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Barcelona's Acclaimed Architecture Tour, Barcelona
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Barcelona's Acclaimed Architecture Tour
Guide Location: Spain » Barcelona
Guide Type: Self-guided city tour
# of Attractions: 7
Tour Duration: 2 hour(s)
Transportation Mode: by foot
Travel Distance: 3.1 km
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Diliff
Author: clare
In Barcelona you will find buildings that span all eras of the city’s 2000-year history. Gaudi, Gothic and Modernist buildings can all be seen in Catalonia's largest city. This tour is the perfect opportunity to visit Barcelona's acclaimed architectural sights.
Tour Stops and Attractions
Casa Batlló
1) Casa Batlló
Casa Batlló, is a building restored by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, built in the year 1877 and remodelled in the years 1904–1906. The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona. The building looks very remarkable — like everything Gaudí designed, only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work. It seems that the goal of the designer was to avoid straight lines completely. Much of the façade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís) that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and tato grasso
Sight description based on wikipedia
Casa Amatller
2) Casa Amatller
The Casa Amatller was designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The design clearly belongs to the Modernism style, which has been followed for a few chosen buildings in the city, and it is for this very reason that the Casa Amatller is one of the three most distinguished structures in Barcelona’s acclaimed Block of Discord, locally known as the Illa de la Discordia. The building was initially created to serve as a home for the famous chocolatier, Antoni Amatller, and is hence named after him. The construction spanned from 1898 to 1900.
The structure is one of the most important cornerstones of the Block of Discordance, locally known as the ‘la manzana de la discordia’. The Block of Discordance consists of various structures that have been built unconventionally, with designs quite opposite and out of the ordinary from what one gets to observe around Barcelona. Puig I Cadafalch is one of the most famous architects of these unconventional, modernist designs, along with Domenech I Montaner and Gaudi.
As a reference to the original owner, the chocolatier Antonio Amatller, some of the creatures and animals that have been depicted on the structure have been created with chocolate oozing from them, which is once again an example of the truly unique design of the building.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and Cayetano
Casa Lleó Morera
3) Casa Lleó Morera
The Casa Lleó-Morera is a building designed by noted modernisme architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, located at Passeig de Gràcia 35 in the Eixample district of Barcelona. The building is located on the corner with Carrer del Consell de Cent, and is one of the three important buildings of the Illa de la Discòrdia. The building was originally constructed in 1864, and was renovated beginning in 1902. Unlike many buildings constructed at the time, it was not named after its owner; rather it is named from the lions (lleó) and mulberry trees (morera) motifs in the decorations. Domènech i Montaner worked with sculptor Eusebi Arnau, Antoni Serra i Fiter for the ceramics, Lluís Brú and Mario Maragliano for the mosaics and Gaspar Homar for decoration and furniture to make the complete work. It was the residence of Cuban-Catalan photographer Pau Audouard.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Kwong Yee Cheng
Sight description based on wikipedia
Casa Calvet
4) Casa Calvet
The Casa Calvet is located in Calle Caspe, Barcelona and it is built in the typical Catalonian style. It comprises four stories, excluding the first floor and basement, and also contains a roof terrace. It is one of the many splendid architectural sites in Barcelona duly appreciated by locals and visitors alike.
Antonio Gaudi was the mastermind behind the design of this building and was commissioned to this project by the son of Pedro Martir Calvet, the textile manufacturer. The choice was made based on the fact that Gaudi’s work had never failed to express modernity and proved successful with every design.
Initially, the initiation of the project was delayed because of the rejection of Gaudi’s plans based on the fact that the desired structure exceeded the space allotted to Gaudi. Gaudi, who had no intentions of altering the design to the likes of the municipal architect, sent the plans back without modifying them and threatened that if the plans were not permitted to be implemented as they were, the design of the structure would be severely compromised. Hence, the Casa Calvet was constructed in a strict accordance with Gaudi’s ideas. An epic structure completely representing Antonio Gaudi’s style of work, the Casa Calvet adorns Barcelona like many other historic structures that one can find in the city.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Mutari
Sight description based on wikipedia
Palace of Catalan Music
5) Palace of Catalan Music
The Music Palace or the Palau Musica Catalan in Barcelona was designed by the accomplished architect, Muntaner. It was opened in 1908 and is a one-of-a-kind concert hall. This structure is basically the headquarters of the Orfeo Catala, one of the most renowned institutions supporting Catalan culture and music.

One can notice that the building is adorned with the Catalan coat of arms, also known as the ‘Quatre Barres’. The Palace includes the statue of Beethoven, which was created by Didac Massana and Pau Gargallo. The rest of the interior is adorned with a sculpture of the Ride of Walkiries. The interior also includes a magnificent glass light in the centre of the roof which was designed and created by Granell and Rigalt. The whole structure is a splendid galore of mosaic and red brick and hence is a great attraction for tourists.

The Palace offers guided tours for visitors, among which are the tours of the Lluís Millet Hall as well as the Chamber Music Hall, subject to availability. It is open every day of the year from 9 am to 9 pm. The price of an entry ticket is 10 Euros and the tickets are not available for advance sales on Sundays and other holidays, but have to be bought at the location.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and Jaume Meneses
Sight description based on wikipedia
Catedral de Barcelona (La Seu)
6) Catedral de Barcelona (La Seu)
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Catalan: Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàli, Spanish: Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia), also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain. The cathedral was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century. The cloisters enclosing the Well of the Geese (Fuente de las Ocas) were completed about 1450. The neo-Gothic façade was constructed over the nondescript exterior that is common to Catalan churches in the 19th century. The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in this city.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Montrealais
Sight description based on wikipedia
Columbus Monument
7) Columbus Monument
The Columbus Monument (also known as the Monumento a Colón and Mirador de Colón in Spanish) is a 60 m tall monument for Christopher Columbus at the lower end of La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain. It was constructed for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona and is located at the site where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas. The monument serves as a reminder that Barcelona is where Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabella and Ferdinand after Columbus' most famous trip. At the very top of the monument stands a 7.2 m tall bronze statue atop a 40 m tall Corinthian column. The statue was sculpted by Rafael Atché and is said to depict Columbus pointing towards the New World with his right hand, while holding a scroll in the left. As it was sited, instead of pointing to the west towards the New World, the statue points east towards Columbus's supposed home city of Genoa. The statue is atop a socle, on which the word "Tierra" (land) is inscribed.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Gena_Haltmair
Sight description based on wikipedia
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