viernes, 8 de agosto de 2014

BARCELONA: MODERNISM ROUTE


The most beautiful Barcelona modernist buildings, many of them designed by the brilliant architect Antoni Gaudí, are located in diferent places of the city. So, in this post, I would like to suggest you a route, called Modernist route, which will let you see these buildings walking along two of the most interesting avenues of Barcelona: Avinguda Diagonal and Passeig de Gràcia.

Walking along this route you will see the following modernist buildings:


Besides, near Barcelona you can visit more modernist buildings in La Colònia Güell.

Let's start the route!



Park Güell


Dragon in Park Guell in Barcelona
A popular dragon is in the entrance of the Park Güell in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí


Park Guell in Barcelona
Typical benchs in the Park Güell. A nice place where you can spend a lovely sunday morning with children and enjoy fantastic views of Barcelona


Park Guell designed by Gaudí in Barcelona
Tile on the ceiling of Sala Hipóstila in Park Güell



- Useful information about the Park Güell:

  • Address: C/ Olot, 1-13
  • How to get there: Bus 24 and 92, Barcelona Bus Turístic, stop Park Güell.
  • Web site: www.bcn.cat/parcsijardins

Sagrada Familia


Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona
Birth's façade of the temple of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, conceived by Gaudí. This temple is still under construction and it is believed that it could be finished in twenty years


Sagrada Familia designed by Gaudí
Passion's façade of La Sagrada Familia. The height of this four towers is 140m


Sagrada Familia designed by GaudíInside La Sagrada Familia you can enjoy views as fantastic as this one of the transept


- Useful information about La Sagrada Família:
  • Address: Mallorca, 401 (08013 Barcelona)
  • How to get there: Metro L2 and L5, stop Sagrada Família. Bus 19, 33, 34, 43, 44, 50 and 51.
  • Web site: www.sagradafamilia.org



Hospital de Sant Pau



Pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
The roofs of the pavilions with tiles, tiles in flake shaped, chimneys, domes and pinnacles underline the lush application of ceramic to decorate the pavilions of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona




Casa Vicens


Casa Vicens designed by Antoni Gaudí
Casa Vicens designed by Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona


Casa Fuster



Casa Fuster in Barcelona
Casa Fuster was Luís Domènech i Montaner last building

- Useful information about La Casa Fuster:

  • Address: Pg. de Gràcia, 132
  • How to get there: Bus 22, 24 and 28.

Casa Terrades or "Casa de les Punxes"



Casa de les Punxes in BarcelonaThe Terrades house or "Casa de les Punxes", designed by Puig i Cadafalch is another example of Modernist architecture you can see in Barcelona


- Useful information about La Casa de les Punxes:
  • Address: Av. Diagonal, 416
  • How to get there: Metro L4 and L5, stop Verdaguer.| Bus 20, 39, 45 and 47.


Casa Thomas


Casa Thomas in Barcelona
Casa Thomas is another beautiful modernist building you can see in Barcelona designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner

- Useful information about La Casa Thomas:

  • Address: Mallorca, 293.
  • How to get there: Bus 20, 43, 44, 45 and 47.

Modernism along the Passeig de Gràcia

Along the Passeig de Gràcia there are some of the most important modernist buildings of Barcelona, like Casa Milà o Casa Batlló, masterpieces of the brilliant architect Antoni Gaudí.


Casa Mila or "La Pedrera"


Casa Milà designed by Gaudí in Barcelona
Casa Milà, also known as "La Pedrera", is another impressive modernist building in Barcelona


Casa Milà designed by Gaudí in Barcelona
The chimneys and balconys of "La Pedrera" were really carefully designed by Antoni Gaudí

Casa Milà designed by Gaudí in Barcelona
The chimenys of La Casa Milà are, in my opinion, the most impressive elements of this wonderful modernist building


- Useful information about La Casa Milà
  • Address: Provença, 261-265
  • How to get there: Metro L3 and L5, stop Diagonal. Bus 7, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 28. FGC, stop Provença. Barcelona Bus Turístic, stop Pg. de Gràcia-La Pedrera.


Casa Batlló




Casa Batlló designed by Gaudí in Barcelona
The facade of La Casa Batlló lit at night



Casa Batlló designed by Gaudí in Barcelona
Chimneys on the roof of La Casa Batlló, one of the most beautiful modernist buildings in Barcelona


- Useful information about La Casa Batllo:

  • Address: Pg. de Gràcia, 43
  • How to get there: Metro L2, L3 and L4, stop Passeig de Gràcia.Bus 7, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 28. Barcelona Bus Turístic, stop Casa Batlló-Fundació Antoni Tàpies.
  • Web site: www.casabatllo.cat


Casa Amatller

Casa Amatller i Batlló in Barcelona
La Casa Amatller, designed by Puig i Cadafalch, and Casa Batlló, conceived by Gaudi, are in the block of buildings called Block of discord, together with the Lleó Morera house


- Useful information about La Casa Amatller:

  • Address: Pg. de Gràcia, 41
  • How to get there: Metro L2, L3 and L4, stop Passeig de Gràcia. Bus 7, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 28.
  • Web site: www.amatller.org

Casa Lleó i Morera


Casa Lleó i Morera in BarcelonaBesides the boutiques, the Passeig de Gràcia is the best place to start the modernism route. This route can start, for instance, in the Lleó Morera house, shown by this picture, built by Domènech i Montaner


- Useful information about La Casa Lleó i Morera:

  • Address: Pg. de Gràcia, 35
  • How to get there: Metro L2, L3 and L4, stop Passeig de Gràcia. Bus 7, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 28.

Casa Calvet


Casa Calvet in Barcelona
Casa Calvet in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí


Modernism in Barcelona Old City


Palau de la Música Catalana



Palau de la Música in BarcelonaDetail of the Palau de la Música main facade. This building was designed by Domènech i Montaner


Palau de la Música in BarcelonaInside the Palau de la Música Catalana (image obtained from wikipedia)


- Useful information about El Palau de la Música:

  • Address: Palau de la Música, 4-6
  • How to get there: Metro L1 and L4, stop Urquinaona. Bus 17, 19, 40 and 45
  • Web site: www.palaumusica.org

Casa Martí (Restaurant els Quatre Gats)



Restaurant Els Quatre Gats in Barcelona
Inside this building there were interesting meetings of modernist writers and artists at the beginning of the 20th century


- Useful information about Els Quatre Gats:


  • Address: Montsió, 3
  • How to get there: Metro L1 and L3, stop Catalunya and L4, stop Urquinaona. Bus 16, 17, 19, 40, 41, 42, 45, 55 and 141

Mercat de la Boqueria


Mercat de la Boqueria in BarcelonaMercat de la Boqueria main entrance, one of the largest markets in Barcelona


Mercat de la Boqueria in BarcelonaModernist detail of Mercat de la Boqueria, one of the largest markets in Barcelona


Palau Güell


Palau Güell designed by Gaudí in Barcelona 
 Main facade of El Palau Güell, a really beutiful modernist building in Barcelona


Palau Güell designed by Gaudí in Barcelona 
Detail of the main entrance of El Palau Güell, another masterpiece designed by Gaudí



- Useful information about El Palau Güell:

  • Address: Nou de la Rambla, 3-5
  • How to get there: Metro L3, stop Liceu. Bus 14, 59, 91, 120.
  • Website: www.palauguell.cat


Col·legi de les Teresianes



Col·legi de les Teresianes in Barcelona
Col·legi de les Teresianes in Barcelona



 Casa Bellesguard




Casa Bellesguard in Barcelona

Casa Bellesguard in Barcelona


I hope you enjoyed this route. Other interesting routes in Barcelona are:



Finally, clicking on the next link you will find links to more beautiful places of Barcelona.




martes, 5 de agosto de 2014

BARCELONA: HOSPITAL DE SANT PAU


The Modernist Hospital de Sant Pau i la Santa Creu Complex was built between 1905 and 1930 and designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner as a garden city for nursing the sick. Together with Palau de la Música Catalana, also designed by this architect, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona


After being used as a public hospital for a century, its newly refurbished pavilions shine again in all their splendour.


By the late 19th century, the old Hospital de la Santa Creu in Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood needed to be relocated because it had become obsolete and too small. The result was an ambitious project inspired by the breakthroughs in health and hygiene at the time. 



Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Scale model of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



It was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1997 and now its architectural and artistic values have been brought to a wider audience with the new use of its pavilions.


The former hospital complex is now a knowledge campus and the headquarters of international organizations including the European Forest Institute, the Casa Àsia, the Global University Network for Innovation, and the United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility.



Modernist pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau
A modernist pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona


A visit to this magnificent complex allows you to delve into history, art and the present day. The pavilions, set among gardens and connected by underground passages, are really beautiful and a showcase for the applied arts, featuring sculptures, stained glass and mosaics.


These are the places I could visit inside The Hospital de Sant Pau:


  • Administration pavilion
  • Main facade
  • Hypostyle Hall
  • Gardens
  • Surgery Pavilion
  • Sant Rafael Pavilion
  • Main Hall
  • Domènech i Montaner Room



Administration Pavilion




Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Main facade of the Hospital de Sant Pau i la Santa Creu


Main facade


Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Entrance to the Administration Pavilion of the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona


Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Detail of the main facade of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Modernist facade of Hospital de Sant Pau i la Santa Creu in Barcelona


Hypostyle Hall



Hypostyle Hall of Hospital de Sant Pau
Hypostyle Hall of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona


Gardens



Gardens of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Gardens between the modernist pavilions of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



Gardens of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Surgery pavilion behind the gardens of Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona



Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Taking pictures of the gardens between the modernist pavilions of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona


Surgery Pavilion


Surgery Pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Surgery Pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona


Surgery Pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
A closer view os the surgery pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau i la Santa Creu


Surgery Pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
This cross is the symbol of La Santa Creu institution



Sant Rafael Pavilion



Sant Rafael pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau
Modernist details of Sant Rafael pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau. The roofs of the pavilions with tiles, tiles in flake shaped, chimneys, domes and pinnacles underline the lush application of ceramic to decorate them



Modernist dome of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Modernist dome of one of the pavilions of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona


Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Pinnacle of a pavilion of Sant Pau Hospital highly decorated with pottery 





Main Hall




Main hall of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Main hall in the Administration Pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



Main hall of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Ceiling of the main hall of the Administration pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau


Main hall of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Detail of the main hall of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Distributing corridor of the two wings of the administration pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau. These corridors are bright spaces with large windows that contain most of the stained glass windows of the building. They have vaults with richly decorated pottery



Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona
Detail of a stained glass window in the previous corridor of Hospital de Sant Pau


Administration pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau
Dome over the main staircase in the administration pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



Dome in Hospital de Sant Pau
A closer view of the previous dome


Domènech i Montaner Room 



Domènech i Montaner room in Hospital de Sant Pau
Domènech i Montaner room in Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



Domènech i Montaner room in Hospital de Sant Pau
Large stained glass window in Domènech i Montaner room of Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona



Below you can see some useful information:


- Address: Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167
- How to get there:
  • Metro: L5 stop Hospital de Sant Pau and L4 stop Guinardó
  • Bus: 19, 20, 45, 47, 50, 51, 92, H6 and H8.
- Web site: www.santpaubarcelona.org

Next you have links of some of the most beautiful places of Barcelona and surroundings

Most of them are located in four areas: Modernism RouteGothic Quarter (and Old City), Montjuïc and Barcelona Seafront. Cliking on the links below you will get more and information and pictures.


- Modernism Route





- Gothic Quarter, Montjuíc, Promenade and Tibidabo



Finally, clicking on the next link you will find more links to other beautiful places in Barcelona, among them, more fantastic modernist masterpieces you can see along the Modernist Route.