Works of Antoni Gaudí

The Works of Antoni Gaudí represent the creative architectural works of this Modernist architect from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gaudí was born in 1852, and died 74 years later in Barcelona. From the 1880s he did a lot of work for the Güell family, who supported him with money and gave him freedom in his work.

The designated World Heritage Site consists of the following works by Gaudí:
- Parque Güell
- Palacio Güell
- Casa Mila
- Casa Vicens
- Nativity Façade and Crypt of the Sagrada Familia
- Casa Batlló
- Crypt at the Colònia Güell

Year	Decision	Comments
1984	Inscribed	Reasons for inscription

Visit June 1991, August 2006

Gaudí's monuments in Barcelona are easy to visit. On our trip in 2006, we started at the Sagrada Familia. I had been there before (15 years ago), and my impression is that the construction works have taken on some speed. I have memories of an empty church, but now both the exterior and interior have a lot of new features. It even has a roof nowadays. The tourist masses hadn't changed though: this must be the most visited sight in Barcelona (together with Nou Camp, Barcelona FC's football stadium).

Second stop: the formidable Park Güell. Near the entrance it was also very busy, but further into the public park you can pleasantly sit or walk around. Just to sit on those quirky benches! We also liked the plants (cactusses, yes I know, but we don't see those daily in the Netherlands).

And finally, new to me, Casa Battló. This is one of the fine modernist houses at the Passeig de Gracia, in the heart of Barcelona. A visit to its interior is rather costly (at 16 EUR), but it's definitely worth it. With an audioguide you can tour about 16 rooms, all up to the top of the building. The house reminded me of the Town Houses of Victor Horta in Brussels, however larger and more over-the-top.

More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery

Reviews

Clyde (Malta):
I visited this WHS in November 2007. Gaudí's masterpieces can be seen all throughout Barcelona. The city's landmark is obviously the Sagrada Familia, closely followed by Park Güell. However, the highlight of my trip was entering the Casa Batilló. It was like stepping into a cartoon or into another world.

Date posted: September 2012

John Booth (New Zealand):

I agree with David's comments about the crypt at Colonia Guell. However it can be reached by FGC train S8 from Plaza Espanya to Colonia Guell station, from where you follow the blue footprints to the site.
Also, I would recommend Klaus visit the interior and the rooftop of Palacio Guell at his next opportunity. They are outstanding.

Date posted: April 2010

Assif Am-David (Israel):
That Gaudi is the most original modern architect is perhaps consensual. I truly loved what I saw (the usual Battlo, Milles, Park Guell and the Segrada Familia). I had a lovely experience walking to the Pedralbas Convent (very nice to visit!) when on my way I passed a mansion which reminded me of Gaudi. It later turned out to be Guell Palace which was one of Gaudi's earlier works. Despite being typical and original its language was more clearly related to the Wiener Secession movement. This palace too had its own twist in the columns, gilded gates and arches. It was nice to see one of Gaudi's less familiar works without so many tourists around. Afterwards I found out this palace was once a temporary royal residence and that it now houses a ceramic museum. I'm now looking forward to my next visit to Barcelona to see the interior of this house as well.

Date posted: November 2008

():
I too have admired Gaudi's querky designs. But spare a thought for the poor builders. Gaudi's designs are a nightmare to construct. It is the reason why the Sagrada Familia church has been under construction for 125 years already, and still has some way to go.

David Berlanda (Italy / Czech Republic):

In our travel around Spain we have been to Santa Coloma de Cervelló to visit one of the seven works of Antoni Gaudí i Cornet included in this WHS, the crypt of the Colònia Güell. It was commissioned to Gaudí in 1898 and he reflected for ten years on the project before beginning the building in 1908; only the crypt was built when the work was interrupted in 1914.
We have seen only this Gaudí’s work because we haven’t been in Barcelona this time because it takes to much time to visit it for combining it with the tour of almost all Spain. We decided also to visit the church apart from the travel, programmed for the future, to Barcelona, because it is hard to reach it from the city by public transports, even if it isn’t far away.
We arrived to the Colònia Güell (from the motorway A2) when the church was closed, because its opening time is from 10 to 14 and from 15 to 19 (on Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 15. So we visited before it the village (about which you can find information on the web site http://www.santacolomadecervello.org/municipi/colonia/colonia.htm), where a community working in textile industry lived. I think that the whole industrial village, even if it isn’t even on the Spanish Tentative List, can be inscribed on the WHL separately from the WHS of Gaudí’s works (in which is inscribed only the church being the only one Gaudí’s building in the village). It is an outstanding example of industrial archaeology and probably the best application of Catalan modernism in an industrial context, with beautiful works of important architects like Francesc Berenguer i Mestres and Joan Rubió i Bellver. The main features of the village, that depended directly from the huge factory, also built in modernist style, are the l’Ordal House, the l’Espinal House, the school with the teacher’s house, the parish house and the cooperative. The industrial village reminds me the similar Italian WHS of Crespi d’Adda; the application of an important modern style in an industrial complex can be seen also in the WHS of the cool mine Zollverein in Essen in Germany, where the functionalism style was used.
Then we bought the ticket for the church in the Tourist Office and went to visit it. It is really the strangest architectural work I have ever seen. I was really overwhelmed by its irregular and seemingly chaotic forms. It can seem to be everything apart a church. It is build in brick and stone and outside is characterized by the beautiful and coloured oval stained glass windows, protected by a kind of iron grate and inserted in oval sharp niches decorated with mosaics made of ceramic fragments. There is also a porch with beautiful oblique columns and vaults also decorated with mosaics, of which that over the main portal is the nicest. The interior is also the strangest I have ever seen: a sort of Neo-Gothic structure, reinterpreted in the modernist style, with all features completely different from each other. There are many different types of combined vaults and twisted columns. Also the furniture is modernist: altars, chairs, stoups… Today’s terrace on the roof of the crypt, which in the original project had to be the floor of the huge church, is also strange: there are three rectangular portals and a small bell tower of the church that had to be built.
The church, completely authentic and perfectly conserved, is absolutely worthy to be visited and justifies its inscription as one of the most important outstanding architectural works of Gaudí, who, with its creative contribute and exceptional eclectic and personal style, revolutionised the architecture and the building techniques. However I think that, even if I haven’t visited them, also other Gaudí’s works could be included in this WHS, constituted of only seven buildings.
In the photo there is the exterior of the crypt of the Colònia Güell.

Judy (Canada):
Absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely amazing. His work at Casa Mila and at Guell Park were a true work of art.

Date posted: May 2006

Joyce (Netherlands):

Ah, beautiful Barcelona! I have fond memories of my visit to the Catalan city and whenever I think of Barcelona I think of the buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí.
Whether you like the look of it or not, the famous but unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral is a masterpiece. Warning: if you are afraid of heights: do not climb the towers; going up is okay but going down is very scary ;-)
My favorite building was the Casa Mila with the magnificant roof where you can walk around for a long time. A stroll or a relaxing afternoon in Parque Güell is definitely worth your time, there are different areas in the park to discover and you have a nice view over the city.
Casa Batlló has an interesting façade, but the inside is also worth a visit.
Casa Vicens looks a bit different than the other Casas, and unfortunately the inside is not open to visitors, but you can spent some time just looking at all the details of the outside alone.

Date posted: December 2005

Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
For most people coming to Barcelona, seeing the numerous Gaudí sites is one of the main reasons for their trip. It´s definitely an acquired taste, and I can´t say I had previously been very interested in modern architecture, but these sites were really interesting and, yes, beautiful. The sites are spread all across Barcelona, but can be seen in a day if you take the subway. The Parc Güell is the largest, and in my opinion, the best of them. A public park on the north side of the city, it features many buildings, figures, statues, and other structures of the whimsical kind that Gaudí is famous for. The most famous building by this crazy genius is definitely the Sagrada Familia, officially called a temple, but really a church - one that will be finished in just a few decades... Apparently not the whole building is of WH value, but only the Nativity facade and the Crypt, which seems to be a bit small-minded by UNESCO...I found it unnecessary to brave the very long lines and to pay the entrance fee, since the good things about this building can really be seen from the outside. The site also comprises a collection of single buildings across central Barcelona, including Casa Mila, Casa Vicens, Casa Batlló, and Palacio Güell (still being renovated). Again, I thought it was sufficient to admire the facades and not see the inside (especially considering Casa Mila´s long lines and steep fees). Definitely worth the 20-minute trip to the suburb of Santa Coloma de Cervelló is the Crypt of Colonia Güell, really a fascinating building and a recent addition to the WH site.
So when you´re in Barcelona, either you´ve gone there to see the Gaudí sites, or you will see them anyway, because there´s really no escaping this man´s legacy there (is there any man who has done more for a city´s tourism industry than Gaudí has for Barcelona? Well, maybe Mozart and Salzburg).

Date posted: November 2005

Rob Wilson (UK):
The works of Gaudi are fascinating and are an excellent feature of the wonderful city of Barcelona. I'm not a massive Modernista fan myself, but I can recognise that these buildings are very important indeed.
Well, worth a look.

Date posted: November 2005

A O`Riordan (US):
Eh, it`s not my cup of tea but still a nice outing to go see these most whimsical buildings and gardens. Very colorful and modern. Watch out for rabid animals, gypsies, and "Living Statues" who will accuse you of taking their picture and demanding a good deal of money for the privaledge...even if the accusation is false.

Date posted: July 2005

Jose Gomes (Portugal):
I've lived in Barcelona for one year and I'm used to go there at least one time per year. I've visited all Gaudi's masterpieces (Parque Güell, Palacio Güell and Casa Milá) and also the Casa Batlló that opened for visits very recently. Further, I've been in other houses due to Gaudi in Barcelona (looked only the exterior) and also in the Palacio Episcopal in Leon (Castilla-Leon, Spain). In a single word: spectacular!

Date posted: June 2005

Ian Cade (England):

The works of Gaudi are possibly the biggest tourist attraction in Barcelona so these sites are very busy but still very impressive.
Unfortunately Palacio Güell was closed when I was there, so I could only see the façade which is impressive but not as adventurous as the later buildings, but the iron gates are very nice. Also it is very close to the La Rambla so very central, and provides a good starting point if you want to then head north to see the other building’s in Barcelona’s two UNESCO sites.
La Pedresa (Casa Mila) is on Passig de Gracia which is a hive of modernist architecture including Gaudi’s Casa Batillio which recently been added to the UNESCO site and to my eye it has the most impressive façade. La Pedresa is very popular so there are long queue to get in but the roof sculptures are brilliant the vaulted attic holds some interesting exhibits, the apartment however is a little dull and nothing out of the ordinary really. (Maybe not such a useful point but this was the UNESCO site with the most attractive and helpful staff I have ever visited!).
The massive Sagrada Famillia is perhaps Barcelona’s most famous site, and I guess the most visited building site in the world (although maybe New York has a claim to this now as well). It is massive in scale and the amount of time it has/will take to complete. The crypt and the museum have some interesting parts, the models of the structure and apparatus used to plan it, including the string frame with little sand bags hanging upside down I found especially interesting. Also the tomb of Gaudi himself is here. The nativity façade is also impressive with the exception of the statues which just look out of place as if they were just cast and thrown on there.
Parque Güell again is a very popular attraction so you will not have it to yourself unless you are an early riser! But the place is still very nice the two buildings at the entrance show Gaudi at his most playful so does the famous lizard on the stairs! And the tiled weaving bench is perhaps the most comfortable seat I have had the pleasure to sit on!
Defiantly as good as I had hoped. I was happy to see the site extended in 2005 to include some of Gaudi’s other works which add to the site overall.

susie (united states):
guadi was such an incredibly original thinker. his brilliance reminds me of all things beautiful in this world. i have dreamt of his city almost daily since i have been back in the states...almost three years now. it would be a shame to miss any of his works in barcelona

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