Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHT
PALAU GÜELL
The extraordinary neo-Gothic mansion, one of the few major buildings of that
era raised in the Old City, was finally reopened in its entirety in 2012 after sev-
eral years of refurbishment. It's a magnificent example of the early days of
Antoni Gaudí's fevered architectural imagination, and gives an insight into its
maker's prodigious genius.
Gaudí and Güell
Gaudí built the palace just off La Rambla in the late 1880s for his wealthy and faithful pat-
ron, the industrialist Eusebi Güell, without whose support it is unlikely he'd have left a frac-
tion of the creative legacy that is now so celebrated, but at the time was viewed with deep
suspicion by much of Catalan society. Although a little sombre compared with some of his
later whims, the Palau is still a characteristic riot of styles (Gothic, Islamic, art nouveau) and
materials. After the civil war the police occupied it and tortured political prisoners in the
basement. The building was then abandoned, leading to its long-term disrepair.
The Building
The tour begins on the ground floor, in what was once the coach house, and from there
down to the basement, with its squat mushroom-shaped brick pillars; this is where the
horses were stabled. Back upstairs you can admire the elaborate wrought iron of the main
doors from the splendid vestibule, and the grand staircase lined with sandstone columns. Up
another floor are the main hall and its annexes; check out the rosewood coffered ceilings
and the gallery behind trellis work, from where the family could spy on their guests as they
arrived. Central to the structure of the building is the magnificent music room with a rebuilt
organ that is played during opening hours; the choir would sing from the mezzanine up on
the other side. Alongside the alcove containing the organ is another that opened out to be-
come the family chapel, with booths to seat nobility and, above them, the servants. The hall
is a parabolic pyramid - each wall an arch stretching up three floors and coming together to
form a dome, giving a magnificent sense of space in what is a surprisingly narrow building,
constructed on a site of just 500 square metres.
Above this, the main floor, are the family rooms, which are sometimes labyrinthine and
dotted with piercings of light, or grand, stained-glass windows. From here the stairs lead up
to the attic. This bright, diaphanous space used to house the servants' quarters, but now
