PALAU GÜELL

Description

Essentials about Palau Güell in brief

Palau Güell (Güell Palace) is one of the most famous and interesting buildings in Barcelona. Located in the El Raval district, the city palace is one of the first great works of the Catalan star architect Antoni Gaudí and a great architectural example of Catalan Art Nouveau (Modernisme). The building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984, along with other works by Gaudí.

The architecture of Palau Güell

Built by Gaudí for his patron, the industrialist Eusebi Güell, between 1886 and 1890, Palau Güell is the first to show the combination of decorative and structural elements that are a characteristic feature of Gaudí’s most important later works. He used the various decorative possibilities of iron support elements and extremely flat Byzantine brick vaults.

The façade of Palau Güell

A striking feature of the front façade are the two large gates through which horse-drawn carts could enter without having to get in and out in front of the house. The background for this was the building site, which was very unusual for a city palace, in the middle of the poor district of El Raval, where Güell’s parents lived, and the fact that the builder wanted to live as close as possible to his parents. This allowed Güell and the other residents of the house to avoid contact with their poor neighbors. In addition, Gaudí built an above-ground tunnel connecting the back of the Palau across the courtyard to the back of his parents’ house, so that family members could visit each other without any contact with neighbors.

In front, between the gates of Palau Güell, there is a wrought iron work representing the Catalan flag. Above it is the well-known dragon, also a sign of Catalonia as well as guardian of the entrance. Both show that both the client and the architect were very patriotic.

The interior of the Palau Güell

At Palau Güell, Gaudí’s efforts to overcome historicism and find a new formal language are clearly noticeable. While parts of the façade are reminiscent of a Venetian palace (as a reminder that Güell’s mother is from Italy), the interior of Palau Güell houses a rich array of craftsmanship, inlays, specially designed furniture and decorations. The furniture pieces were all designed by Gaudí himself and are impressive not only for their design but also for their style, combining modernism with classical elements. The elaborate vaults and ceilings are particularly impressive.

On the roof, the playful figures and shapes can already be found (in the form of the covers from the chimneys and ventilation towers), such as those familiar from Parc Güell. Overall, the building leaves a dignified and majestic impression – an effect that Gaudí consciously aimed for as a tribute to his client.

Inside, Palau Güell is structured into several levels. In the basement were the horse stables and bedrooms for the servants. Stairs led the residents and guests to the first floor of the house. The mezzanine floor housed, among other things, the workrooms and a library of the master of the house, Eusebi Güell. Above this is the center of the house, the Beletage. The most magnificent room of Palau Güell is a 17-meter-high salon, decorated with wall paintings, with a parabolic dome on the roof. On the second floor were the private rooms of the family, arranged to the gallery of windows facing the great salon. Finally, in the attic were the rooms of the domestic staff and utility rooms, such as kitchen, pantry and washrooms.