Guide to Barcelona

Secrets of Park Guell

03.02.2012 10:57

In and Around Barcelona

Park Güell is one of the most famous creations made by Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi.  It is located in the Vallcarca area in Barcelona on a small mountain. In 1900 Count Eusebi Güell bought land in order to build a small town, where after he had built the cottages, he would sell them off.

For this project Güell hired Antonio Gaudi, a known quantity as both had experience of working with each other before. The fact remains that the project was a failure as the local rich families at the time were not interested in owning the cottages as they were located to far from the center. In conclusion, the park was sold to the government who decided to turn it into a public park.

Construction started in 1901 and was divided into three periods. First of all, the sloping hills had to be strengthened, and secondly the roads constructed. The final period included the construction of 2 houses out of the 20 which were to be built. They were to be used to promote the project, but ended up being used by Antonio Gaudi with his father, who both lived there for 20 years, but today these homes are museums.

The park was a rocky hill with little vegetation and few trees, called Muntanya Pelada (Bare Mountain). It has since been converted into a municipal garden. Basically, only two houses were built, neither designed by Gaudi. One was intended to be a show house, but after it was completed in 1904 they put it for sale. No buyers came forward; Gaudi bought it with his savings and moved in with his family and his father in 1906. This house, where Gaudi lived from 1906 to 1926, was built by Francesc Berenguer in 1904. It contains original works by Gaudi and several of his collaborators.

The most finished part of the park is overlooking the Olot Street. At the entrance to the park there are two gingerbread houses, one of which is surmounted by a cross, and the second – a toadstool. Nowadays the houses are used as a café and a souvenirs shop. If you go through the entrance you will see stairs with fountains and also a mosaic lizard which is a symbol of Catalunya.

Walking up the stairs will lead you to the highest point of the mountain where you can see a big square-terrace, which is surrounded by a bench. While working on the park, Antonio Gaudi was designing the Sagrada Familia at the same time, at which time he instructed all the workers to collect all the ceramic elements (broken plates, bottles, tile). All what he collected was crushed into small pieces and used to decorate a bench.
Gaudi's Park Güell has an ingenious system of roads, stone arches and pillars, all of which were tilted at the most improbable angles.

If you are in Barcelona, a visit to Park Güell should definitely be on your list of urgent matters. Enjoy this park, as you can savor your memories for years to come. Parc Güell can be reached by the green metro Line L3 to Lesseps (from here it is approximately 10 minutes walk) , by city buses, or by commercial tourist buses, while entrance to the Park is free.

Vacation apartments in Barcelona in the central location.