basking in fame and luxury, not knowing how to count money and wholly devoting himself to creativity? So why did Antonio die alone, in extreme poverty and oblivion? The answer to this question is - alas! - is not known to anyone.

Gaudi's buildings

Among the famous buildings of the brilliant architect, starting from his earliest works, the following can be distinguished:

• (built in 1883 - 1888) - Casa Vicens - residential house of the Manuel Vicens family, one of Gaudí's first major commissions.

• El Capriccio, Comillas(Cantabria) (built in 1883 - 1885) - Capricho de Gaudi - the summer residence of Maximo de Quijano, Marquis de Comillas, who was a relative of Eusebio Güell, one of the architect’s main clients. This mansion was built for the heir of the Marquis.

• , Pedralbes in Barcelona (built in 1884 - 1887) - unique buildings in one of the most prestigious areas of Catalonia, built in the style of rich Cuban estates.

• Palace Guell in Barcelona (built in 1886 - 1889) - Palau Guell - residential house of the wealthy industrialist Eusebio Guell, one of Gaudí's early works. The palace contains features of a Venetian palazzo, mixed with a dose of eclecticism.

• in Barcelona (built in 1888 - 1894) - Collegi de las Teresianes - a special educational institution, a college for girls who in the future became nuns. Today it is one of the main attractions of Catalonia.

• Episcopal Palace in Astorga, Castile (Leon) (built in 1889 - 1893) - Palacio Episcopal de Astorga - a palace near the city of Leon, commissioned by Bishop Joan Bautista Grau y Vallespinos.

• in Leon(built in 1891 - 1892) - Casa de los Botines - a residential building with warehouses in Leon, built in the Art Nouveau tradition with the addition of individual elements.

• Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family in Barcelona (1883 - the work was not completed by the architect). Of course, when we're talking about about the work of Antonio Gaudi, then the first thing that comes to mind is one of the most ingenious and bizarre buildings widely known throughout the world - this is the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. Among Catholics, the name of the temple sounds like “Temple Expiatori de la Sagrado Familia.”

• (the project was developed in 1892 - 1893, but the mission was not built) - a small project of the architect, which was never brought to life. In planning the future construction, Gaudí completely abandons tradition.

• , Garraf (built in 1895 - 1898) - Bodegas Guell - an architectural complex in Sitges, consisting of two buildings - the entrance building and the cellar itself. The structure was erected by order of the same industrialist Eusebio Güell.

• House Calvet in Barcelona(built in 1898 - 1900) - Casa Calvet - the residential building of the widow of the manufacturer Pere Martir Calvet y Carbonel, which was originally designed as an apartment building. In such buildings, the lower floors and basements are reserved for retail establishments, the owners themselves live on the middle floors, and the rooms at the top are rented out to guests. Today, the Calvet house is one of the landmarks of Barcelona.

• Colony Güell Crypt, Santa Coloma de Cervelo (1898 - 1916) - a chapel built on the territory of the settlement of workers of the textile factory of Eusebio Güell. A wealthy industrialist in his colony wanted to build a school, a hospital and a church for his workers. It was with the construction of the crypt that the implementation of the project began. However, things did not go any further, and the church itself remained unfinished.

• House Figueres on Calle Bellesguard in Barcelona (1900 - 1902) - Casa Figueras or Bellesguard Tower - a beautiful house topped with towers, commissioned by the merchant's widow Maria Sages. The customer wanted to build a new beautiful building on her land, and Antonio Gaudi fully coped with this task.

• Park Guell in Barcelona(1900 - 1914) - Parque Guell - a garden and park complex with residential areas with a total area of ​​just over 17 hectares, built in the upper part of Barcelona.

• (1901 - 1902) - Finca Miralles - a gate for the house of the manufacturer Miralles, built in the form of a fancy sea shell and harmoniously fit into the arched opening.

• Villa Catlaras, La Pabla de Lillet(built in 1902) - Vacation home in Spain, designed by a talented architect. The uniqueness of the building is visible even in the drawing - no one had done anything like this before Gaudi.

• Artigas Gardens in frontPyrenees mountains(1903 - 1910) - Can Artigas gardens in Pobla de Lillet - magnificent buildings within the garden and park complex, located at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains at a distance of 130 km from Barcelona.

For a long time, this pearl of Gaudi’s architectural creativity remained unknown to the whole world, but in the early 70s of the 20th century, the gardens were discovered, put in order and opened to tourists. Since then, the Can Artigas gardens have been one of the landmarks of Spain, as well as a unique example.

• Warehouses of the Badia blacksmith artel(1904) - were designed by order of José and Luis Badio, owners of the blacksmith workshops from which Gaudi ordered forged metal parts to design his architectural projects.
• (built in 1904 - 1906) - Casa Batllo - residential house of Josep Batllo i Casanovas, a wealthy textile magnate, rebuilt by Gaudí according to his own design.

• Reconstruction of the Cathedral to Palma de Mallorca(1904 - 1919) - Catedral de Santa Maria de Palma de Mallorca - in this Catholic cathedral Antonio Gaudi carried out restoration and decorative works commissioned by Bishop Campins.

• (1906-1910) - the residential building of the Mila family, Gaudí's last secular work, after which he devoted himself entirely to the creation of the Temple of the Atonement of the Sagrada Familia. Casa Mila is also one of the most important attractions of the Catalan capital.

• Parish school at the Sagrada Familia Church of the Redemption in Barcelona(1909 - 1910) - Escjles de la Sagrada Familia - originally a school for the children of workers involved in the construction of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, was planned as a temporary building. Subsequently, after the construction of the cathedral was completed, they wanted to demolish the school. But the building turned out to be so expressive and unique that it still stands not far from the cathedral.

Gaudi's architectural work is not only multifaceted and interesting. It represents a truly rich heritage for all generations of future architects, who will be able to learn from the examples of these unique buildings and create their own masterpieces.

Gaudi was also quite an unusual person. Faktrum talks about the great architect in a selection of fascinating facts from his biography.

Antonio Gaudi

1. The love of botany created an architect

A weak child suffering from rheumatism, Antonio Gaudi early discovered the world of fantasy, learned to carefully observe and understand the language of nature. This served as the basis for many of the images and ideas of the young architect and gave him a sense of homeland (he remained faithful to his childhood friends throughout his life, and his assistants mainly came from Reus, Tarragona, and the surrounding area; this served as more than sufficient recommendation for Gaudí).

Even as a child, Gaudí became seriously interested in botany. He was sincerely interested in plants and the insects that pollinate them. Your final school essay The Spanish architect dedicated it to bees. Later his first educational project At the Barcelona School of Architecture, the cemetery gates were built, which were supposed to separate the world of the dead from the world of the living.

2. Hatred of straight lines and routine

Gaudi simply hated closed and geometrically regular spaces, and walls drove him crazy. He avoided straight lines, considered them to be the creation of man, and circles for him were the creation of God. These life principles helped him leave eighteen beautiful architectural creations after his death, each of which attracts great attention from tourists.

Gaudi had different eyes: one was nearsighted, the other was farsighted, but he did not like glasses and said: “The Greeks did not wear glasses.” Maybe that’s why Gaudi’s drawings, familiar to all architects, looked a little different. Antonio designed all his projects, from tiles on the pavement, benches and gates to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral (Sagrada Familia) in the form of original models, which were transformed into three-dimensional models with the help of mirrors.

3. Love of my life

Gaudí never married. In Gaudi's entire life, only one woman is known to whom the architect showed signs of attention - Josephine Moreau, who worked as a teacher in a workers' village. She did not reciprocate and Gaudi plunged headlong into Catholicism.

In his youth, the architect was a zealous anti-clerical, wore expensive clothes, followed appearance. The architect spent his last years as a hermit, completely devoting all his strength and energy to creating the immortal Cathedral of the Holy Family, which became the highest embodiment of not only his unique talent, but also his devout faith. By the way, our last years He lived his life there, leaving his usual home and settling at a construction site in spartan conditions.

4. Talent in everything

Gaudi was not only an architect, he was also an artist in the highest sense this word. He designed not only buildings, but also amazing furniture, fancy latticed fences, gates and railings. He explained his amazing ability to think and feel in three dimensions by heredity: his father and grandfather were blacksmiths, one of his mother’s grandfathers was a cooper, the other a sailor was “people of space and location.” His father was a coppersmith, and this fact undoubtedly influenced Gaudi's passion for artistic casting. Many of Gaudí's most amazing creations are made of wrought iron, often with his own hands.

For example, Gaudí, together with cabinetmaker João Munné, made a garden bench made of artificial stone. It was intended for Park Güell. The original design of this unique bench combines everything that Gaudí put into each of his works: here you have unusual proportions and a smooth pattern of lines inspired by organic forms. And most importantly, in accordance with the principles of modern art, all these aesthetic delights are combined with strict fulfillment of purely functional requirements for ergonomics.

5. Construction period of 140 years

After the absurd death of 73-year-old Gaudi in 1926 under the wheels of a tram, he was buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia. Construction of the cathedral did not stop, but the pace slowed down noticeably. And in 1936, war broke out in Spain and construction was briefly interrupted.

The anarchists destroyed almost all the drawings and models left by Gaudi for the followers of the construction of his brainchild, starting a fire in the workshops. But the construction of the temple continued 20 years later and is still ongoing using funds and donations from people. Currently, construction is headed by the Catalan architect and painter Josep Maria Subirax.

I wonder what's famous English writer George Orwell reacted quite positively to that act of vandalism. The cathedral, in his opinion, should have been blown up altogether. Orwell considered the architect's creations the ugliest buildings in the world, and gloatingly called the protruding spiers bottles of port wine. Fortunately, not everyone agreed with this opinion.

Salvador Dali, on the contrary, admired the work of the architect and even organized a celebration of Gaudi in Park Güell in 1956. This allowed us to collect additional funds to continue the construction of the Sagrada Familia. The love of Gaudi's life lives on.

I want to dedicate this article to all the creations of the great Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi. Everyone, of course, knows about the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Casa Batllo and Casa Mila. These are the master's most visited masterpieces, but that's not all. This article is dedicated to Gaudi fans. In it I will list all the buildings to which the most famous Catalan architect in Barcelona had a hand, with addresses, prices and discount opportunities.

The easiest way to see everything that Gaudí had a hand in is to use the services of the Barcelona Bus Turistic, since the tourist bus stops near each of Gaudí's buildings, this does not apply to the Güell Crypt, which is located in the suburbs. And according to the discount book attached to the ticket for the tourist bus, discounts are given to many museums in Barcelona and not only museums, but also restaurants. Discounts are valid for six months from the date of ticket purchase.

But this is quite an expensive pleasure; a one-day ticket for Barcelona Bus Turistic costs: adults 24-30 € (children from 4 to 12 years 14 €). You can purchase tickets online at a discount on the official website of Barselona Bus Turistic

If you do not use the services of a tourist bus, then it is best to buy a card for the T-10 metro for 10 trips, you can go through several people in a row, one trip on this card will cost 1 €, and just one trip on the Barcelona metro costs 2-45 €, so the card saves a lot.

Unfortunately, the Barcelona City Card does not give free access to museums dedicated to Gaudi, it only provides discounts from 1 € to 20% of the ticket price.

It is better to buy tickets to museums dedicated to Gaudí on the Internet, since tickets are tied to the time of visit, and the queues in the high season are huge; in addition, for purchasing on the Internet there is often a small discount. Therefore, in this article I have collected links to sites that sell tickets.

Unfortunately, tickets are quite expensive, so it’s better to figure out in advance how much it will cost, where to go, and where not to go.

The first seven buildings on the list below are listed world heritage UNESCO. You can't go inside only St. Teresa's College and the Vincent House; the Calvet House now houses a restaurant, and the rest of the buildings are museums.

The apotheosis of Antoni Gaudi's work is undoubtedly the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. I would recommend visiting it if your time and funds are limited.

The cathedral is still not completed, and the facade, which was completed under Gaudi, is already included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 and Gaudí supervised the construction until his death in 1926.

Sagrada Familia against the backdrop of Barcelona, ​​photo from the office. site

Adult without audio guide 15€
Adult with Russian audio guide 22€
Adult with audio guide and tower climb 29€
Children under 10 years old and disabled people free

I visited the cathedral with an audio guide and climbing the tower; it took 2 hours. Purely only the text of the audio guide 1 hour 15 minutes.

Address: Carrer de Mallorca, 401, 08013 Barcelona
Metro station: Sagrada Família on line L2 or L5

The roof of this house resembles the dragon's shell from the legend of the patron saint of Barcelona, ​​Saint George. The details of the windows of the Batllo house are very similar to bones, which is why this house is popularly nicknamed the house of bones. Along with the Sagrada Familia, this is a very visited museum in Barcelona, ​​there is a crowd there all the time. This house was built as a residential building. Gaudí rebuilt the Casa Batllo to his own design between 1904 and 1906. This work can be classified as a mature work by the master.

Adult with Russian audio guide 23.5€
Children (7-18), students (with student ID), over 65 years old 20.5€

Address: Passeig de Gràcia, 43, 08007 Barcelona
Metro station: Passeig de Gràcia on metro lines L2/L3/L4, really within walking distance from Plaza Catalunya.

DISCOUNTS are possible on the following cards:
Tourist Bus, Barcelona City Tours, Barcelona Card, Barcelona Pass, Minicards, Modernism Route and Barcelona Walking Tours. But we have to admit that the cards themselves are expensive and to justify the purchase you need to spend about 50 € more.

Within walking distance from Casa Batllo is another Gaudí creation, Casa Mila (only 500 meters). Both houses are located on Passeig de Gràcia. Perhaps visiting both houses is too much; you can visit only one of them, and look at the second from the outside.

This house was built as a residential house and still remains so. You can go up to the roof, look at the amazing ventilation pipes and visit interactive exhibition, dedicated to creativity Gaudi in the attic of a house.

Casa Mila, like Casa Batllo, is one of Gaudí's mature works, built between 1906 and 1910.

Adult with audio guide in Russian 22-50€
Children from 7 to 12 years old 11€
Students, pensioners 16-50€
There are different options with restaurant visits and night visits.

Address: Carrer de Provença, 261-265, 08008 Barcelona
Metro station: Diagonal on lines L3/L5

Fortunately, Park Güell can be visited both for a fee and for free, since only the central part of the park is paid. It is clearly visible from the free parts of the park. You can see photos and read about how to get to the park in a separate article about. A walk through the park with a feeling and arrangement took us 2 hours without visiting the paid parts and the Gaudi Museum.

The park was created in 1900-1914.

Adult 7€ when purchasing online.
Adult 8€ when purchasing at the box office.
Children from 7 to 12 years old and pensioners over 65 years old 4-90 €

Address: Carrer d'Olot, s/n, 08024 Barcelona
Metro station: Vallcarca or Lesseps stations on line L3, from the metro to the park about 1220 m.

The Gaudi Museum is located in the house where the architect lived; next to the museum there is an exhibition of architectural details, it is free. A ticket there can only be purchased at the park ticket office.

Adult 5-50€

Palace Guell

Palace Güell is located very close to the city, it is better to visit it during a walk along the main boulevard of Barcelona. The palace was built by the still young and unknown Gaudi in 1888. This is an example of the development of style. And very close to the palace, on the royal square, there are also lanterns built according to the design of the young Gaudi.

Adult 12€
Children from 10 to 17 years old 5€
There is no audio guide in Russian, only in English.

Address: Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3-5, 08001 Barcelona
Metro station: Liceu on line L3

Colonia Guell

Colonia Güell is located in the nearest suburbs of Barcelona. Initially, Guell decided to build a village here for the workers of his textile factory. Gaudi built only a crypt in this village. Work on the crypt began in 1908 and was interrupted in 1914 due to the outbreak of the First World War, and in 1918 the work was completely abandoned due to the death of Güell. That. This is an unfinished crypt.

Adult ticket to the crypt 7€
Adult ticket with Russian audio guide 9€
Child 5.5€
Children with audio guide 7.5€

Address: Calle Claudi Güell, 08690 Colònia Güell, Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Barcelona
How to get there: By commuter train (FGC): from Plaza España station, lines S33, S8 and S4. Trains run every 15 minutes. Stop – Colonia Güell.

The house is privately owned and therefore you can only go inside once a year. It can only be viewed from the outside. This mansion is an example of the play of geometric shapes inspired by Arabic architecture and a successful test of color, indicating a break with the canons of the era. The house was built by order of a tile manufacturer in 1888. The Vincennes house can be classified as early works Gaudi.

By 2017, it is planned to open the Vincennes house to tourists, we can only hope that ticket prices will not be exorbitant.

Address: Carrer de les Carolines, 18-24, 08012 Barcelona

Pavilions of the Guell estate

These pavilions are located in the area of ​​the Pedralbes Monastery. This is another early work of Gaudí, built in 1884-1887. Gaudi originally built stone wall along the entire estate, the gatekeeper's house and stables with an arena. But only details have survived to this day, the most colorful of which is the dragon on the gate of the estate. At the time of construction, this was a suburb of Barcelona.

Adult 6€

Address: Av. de Pedralbes, 7, 08034 Barcelona
Metro station: Palau Reial on line L3

The Calvet house, of course, is not as interesting and original as the Batllo house or the Mila house, since it was built as an apartment building, this is a slightly different purpose. This house belongs to the early works of Gaudí and dates from 1899. But on the other hand, you don’t have to buy a ticket for 20 €, since there is a restaurant there, so you can go in there and drink a cup of coffee, or maybe have a good meal and at the same time look at the interior.

Please note that the restaurant operates in the Spanish style: lunch from 13:00 to 15:30, dinner from 20:30 to 23:00.

Address: Carrer de Casp, 48, 08008 Barcelona
Metro station: Urquinaona on lines L1/L4, really within walking distance from Plaza Catalunya.

Bellesguard Mansion (TORRE BELLESGUARD)

The mansion is located on Mount Tibidabo. You'll have to use the cable car. In the Bellesguard mansion, which is not constrained by space, Gaudi again draws inspiration from the Gothic, as if recalling the times of the former glory of the dynasty of the kings of Catalonia and Aragon, who once had a palace on this site. This slender, graceful structure is thoroughly imbued with the play of fantasy.

You can buy a ticket on the bcnshop website, although there may not be a huge rush there, since it is further from the center and is not considered the most must-see place.

Adult with audio guide in Russian 9€
Children from 8 to 18 years old 7-20€

This isolated, elegant building, which looks like an impregnable fortress, is actually a monastery school. The project was developed by Gaudí for the nuns of the Order of St. Teresa. This impressive building was located outside of Barcelona when it was built. Its construction began in 1887 and it differs significantly from Gaudí's later works.

The decor is minimal, only the details of the gate and the top of the turrets are reminiscent of the architect's style. The budget for this construction was limited, but even in cramped circumstances, Gaudi managed to create a unique building.

There is still a school there and you can get inside only once a year during an open day.

Address:Carrer de Ganduxer, 85-105, 08022 Barcelona
Metro station: Bonanova on line L6

That. in Barcelona you can see only 11 objects to which the great Catalan had a hand. Regarding the work of this architect, it is argued that only once every seven or eight centuries does humanity give birth to such a new, original architecture, capable of changing everything around it. I hope my article will help those wishing to get to know Gaudi’s work in Barcelona better.

Antonio Gaudi(25 June 1852, Reus - 10 June 1926, Barcelona, ​​full name:Antonio Gaudi and Cornet), is an outstanding Spanish architect, a bright and original representative of organic architecture in European Art Nouveau. Antonio Gaudi developed new ideas about architecture, drawing inspiration from the forms of living nature, and developed original means of spatial geometry.

Gaudi created many architectural objects in Barcelona.

Few architects in the world have had such a significant impact on the appearance of their city or created something so iconic for their culture. Antonio Gaudi is Spain's most famous architect. Gaudi's work marked the highest flowering of Spanish Art Nouveau. Distinctive feature Gaudi's style lies in the fact that organic, natural forms (clouds, trees, rocks, animals) became the sources of his architectural fantasies. Gaudi's natural world became the main source of inspiration when solving both artistic, design and constructive problems. Antonio Gaudi hated closed and geometrically regular spaces, and walls drove him straight to madness; he avoided straight lines, believing that a straight line is a creation of man, and a circle is a creation of God. Gaudi declares war on the straight line and forever moves into the world of curved surfaces to form his own, unmistakably recognizable style.

Antonio Gaudi was born on June 25 1852 . in the city of Reus, near Barcelona, ​​in a family belonging to a family of hereditary masons. WITH 1868 . lived in Barcelona, ​​where in 1873-1878. studied at the Higher Technical School of Architecture. Gaudi studied various crafts (carpentry, metal forging, etc.) in the workshop of E. Punti.

In Europe at that time there was an extraordinary flowering of the neo-Gothic style, and young Antonio Gaudi enthusiastically followed the ideas of neo-Gothic enthusiasts - the French architect and writer Viollet-le-Duc (the largest restorer of Gothic cathedrals in the 19th century, who restored the Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris) and English critic and art critic John Ruskin. The declaration they proclaimed, “Decorativeness is the beginning of architecture,” was fully consistent with Gaudí’s own thoughts, ideas and, one might say, long years became the creative credo of the architect.

But still to a greater extent Gaudi was influenced by real local Gothic with its picturesque combination of European and Oriental, Moorish motifs.

In 1870-1882. carried out applied orders (sketches of fences, lanterns, etc.) in the workshop of architects E. Sala and F. Villar. First independent work Gaudi (fountain in Plaza Catalunya, 1877 .) revealed the bright whimsicality of the author’s decorative imagination.

In 1880-83. A building was built according to his design - Casa Vicens, where Gaudi used the polychrome effects of ceramic cladding, so characteristic of his mature works. The house, built for the owner of the ceramic factory M. Vicens - Casa Vicens (1878-80), looked like a fairy-tale palace. In accordance with the owner’s desire to see a “kingdom of ceramics” in his country residence, Gaudi covered the walls of the house with multi-colored iridescent majolica tiles, decorated the ceilings with hanging stucco “stalactites,” and filled the courtyard with fancy gazebos and lanterns. The garden buildings and the residential building formed a magnificent ensemble, in the forms of which the architect first tried out his favorite techniques: an abundance of ceramic decoration; plasticity, fluidity of forms; bold combinations of different style elements; contrasting combinations of light and dark, horizontals and verticals.

The Vicens House is a dialogue with Arabic architecture. An asymmetrical design of the facades, a broken roof line, geometric patterns, forged grilles on windows and balconies, bright colors due to ceramics - these are the distinctive features of Casa Vicens.

In 1887-1900 Antonio Gaudi carried out a number of projects outside of Barcelona (Episcopal Palace in Astorga, 1887-1893; Casa Botines in Leon, 1891-1894; etc.), giving his neo-Gothic stylizations an increasingly freer character. Antonio Gaudi also acted as a restorer.

In 1883-1885, according to Gaudí's design, El Capriccio (cat. Capricho de Gaudí) was created - a summer mansion on the Cantabrian coast in the town of Comillas near the city of Santander. Structurally, the project uses a horizontal distribution of space, with living spaces facing the valley that descends to the sea. The ground floor houses the kitchen and utility services; on the ground floor there are spacious halls, a smoking room, living quarters and several guest bedrooms with private bathrooms. Through the gallery from any bedroom you can get into the heart of the building - a living room with a two-level ceiling.

The outside of the building is faced with rows of brick and ceramic tiles. The main facade is emphasized in the plinth painted in ocher and gray colors rustic with rough relief. The first floor is faced with wide rows of multi-colored bricks alternating with narrow strips of majolica tiles with relief casts of sunflower inflorescences.

IN 1883 . Gaudi met a textile tycoonEusebio Güell, who became for him not only his main customer and patron, but also best friend. For 35 years, until the death of the philanthropist, the architect designed everything necessary for life for his family: from household items to mansions and parks. This textile magnate richest man Catalunya, no stranger to aesthetic insights, could afford to order any dream, and Gaudi received what every creator dreams of: freedom of expression without regard to the budget.

Gaudi designs pavilions for the estate in Pedralbes near Barcelona for the Güell family; wine cellars in Garraf, chapels and crypts of Colonia Güell (Santa Coloma de Cervelho); fantastic Park Güell (Barcelona).

In 1884-87. created the ensemble of the Güell estate near Barcelona. Wall cladding with mosaics made of crushed ceramic tiles became a distinctive feature of Gaudí's buildings. The most famous buildings of Park Güell on estate lands (1900-14) - the so-called. “Greek Temple” (a room for an indoor market), in which the architect erected a whole forest of 86 columns, and an “Endless Bench” several hundred meters long, writhing like a snake.

In this park, Gaudi tried to embody ideas that exist in nature, but have never been implemented in architecture. The buildings seem to have grown out of the ground, all together they form a single whole, very organic, despite the variety of shapes and sizes.

The stamp of the architect's genius is marked on the famous curvilinear bench of the Hall of a Hundred Columns and the house-museum of the architect himself, the convent of St. Teresa (Convento Teresiano) and the house of Calvet (La Casa Calvet ).

In 1891, the architect received an order to build a new cathedral in Barcelona - the Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family). The Sagrada Familia temple became the highest fruit of the master's imagination. Attaching particular importance to this building as a monumental symbol of the national and social renaissance of Catalonia, Antogio Gaudí with1910 . focused entirely on it, placing his workshop here.

The style in which the cathedral is made is vaguely reminiscent of Gothic, but at the same time, it is something completely new, modern. The building of the Sagrada Familia cathedral is designed for a choir of 1,500 singers, children's choir of 700 people and 5 organs. The temple was to become the center of the Catholic religion. From the very beginning, the construction of the temple was supported by Pope Leon XIII.

Work on the creation of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 . under the leadership of architects Juan Martorell and De Villar (Francisco de P. Del Villar). IN 1891 . construction was headed by Antoni Gaudi. The architect retained the plan of his predecessor - a Latin cross with five longitudinal and three transverse naves, but made his own changes. In particular, he changed the shape of the capitals of the crypt columns, the height of the arches was increased to10 m , the stairs were moved to the wings instead of their intended frontal placement. He constantly refined the plan during construction.

According to Gaudi's plan, the Church of the Holy Family (Sagrada Familia) was to become a symbolic building, a grandiose allegory of the Nativity of Christ, represented by three facades. The eastern one is dedicated to Christmas; the western one - the Passion of Christ, the southern one, the most impressive, should become the facade of the Resurrection.

The portals and towers of the Sagrada Familia are richly sculpted to resemble the entire living world, with a dizzying complexity of profiles and detailing that surpasses anything Gothic has ever known. This is a kind of Gothic Art Nouveau, which, however, is based on the plan of a purely medieval cathedral.

Despite the fact that Gaudi built the Sagrada Familia for thirty-five years, he managed to build and decorate only the Nativity façade, which is structurally the eastern part of the transept, and the four towers above it. The western part of the apse, which forms the largest part of this magnificent building, is still unfinished.

More than seventy years after Gaudí's death, construction of the Sagrada Familia continues today. Spiers are gradually being erected (only one was completed during the architect’s lifetime), facades with figures of the apostles and evangelists, scenes of the ascetic life and atoning death of the Savior are being decorated. Construction of the Church of the Holy Family is expected to be completed by2030 .

One of Gaudí's most popular buildings, the Batlot House (1904-06), is the fruit of a bizarre fantasy of purely literary origin. It has a developed plot - St. George kills the dragon. The first two floors resemble the bones and skeleton of a dragon, the texture of the wall resembles its skin, and the roof complex pattern- his spine. A turret and several groups of chimneys of various complex shapes, lined with ceramics, are installed on the roof.

Casa Batlo is a lyrical creation, where the harmony of color and plastic texture of the material are masterfully used. The architectural and sculptural decor seems to consist of living forms, frozen only for a moment. The symbolism of the living is completed in the design of the roof in the form of a dragon’s back.

Among the masterpieces modern architecture include the Mila House (1906-10), one of the famous Art Nouveau buildings, which received the name “La Pedrera” (quarry), due to the strangeness of this structure. This is a six-story apartment building located on a corner plot with two courtyards and six light wells.

The building, like the apartments, has a complex curvilinear plan. Initially, Gaudí intended to give curved outlines to all internal partitions, but later abandoned this, giving them broken outlines that contrast with the wavy surface of the façade. New constructive solutions were used in the Mila house: there are no internal load-bearing walls, all interfloor ceilings are supported by columns and external walls, in which balconies play a constructive role.