Güell Palace (Barcelona)
Although the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia is Antonio Gaudí’s masterpiece, the Güell Palace, built between 1886 and 1890, could be classified as his most sensitive and personal work because it is the home of Eusebio Güell, the greatest admirer of his work, a great friend of Gaudí and a patron of many of his projects.
Proof of the importance that Gaudí assigned to this project lies in the fact that he created 25 different sketches for the façade, all of them with an extraordinary finish in their plans and with exact details. This magnificent palace is marked as part of what is called Gaudí’s Orientalist Stage, in which the Catalan architect tried out Islamic and Oriental styles between 1883 and 1888.
The palace, with a floor plan of 22 x 18 meters and an annex building of 6 x 20 meters, includes a basement for stables, a porter’s office, a ground floor with a hall, a garage and an area for the rest of the services. The upper floor contained reserved bedrooms, bathrooms, a laundry area, a kitchen and a roof terrace, all in an area of almost 3,000 square meters.
It was designed with façades made of natural stone, as well as party walls made of brick with pillars, also made of brick for the basement, and stone for the rest of the floors. The palace was profusely decorated with delicate and fine elements including ceramic tiles, mitral arches, finials with domes and temples, exposed brick cartouches, and works of art such as a now-defunct fresco by Aleix Clapés. As an important detail, Gaudí collaborated with Francesc Berenguer, one of his most faithful assistants.
Proof of the importance that Gaudí assigned to this project lies in the fact that he created 25 different sketches for the façade, all of them with an extraordinary finish in their plans and with exact details. This magnificent palace is marked as part of what is called Gaudí’s Orientalist Stage, in which the Catalan architect tried out Islamic and Oriental styles between 1883 and 1888.
The palace, with a floor plan of 22 x 18 meters and an annex building of 6 x 20 meters, includes a basement for stables, a porter’s office, a ground floor with a hall, a garage and an area for the rest of the services. The upper floor contained reserved bedrooms, bathrooms, a laundry area, a kitchen and a roof terrace, all in an area of almost 3,000 square meters.
It was designed with façades made of natural stone, as well as party walls made of brick with pillars, also made of brick for the basement, and stone for the rest of the floors. The palace was profusely decorated with delicate and fine elements including ceramic tiles, mitral arches, finials with domes and temples, exposed brick cartouches, and works of art such as a now-defunct fresco by Aleix Clapés. As an important detail, Gaudí collaborated with Francesc Berenguer, one of his most faithful assistants.
Location
Civil Buildings in Barcelona
Religious Buildings in Barcelona
Museums in Barcelona
