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12 modernist sites and houses to visit in Barcelona

Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

One of the great poles of attraction that the City of Barcelona en Catalonia, is its numerous samples of modern architecture whose best and best known reflection are the works by Gaudí.

There are many tourists who travel to Barcelona with the primary objective of visit the Sagrada Familia or other of the most outstanding works of Gaudí, such as the Casa Batllo, but there are many other corners that are worth knowing.

I admit that I am passionate about modern architecture, which has led me to visit make a specific trip to Barcelona to know many of its corners.

12 Best modernist buildings and houses to visit in Barcelona

Below I am going to highlight the main modernist buildings and houses to discover on your trip to the Catalan capital.

Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

It will not be necessary to discover the Sagrada Familia, since it is the main tourist attraction of Barcelona.

This impressive church, whose completion is scheduled for the next decade, is the great work of Gaudí, which has been declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco.

Facade of the Birth in the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
Facade of the Birth in the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

The incredible imagination that its modernist architecture exudes can be found both in its exterior façade and in its impressive interior nave.

This interior has not been open for a long time, since 2010, and just to marvel at the Sagrada Familia worth it travel to Barcelona.

Casa Batlló in Barcelona

Without a doubt one of the great jewels Gaudí Barcelona and most visited places in Barcelona is Casa Batllo.

This is the main building of the so-called Discord's Apple in the Passeig de Gracia, which was remodeled by Gaudí from 1904.

Casa Batlló in Barcelona
Casa Batlló in Barcelona

Just by calmly looking at its façade you will surely be impressed, with its combination of ceramics, stone coverings on balconies and windows, and the great color in the glass.

When you visit its interior you will once again be surprised by the great imagination of the Catalan architect in the design and decoration of buildings.

Here you have useful information to visit Casa Batlló, which you can also do using a modern video guide with augmented reality.

Casa Milá or La Pedrera in Barcelona

Another of the most famous buildings in Gaudí in Barcelona, ​​also in the Passeig de Gracia, Is the Casa Milá, better known as La Pedrera.

Built between 1906 and 1912, it is a residential building with whose structure the Catalan architect tried to give greater spaciousness and luminosity to the spaces.

Casa Milá or La Pedrera in Barcelona
Casa Milá or La Pedrera in Barcelona

The result is a very unique building that is now one of the essential visits on a trip to Barcelona, ​​in which you should not leave the roof, one of its most significant and photographed corners.

Also within the set of modernist buildings declared World Heritage, currently it is a place where numerous cultural activities also take place.

Palau of Catalan Music in Barcelona

One of the most charismatic places in the modernist architecture in Barcelona is Palau de la Música Catalana, building built by Domenech i Montaner to be the headquarters of Catalan Choir.

Palau of Catalan Music in Barcelona
Palau of Catalan Music in Barcelona

This building too Heritage It is supported by a metal structure covered in glass, and becomes a significant example of the various applied arts that characterize modernism,

Thus, in its decoration, the use of mosaics, stained glass or wrought iron stands out, with sculptures also not lacking.

To learn about this important architectural work, you can sign up for guided tours.

Park Güell in Barcelona

In the upper part of the city of Barcelona, ​​on the slope of the mount carmel, there is a large public park in one of whose areas Gaudí built various architectural elements.

He is known as Park Güell Construction began in 1900, and at that time Gaudí had already built the Güell palace in the zone of The Ramblas, commissioned by a Catalan industrialist to be his new home

He had also built the Colonia Güell church.

The new assignment for Gaudí was Park Güell, with the name in English because it wanted to emulate British residential parks, which was built since 1900.

After the death of the industrialist, in 1926 the park became municipal property and was opened to the public for enjoyment.

Although most of the park is free to access, you must pay to visit its monumental area; here you have information to visit.

Güell Palace in Barcelona

As we have mentioned before, the Güell palace It was a commission Gaudí from a Barcelona industrialist to build his new home.

Güell Palace in Barcelona
Güell Palace in Barcelona

Located in the Nou street, together with La Rambla, in the heart of the city, it is one of the first important works of Gaudí Well, it was built between 1886 and 1890.

When visiting this building you will see the essence of the architecture of Gaudí with an emerging style that combines the most functional aspects with innovation in the conception of space and light.

Hospital – Sant Pau modernist complex in Barcelona

One of the most outstanding corners of the modernism in Barcelona It is the site of the old Hospital de Sant Pau, which I admit that I have not yet had the opportunity to visit and I have it pending for a future trip.

Located in the Sant Antoni Maria Claret street 167, is the most important work of Lluís Domenech i Montaner, one of the most prominent Catalan modernist architects.

El Sant Pau Modernist Enclosure, which is what it is now called, has its origins in a hospital founded in 1401 when it was known as Santa Creu Hospital.

Starting in 1902, an expansion was carried out, a project that was carried out Domenech i Montaner, although the new facilities were not put into use until 1930.

If you want to visit the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site at Christmas time, here you can book tickets for the Els Llums de Sant Pau Christmas Garden

In 2009 the hospital facilities were moved to a new headquarters, after which public visits were launched shortly afterwards.

Here you have the information for visit the Sant Pau modernist site.

Amatller House in Barcelona

Amatller House in Barcelona
Amatller House in Barcelona

Next to the Casa Batllo another is located modernist building, Casa amatller, whose design is the work of the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch carried out since 1898 in a building built just 22 years before.

With a style inspired by Renacimiento, the façade of this building shows elements of other architectural styles such as Romanesque or baroque, as well as the use of sgraffito.

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Casa Terrades or de les Punxes in Barcelona

Casa Terrades or de les Punxes in Barcelona
Casa Terrades or de les Punxes in Barcelona

In the Diagonal avenue, near Passeig de Gracia, you find what, from my point of view, is one of the modernist houses most beautiful in the city.

La Terrades House, Better known as the House of the Punxes, will catch your attention for its four towers with a conical spire, in a striking red color.

Built in 1905 by the architect Puig i Cadafalch, It tries to emulate a medieval Gothic style castle.

Although it cannot be visited as it is a private residential building, it is worth visiting to see its exterior façade with its large modernist decoration with stone balconies, ceramics and stained glass windows.

Casa Lleó y Morera in Barcelona

Casa Lleó i Morera in Barcelona
Casa Lleó i Morera in Barcelona

Another of the modernist buildings which is part of the aforementioned Discord's Apple in the Passeig de Gracia is Casa Lleó y Morera.

It is one of the works of the architect Domènech / Montaner, who from 1902 undertook the renovation of a previous building.

Its exterior, which is crowned by a small temple, shows extensive decoration, but it is inside where the modernist style is displayed in great profusion.

There, the artisanal works of stained glass, mosaics, ceramics, sculptures, wood, marble and sgraffito stand out, the creation of which involved the participation of dozens of artists.

Palau Macaya in Barcelona

Palau Macaya in Barcelona
Palau Macaya in Barcelona

At Paseo de San Juan 108 During one of my visits to Barcelona, ​​the façade of the Macaya Palace .

It is a building built between 1898 and 1901 by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch commissioned by a Catalan industrialist to be his family residence.

On its white façade with ocher sgraffito, the finishes on the windows and the carved stone ornamentation on the balconies stand out.

Its patio also stands out with a large staircase carved in stone with floral motifs.

Since 2012 the Macaya Palace it has become the EspacioCaixa Palau Macaya, a knowledge and training center that depends on The Caixa.

Bellesguard Tower in Barcelona

La Bellesguard Tower, built between 1900 and 1909, is one of the most unique buildings among those designed by Gaudí.

You find it in the northwest area of ​​Barcelona, ​​next to the Dalt's Round, at the foot of Tibidabo, and it is a building inspired by a medieval castle that was in that place centuries ago, a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

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About the Author

José Luis Sarralde

Journalist and traveler throughout his life, José Luis Sarralde is the founder of Guías Viajar, where since 2008 he has been capturing his travel experiences around the world, specializing in cultural and scenic destinations in Spain and Europe.

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