The top Gaudi monuments in Spain is what this article is all about. Although I’ve already written blog posts about several Gaudi monuments individually, I thought I’d mention the most beautiful and popular ones in this post.
Table of Contents
WHO WAS GAUDI?
Antoni Gaudí was a renowned architect and the man behind the most famous architectural gems of Barelona. He was born on June 25, 1852, in Reus, the capital of the Baix Camp region in southern Catalonia. In 1870, he moved to Barcelona to study architecture.
What was rather awe-inspiring about his work was that he combined nature, recycled materials, trencadis (tiles), fairy tales, mythical tales, and creatures, and in some other works of his, stories from the Bible or biblical characters—all of which, in the form of architecture, would appeal to anyone.
Antoni Gaudí tragically died on June 10, 1926, after being run over by a tram while he was on his way, as he did every evening, to La Sagrada Família from the church of Sant Felip Neri.
Gaudí was buried on June 12, 1926, in the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in the crypt of the Sagrada Família, in the presence of a huge crowd that gathered to bid farewell to the man who had already become a universal architect.
TOP GAUDI MONUMENTS IN SPAIN
Gaudí’s each building had a lot of special details about it, be it the architectural design or one that makes you feel as if you’re in a fairytale land, a huge forest, or even the sea, with dragons and monsters being a part of it.
My favourite Gaudí buildings are as follows:
SAGRADA FAMILIA
This has not only been my favourite, but almost everyone else’s too. When you look at the Sagrada Familia, you feel as if you’re reading important details from the Bible, or you’re left awe-struck and just keep thinking of how beautiful the design of the basilica is.
Here’s a link to a blog post I’ve written about this beautiful temple:
https://weekendinspain.com/category/spain/la-sagrada-familia/sagrada-familia/
LA PEDRERA
La Pedrera has been considered to be the 6th largest building in the world, and there’s no doubt about it.
The façade of this building makes you wonder about the creative thinking that Gaudí was capable of. The façade looks like a sea wave, with beautiful balcony grills that look like seaweed.
La Pedrera (‘quarry’ in English) is named after its rather creative and most beautiful stone façade. Like a sea wave rising up in the heart of Barcelona, it is a huge work of sculpture, 30 metres high and 84 metres long. Using countless recycled elements and employing tremendous architectural designs, Gaudí created wrought-iron railings for the façade of Casa Mila, which is an outstanding example of merging architecture with nature, as you visitors shall see.
You can read more about this masterpiece below:
La Pedrera Weekend in Spainhttps://weekendinspain.com/category/spain/la-sagrada-familia/la-pedrera/
CASA BATTLÓ
Antoni Gaudí designed Casa Battló in the early 20th century, when the Modernisme movement began to evolve. The Battló family resided in the building. As you walk up to it on Passeig de Gràcia, the first thing you notice is its facade.
This magnificent masterpiece is inspired by marine life. As you guys can see, the façade tells you about a fairytale in the form of different sea creatures.
The rails of the balconies, made in a single piece of grey cast iron, are shaped like masks, and the top roof is in the form of a dragon’s back with large shimmering scales. Due to its breathtaking façade, Casa Battló has been nicknamed The House of Bones by the locals.
Here’s my blog post on Casa Battlo:
PARK GÜELL
Parl Güell measures at 17 hectares and overlooks Barcelona from above, Park Güell is one of the best examples of Catalan Modernism architecture and was designed by none other than Antoni Gaudí, the renowned Catalan architect.
Click here to read all about this gem of a masterpiece:
BEST TIPS FOR PARK GÜELL | INFO & REVIEW Weekend in Spain
CASA BOTINES
Casa Botines was built way before La Pedrera or Casa Battló and is one of the buildings that Gaudí built outside of Catalonia. Again, when you look at the building, you’re instantly reminded of one of those fairytale palaces you might have seen in movies. The building is also known as the house of dragons, and the architectural design is Neoclassical.
Read all about Casa Botines here:
CAPRICHO
I visited Capricho house years ago, and at that time I wasn’t into blogging or even interested in photography. I did, however, take some pictures from my mobile phone, but who knew that one day I’d pick up this hobby of writing blogs?
Capricho is rich in decorative details that reflect various local and foreign influences, such as neo-Mudejar elements. It has a main body to which is attached an airy and peculiar cylindrical tower. It is profusely decorated with ceramic bands of sunflower flowers. It has iron balconies and railings, with the walls alternating between ashlars on the ground floor and bricks on the upper part, all of which are highly original. Furthermore, this building is aesthetically designed to blend in with the surrounding vegetation, which can be seen in the choice of green as the predominant colour among the rich ornamentation of the building.
When I visit this building again, I’m going to update this post with some pictures.
WHERE TO EAT IF YOU’RE IN BARCELONA
If you’re in the city centre, let’s say, somewhere near the cathedral, you could check out this restaurant called “Restaurante SK.” This is the address: Via Laietana, 45, 0803, Barcelona. I’ve been there a few times. It’s where locals go, too. It’s not bad, and it’s not that expensive either.
BODEGA DE PÀDUA
There’s another one that I like very much, it’s called “Bodega de Pàdua.” Now this one’s a guarantee that you’ll like it. Many locals go there, too. It’s a bit far from the city centre, but if you’re close to Calle Balmes, it’s just a short distance from there. Their address is: Calle de Pàdua, 92, 08006, Barcelona. Address.
And here’s their website: https://bodegapadua.com/en/padua-2/
WRAPPING UP
I’ve always been a huge fan of Gaudí and his work, but I have yet to visit other masterpieces of his, which I hope to be visiting soon. So, stay tuned for more.
