Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities not only in Europe but also in the world. It owes much of its beauty to the architect Antoni Gaudí. During his life, the master created 18 masterpieces, which today amaze with their grandeur and beauty, some of Gaudi's creations are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Let's remember 3 of Antonio's projects that are breathtaking!
House Vicens
House Vicens is a residential building built in 1885 by order of Manuel Vicens. By the way, this particular order was the first major one for Gaudi! He completed this project in 1878 in parallel with his diploma in architecture. The exterior finish was not chosen by chance: the customer was a brick and untreated tile manufacturer. In 1925, the house underwent reconstruction, as a result of which some parts were lost, but the garden was expanded. In 2005, Vicens' House was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in 2017 a museum without interior decoration was opened here.
Park and Guell House
Park Guell was created by Antoni Gaudi between 1900-1914. Its area is 17,18 hectares, gardens and residential areas are located on the territory. The concept of the project was the construction of the then fashionable garden city located on the Lysaya Gora hill. At the entrance to the park there are 2 gingerbread houses - pavilions in which the administration was located and the gatekeeper lived. In the park, Gaudí has placed all his favorite elements:
- Columns in the Hall of a Hundred Columns
- Mosaic Salamander
- A 5-pointed cross crowning one of the houses at the entrance.
On the territory of the park is the Guell house, which looks more like a palace. By the way, this building was built before the park - in 1890. The project of the house became special for Gaudí: here for the first time he combined decorative elements that will become his hallmark in the future. The facade of the building is decorated in the style of a Venetian palazzo, and the chimneys on the roof became the prototype of the columns in the future Park Guell.
Sagrada Familia, or Church of the Holy Family
The full name of the church is the Atonement Temple of the Holy Family. Its main feature is that it was built on private donations since 1882 and became one of the most famous "long-term construction" in the world. Construction, which began in 1882, was still completed in 2010. During this time, it was visited by almost 2.5 million people. The temple has a complex external and calmer internal structure, which is typical for the projects of Antoni Gaudí. The architect managed to lay the foundations for the construction of the cathedral:
- Almost the entire facade was arranged with him
- The height was determined by the architect - it was supposed to exceed the heavenly mountain Montjuïc
- Luxurious external forms determined, according to Gaudí's idea, the internal ones: the rooms inside resemble a conoid, helicoid, paraboloid and hyperboloid
- As conceived by Gaudí, the upper parts of the tower became bell towers, echoing the organ and the voices of the choir of 1,500 singers.
