Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sun-Thu; these are first and last show times; from the Espanya Metro stop, walk toward the
towering National Palace.
The CaixaForum Social and Cultural Center (sponsored by the leading Catalan bank) is
housed in one of Barcelona's most important Art Nouveau buildings. In 1912, Josep Puig i
Cadafalch (a top architect often overshadowed by Gaudí) designed the Casaramona textile
factory, which showed off Modernista design in an industrial rather than a residential con-
text.Itfunctionedasafactoryforlessthanadecade,thenlaterservedalongstintasapolice
station under Franco. Beautifully refurbished, the facility reopened in 2002 as a great center
for bringing culture and art to the people of Barcelona for free.
Cost and Hours:
Free, Mon-Fri 10:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-21:00, July-Aug open late
on some days—likely Wed until 23:00, Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 6-8, tel.
934-768-600,
http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es
—click on “CaixaForum Barcelona.”
Visiting the Center:
From the lobby, signs point to
Sala 2, 3, 4,
and
5
; each hosts dif-
ferent (and typically outstanding) temporary exhibitions. Ride the escalator to the first floor,
whichfeaturesamodestbutinterestingexhibitaboutthehistoryandrenovationofthebuild-
ing, including a model and photos. Then head into the appealing red-brick courtyard, from
whichyoucanaccess thevariousexhibition halls.(Thesightfeatures generally limited Eng-
lish descriptions.)
Take the stairs or elevator up to the Modernista Terrace, boasting a wavy floor, bristling
with fanciful brick towers, and offering views over the complex and to Montjuïc. Enjoy
the genius ofPuig i Cadafalch's Modernista design, which provided state-of-the-art working
conditions—natural light,goodventilation, andeventwotrademark towersfilled withwater
(which could be broken to put out any factory fire). The various buildings (designed to be
separate from each other to reduce the risk of fire) were built on terraces to level out the
Montjuïcslope.Noticethatthere'snosmokestack.Thiswasoneofthefirstelectric-powered
factories in town.
Nearby:
ArchitecturepilgrimscanheadacrossthestreettoLudwigMiesvanderRohe's
Barcelona Pavilion,
designed to host the German exhibits for the expo and to show off the
emerging, stripped-down, strictly functional “Modernist” (i.e., decidedly
not
Modernista)
style of architecture. This humorless building—sternly staring down the CaixaForum from
across the street—is a reminder that even just a couple of decades later, architecture high-
brows already considered the over-the-top flourishes of Modernisme passé and overdone, or
even embarrassing; Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch, and company would fall out of fashion until
thelate20thcentury.Thepavilionisopentovisitors(€4.75,daily10:00-20:00,Avingudade
Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 7, tel. 934-234-016,
www.miesbcn.com
).
