Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Antoni Gaudí &
Modernisme
Barcelona's architectural gift to the world was Modernisme, a flamboyant
Catalan creation that erupted in the late 19th century. Modernisme was per-
sonified by the visionary work of Antoni Gaudí, a giant in the world of archi-
tecture. Imaginative creations by Gaudí and his contemporaries have filled
Barcelona with dozens of masterpieces.
A Blank Canvas
In the 1850s a rapidly growing city fuelled by industrialisation meant notoriously
crowded conditions in the narrow streets of the Ciutat Vella, Barcelona's old quarter. It
was time to break down the medieval walls and dramatically expand the city. In 1869
the architect Ildefons Cerdà was chosen to design a new district, which would be called
L'Eixample (the Enlargement).
He drew wide boulevards on a gridlike layout, and envisioned neighbourhoods with
plenty of green space - an objective that city planners unfortunately overruled amid the
rampant land speculation of the day. With a blank slate before them, and abundant in-
terest from upper-class residents eager to custom design a new home, architects were
much in demand. What developers could not have predicted was the calibre of those ar-
chitects.
 
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