Barcelona: Montjuic

A view of Barcelona from Montjuic

It's been a busy year, and I still have several posts to write about my trip to Barcelona last fall. So here goes:

Montjuic is a majestic hill in Barcelona. It has been inhabited, exploited and transformed over a period of some 10,000 years and its name is derived from the Jewish cemetery that was once located there. The hill was once covered in trees and the slopes were used for grazing animals and farmland. The forests were partially cleared in the 1890s, when parklands were developed. Large scale construction was first initiated in 1929, when Barcelona was the site of the 1929 World's Fair.

Outside Montjuic Castle

On a cloudy afternoon, we parked the car halfway up the hill and trekked up to the Castle, or Fortress located at the top of Montjuic. Used at various times as a lighthouse, a fort and a prison, the Castle now houses a Visitor's Center with an exhibition that presents a journey through the history of the fortress. However, there are many more sights to see on this grand hill.

One of the most impressive buildings, the Palau Nacional, houses The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, or MNAC, the national museum of Catalan visual art.

The National Palace, home of The National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)

One of the most outstanding exhibits in the museum  is the Museu Nacional Romanesque Collection, which is unmatched by any other museum in the world. Many of the works contained in this part of the museum were originally found in rural churches in the Pyrenees and other areas of Old Catalonia. 29 frescoes were dismantled and transferred to the museum as a way of protecting them from destruction, particularly during the Spanish Civil War. Each fresco has its own space. This short video gives an idea of the collection:

Romanesque art rooms

My favorite part of the museum was the Modern Art collection, and I spent most of my time there. The museum has such a vast art collection that it deserves more than the scant hour or so that we had to explore it.

Woman from Granada, Hermen Anglada-Camarasa, 1914

Another area of Montjuic houses the Olympic Village, Museum and Stadium, from 1992, when Barcelona was selected as the site for several venues of the Summer Olympics. We didn't have time to explore this area, as we were more interested in seeing the art museums and natural resources on Montjuic.

Olympic Village and Stadium

We also had the chance to visit the Fundació Joan Miró, an art museum with a large and impressive collection of the works of Joan Miró.

Fundació Joan Miró

There is also a Botanical Garden located on Montjuic, though we didn't have time to visit it. Since we had a car, we were happy to find ample parking at the various sites on the hill. Another way to reach the top of the hill is by taking the funicular from a metro stop in downtown Barcelona. Sounds like fun! All in all, Montjuic has a lot to offer and one could easily spend several days perusing its sights.

Barcelona: Casa Batló, Part 2

Going up the stairwell.

The stairwell in Casa Batló is impressive and still pristine, 100 years after its creation, Gaudi covered the walls in glazed tiles of varying shades of blue, which are lighter in color at the bottom of the well and darker towards the top, creating an even distribution of light.

Stairwell, upper floor

Stairwell, lower floor

In addition, the windows are smaller towards the top, where more natural light can enter, and are larger as one moves down the stairwell. An elevator is situated in the middle of the stairwell: its fine original wooden cabin is still in use today.

Stairwell below the skylight.

In the attic, the catenary arch that Gaudi often employed.

The attic was originally designed as a service area, to use as storage and laundry rooms. And yet, the elegance of form is obvious, characterized by Gaudi's use of the catenary arch. Catenary refers to the idealized curve shape that a hanging chain assumes, as shown below. Gaudi often used an inverted form of this curve in his architecture.

 

In the attic: a model of the catenary arch.

The roof is shaped in the form of a dragon's back, covered with large iridescent scales. The spine that forms the ornamental top has large pieces of masonry that change colors as you walk from side to side on the roof.

Along the dragon's back.

A bulb-like cross atop the tower.

The spine of the dragon's back.

Watching you!

On the other side of the roof are four groups of curved chimneys, covered with the same type of trencadis glazed mosaics that are on the facade of the house.

Curved chimneys.

Another grouping of chimneys.

Detail of the bulbous tower

The cross atop the tower signals the four directions and the bulbous root-like shape of the tower evokes plant life, a constant inspiration in Gaudi's work. Though the tower was broken while en route for delivery, Gaudi liked the effect of the broken masonry and left it broken.

Casa Batló and Guell Park were my favorite Gaudi sites and both are must-sees when in Barcelona.

For more info and fabulous photos of Casa Batló, check out this site:   Casa Batló

For anyone going to Barcelona this month (April, 2016), there will be a special celebration on April 23rd, the feast of St. George (San Jordi) at Casa Batló and throughout Barcelona.

For more information:
sant-jordi-day-barcelona

Barcelona: Casa Batló, Part 1

After Guell Park, Casa Batló is my second favorite Gaudi site. There is so much to share about this house that I'll do it in several posts. Located on Passeig de Gracia, a prestigious area of Barcelona, this structure was redesigned by Gaudi between 1904-06. Its original appearance was unattractive to the Batló family, but as they liked the location, Gaudi was hired to remodel it. Also known locally as Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), because of the skeletal aspects on the facade, it has many other distinctive features. In 2005, Casa Batló was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Front facade of Casa Mila.

As you can see, the balconies appear to be ghoulish masks, while several large windows are girded by what appear to be bones.

Closer look at the facade and distinctive roof. 

Depending on the time of day, the season or the weather, Casa Batló can appear grey and gruesome or magically alive with color and whimsy.

An even closer look, showing the mosaic overlay.

Pieces of colored glass and ceramic mosaics on the surface of the facade create an undulating effect, as in Monet's water lily paintings, or like ripples on a lake. The large glass discs were made by Gaudi and his collaborator Jujol during their sojourns in Mallorca. The house is awash with curves, swirls and colors that clearly reflect how Gaudi was inspired by his love of nature and the sea. The wooden staircases and doors are nearly all unique and fashioned with exquisite craftsmanship.

Entering the ground floor. 

As at other Gaudi sites, an audioguide is included in the price of admission, giving visitors free rein to spend as much time as they like wandering through the building. Most of the building is used for apartments and offices, but the piano nobile, or main floor, can be viewed, as well as the attic and the roof. Gaudi was inspired by nature, favoring curves to straight lines and the house has an overall organic effect. 

Curved doorways

Curving wood banisters.

Mushroom-shaped fireplace.

Though Casa Mila seems to be more popular with tourists, I found Casa Batló to be far superior and interesting, as it gives a better sense of Gaudi's design style and use of space. It's a wonderland, and every part of it was designed by Gaudì.

Curvy doors.

Swirls on the ceiling evoke ocean waves. 

The shapes of the door handles, banisters and even the skylights were all ergonomically designed.  Gaudi shaped door handles by gripping pieces of clay and then having them cast in metal to fit comfortably in one's hand. 

Curved entrances to all rooms.

The building has a ground floor, a main floor with a terrace/courtyard, four upper floors, an attic and a roof terrace. The stairwell, which goes from the ground floor up to the roof, is a work of art in its own right and will be covered in the next post, along with the attic and roof.

Window in main room, facing Passeig de Gracia.

Dining room, leading to the terrace. 

On the terrace.

Trencadis mosaic on terrace.

More trencadis mosaics.

Barcelona: Park Guell

One of the iconic buildings in the park, formerly a porter's lodge.

By far, my favorite Gaudi site in Barcelona is Park Guell, covering 45 acres and located in the hills above the city. I was there on two separate days, hardly enough to get my fill of this amazing park. The park was built between 1900 and 1914 and was officially opened in 1926. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, along with other works by Gaudi.

The Monumental Zone entrance.

Park Guell  was the idea of Count Eusebi Guell, for whom the park is named. He hired Gaudì to create an estate for well-off families. Guell wanted the area to resemble British residential estates, which explains his use of the English word "Park'' in its name.. The Park's original intention as a housing site proved to be unsuccessful: in fact, only one of the 60 plots was purchased, and the only people who actually lived there were Guell (with his family) and Gaudi (with his father and niece).

Viaducts 

Gaudì respected the vegetation that was already growing on the property and when adding new species, he opted for Mediterranean plants that did not need much water. He also designed various systems to collect and store water, based on ideas he learned in the rural setting of his childhood in Reus.

El drac, the mosaic salamander that has become an icon of Barcelona.

Guell and Gaudì, who shared a close friendship, also wanted to create a setting that was strongly influenced by symbolism. As a result, they tried to incorporate many of the political and religious ideals that were shared by both men when creating the common elements of the park.

A view of the terrace above the Hall of 100 Columns.

The two men imagined an estate situated within a natural park. They envisioned an organized grouping of high-quality homes, complete with the latest technology to ensure maximum comfort, and decorated with an artistic touch.

The park's serpentine bench.

When it became clear to Guell that his idea was not going to succeed, he chose to halt the work in 1914. Upon his death in 1918, his heirs offered the park to the Barcelona City Council, which acquired it in 1922, opening it as a public park four years later.

Oddly, it's very comfortable to sit on! Gaudi made sure it was ergonomically suited to the human body.

The Ramp, with helicoidal (spiral) columns.

Park Guell was cleverly designed to create a peaceful, calm space that one would expect from a park. Roadways around the park were designed as structures that jutted out from the hillsides. Some roads were built atop viaducts, with footpaths in the arcades that were formed under those structures. Gaudì used local stone to further integrate them into the landscape. His structures were always created with nature in mind, creating columns like tree trunks with supporting branches under the roadways.

The Hall of 100 Columns

Drawing on the myths associated with the Temple of Delphi, Gaudì designed a "temple", complete with nearly one hundred Doric columns. (Actually, there are only 86.) It is also called la Sala Hipostila (a hall with many columns.) The space was originally intended as a marketplace for the residents.

The ceiling is completely covered in intricate mosaics. 

A closeup of one of the mosaics on the ceiling.

The intricate mosaics on the ceiling were designed and decorated by one of Gaudi's collaborators, Josep Maria Jujol. The terrace above the Sala Hipostila is bordered by what might be the world's longest bench, also done by Jujol. The unique shape of the bench enables people to converse with each other in private, even though the terrace is large.

More curves.

Curves and trees.

The serpentine bench was created using the trencadis style of mosaic, which uses small pieces of broken tiles, often taken from demolition materials and disused objects. This style of mosaics was popular in Catalan modernism, and Jujol found a good supply of broken tiles at a nearby factory.

This bench was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit Barcelona and Park Guell. as I'm mesmerized by the mosaics. I spent more time on the terrace than in any other part of the park, and took over 150 photos. Even so, I wish I'd taken more. The pristine appearance of the bench is impressive: it's hard to believe it was made more than 100 years ago. The Spanish do an incredible job of maintaining all of the Gaudi sites I visited. 

I can't get enough!

For anyone who plans to visit Park Guell, there's a need to plan ahead. The first day that we visited, we discovered there would be a three-hour wait to get into the Monumental Zone, where the main attractions are. Though most of the park is free, they limit the number of people in the zone at one time, and you need a ticket with a specific time and date to be admitted. We had plans to be in another town that afternoon, so were unable to wait, which was a huge disappointment. However, I was coming back to Barcelona on my own, and bought a ticket for a return visit that weekend. Just keep in mind that Barcelona is crowded with tourists, spring, summer and fall, so getting tickets in advance is a must for many Gaudì sites.

One of the unusual collonaded pathways in the park, in the Portico of the Washerwoman

Another consideration when visiting the park is the location. On our first visit to the park, we took a taxi from Sagrada Familia to the park, which cost about 8 euros. It might cost more from the city center. However, there's a bus from Placa Catalunya that only costs 2 euros and goes right to the park. It's much too far to walk to the park from the city center, so plan on finding transportation to get you there.

Another unusual viaduct, inspired by bird nests. 

I ended up spending nearly 5 hours total during my two visits to the park, and I wish I'd spent more. There was much more of the park to see, and I whizzed by some parts of the park that were worthy of more attention. There are two museums at the Park that I bypassed, as I simply couldn't bear going indoors. I also skipped the souvenir shop. There were many footpaths and levels of the park that bear further scrutiny. Earlier in the day, I'd noticed locals using the park paths on their morning run.  It seems another visit to Barcelona and Park Guell is in order!

The gift shop: quaint and adorable.