Barcelona, Guell Palace & Guell Park

More works from Antoni Gaudi.....

Guell Park

Originally planned by Count Guell, and designed by Antoni Gaudi as an extensive, Utopian style housing development, it is now a park owned by the city.  Unfortunately, the idea of the development never took hold. Only two houses were ever built, neither one by Gaudi. He lived in one of the houses as he designed the development and built the infrastructure. 

  



There are two small structures designed by Gaudi at the entrance. One was originally a guard house, it is now a small museum. The other is a gift shop. In usual Gaudi style they are very nice, no flat surfaces and a lot of mosaic tile designs.

It was a overcast morning when we got there but it was still nice to look out over the Mediterranean and enjoy the view.

There is one iconic figure seen in all the tourist traps and souvenir shops, a mosaic salamander designed by Gaudi.  The original resides in Guell Park. It is known as "El Drac" (the dragon).

If you get there early you can get your picture taken with El Drac but without a hundred other tourists.

The upper level of the park has a ribbon like bench surrounding the open play area. The bench is all mosaic tiled, very pretty.   









There are street vendors everywhere, they lay down fabric to display their goods on for tourists to look at.  The fabric has cord tied on the corners that they keep in their hands. Every few minutes they quickly pick up their wares and run from the oncoming police.  There was one enterprising vendor who displayed his earrings on an umbrella, he could quickly fold it up and quickly open it once relocated.

The park is a peaceful place with beautiful views overlooking the city. 







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Palau Guell

Located in an unassuming building, on a quiet street just off Las Ramblas, is a very spectacular palace designed by Gaudi for the Count Eusebi Guell family.  Unlike most of his other works, it is very elegant, not simplistic.  It also has more flat surfaces and is made of finer materials than his other works.   



 




 Horses were led from the street level down this ramp to the vaulted basement. Can you imagine a vaulted stable?




 




 



 This door has beautifully crafted metal plates mounted between the wood "frames". The pictures are very detailed.




 




 




The marble entry hall set the tone for the wonderful designs and craftsmanship in the palace. Notice the design on the floor. The ceiling is also marble set on a metal framework.





 



 

  The extremely decorative wooden ceilings are quite beautiful and catch your attention as soon as you enter the rooms. The diamond section of this ceiling is over the stairs, the square section is over the hallway.


 
 


 The room at the end of the picture, behind the glass doors, is the dining room. I don't know what the two rooms before it were used for, but the wood and metal room dividers are very nice.



 




 





 This is the wainscoting in the room above. Click on the picture to see it larger. The wood carved pictures are very interesting and quite well done.



 


 




This is the center of the house. Look up, near the top. How many people do you know that have their own pipe organ at home?

 Another view within the center of the house.



 






 

The large framed pictures in this center room were set in corners and wrapped from one wall to the next. I have never seen a picture frame like this before.



 

 This room faces the central portion of the house. The windows can open and look out over the picture room that is a floor below. The ceiling here is simpler, but still nicely crafted together. 




 




 Click on the picture to enlarge it and look at the details above the fireplace. It transforms the ordinary room above to one that is modern and stylish, especially for the late 1880s.





 






 These lovely stained glass windows face the back of the house. The columns in front of them are marble, as is the floor.











 The walls in this room are marble.







 


Like the other Gaudi homes we saw, the ceiling in the attic room were curved, translating to a sloped and curved roof.





 




 In addition to the floor of the roof sloped and curved, the many chimneys and vents were topped by tree like structures covered in colorful mosaic tiles.

 
 Although not as spectacular or awe inspiring as Peterhof, the elegance and craftsmanship is equal to or excels, thus making it just as magnificent.

  TJ & EA in Barcelona.