GAUDI

Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) was born in Reus close to the city of Barcelona.

The legacy he left to this lovely city can be found in works such as Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, Palau Güell, Park Güell and his most important and unfinished work - La Sagrada Familia.

As a child Gaudí had a natural love of animals and nature which is reflected in his work which contains birds and creatures, mosaics, parabolic arches, cast iron and quirky chimneys.

His work has a fairy tale magic! Hardly ever do you see a straight line - everything is curved and organic and the effect is totally stunning!

As a young architect he was surrounded by Catalan modernism. The period in Catalan is called la rexaixenca and was a time when Catalunya rediscovered its glorious past.

The rich middle class industrialists of the city commissioned the talented young architects of Barcelona to re-create their golden past in the buildings and houses they designed.

One of his early works was Casa Vicens which is at Carrer de les Carolines, 18-24, Gràcia District. It's a private house built between 1883 and 1888 in the district of Lesseps (not far from the metro and Park Güell). The house has a Moorish style, built with stone, red bricks and ceramics designed by Gaudi.

To reach Park Güell you pass through the lovely bohemian area of Gràcia. It takes about 20mins if you take the number 24 bus from Plaça Catalunya.

For some years (from 1906-1926) Gaudí lived in a house in Park Güell which was designed by Francesc Berenguer.

However, in reality most of his latter years were spent living and sleeping in the workshop at La Sagrada Familia.

Gaudí was hit by a tram in the streets of Barcelona in 1926 and died in hospital. He is buried in the crypt of La Sagrada Familia Catedral.

His work can be seen all over the city and especially in the Eixample district along Passeig de Gracia.

His most famous works such as Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and Casa Batlló are here and the hexagonal squares and street lights along the Passeig de Gracia were all designed by Gaudí.

During the summer months Casa Milà (also known as La Pedrera which means quarry in Spanish) is a great place to come and enjoy drinks and jazz on its amazing rooftop.

If you'd like to see all of his works then it's definitely worth buying a pass as this entitles you to discounts (can be bought at Casa Amatller which is next to Casa Batlló).

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