CASA BATLLÓ

Description

Essentials about Casa Batlló in brief

Casa Batlló is certainly one of the architectural gems of the city of Barcelona, which is so interesting from an architectural point of view. Many people claim that it is the most beautiful house in Barcelona designed by the world-famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. No wonder that the Casa Batlló is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit is therefore recommended to everyone traveling to Barcelona.

The architecture of Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is located on the boulevard Passeig de Gràcia. Built in 1877, the building was completely rebuilt by Gaudí for textile industrialist Josep Batlló i Casanovas between 1904 and 1906 in the style of Modernisme (Catalan Art Nouveau). The richly colored building reproduces the legend of Sant Jordi (Saint George), the patron saint of Catalonia, who fought against a fearsome dragon. The roof symbolizes the large, shiny scales of the dragon, and in the cross on the roof, with a little imagination, you can see the lance of Saint George. The wrought-iron balconies represent skulls and the gallery on the second floor represents the mouth of the dragon. In the window openings are columns modeled on the shapes of bones.

As is typical of Gaudí and Catalan Art Nouveau in general, the architect based the design of the house on nature. Thus, the entire facade is dotted with flowers, and inside, curved and organic shapes dominate the walls, ceilings and even the furnishings. The shapes on the second floor of the residential building are reminiscent of plants and caves, and the balcony parapets are reminiscent of skull bones. The chimneys on the roof do not serve as chimneys, but are part of an ingenious ventilation system that keeps the house nice and cool even in summer without the need for air conditioning.

The Block of Discord

Casa Batlló was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005, along with other works by Gaudí. It is currently privately owned by a family, but can be visited. Directly next to the Casa Battló are two other houses of famous Catalan architects from the Modernist period: Casa Amatller by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Casa Lleó Morera by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Due to the competition between the three star architects and their different styles, the ensemble of buildings is often referred to as the “Block of Discord” or the “Apple of Discord”. To this day, architects and architecture enthusiasts argue over which of the three houses is probably the most beautiful.