A trip to Barcelona, Spain must include a visit to Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece of design and architecture. There is no other park in the world like it.
Not a Typical Park
If there is a place that can’t be missed on a trip or vacation to Barcelona, a place that embodies so well the spirit and uniqueness of the city, it is Antoni Gaudi’s Parc Guell.
Parc Guell overlooks Barcelona, offering panoramic views of its famous landmarks and the Mediterranean Sea. It’s an uphill hike to get there, but the experience is well worth every step.
There is more to Parc Guell than its views—perhaps it’s where you view them from that make them so spectacular. The park itself is located on a rugged mountain, dotted with cacti and topped at the highest point with three crosses. A leisurely stroll will find you surrounded by trees and winding paths, with caves and walls blending into the scenery, built with materials quarried from the mountain.
A Utopian Garden
The utopian garden dreamed up by Gaudi and named after the parks’s promoter, Eusebi Guell, combined new technological innovation with natural, traditional themes to create a colorful, vibrant masterpiece of art that is unparalleled. Built to revive Catalan culture and yet encourage modernity, Gaudi designed the park as a residential complex on the Pelada mountainside far from the bustle of the city.
Gaudi Architecture and Design
Based on Gaudi’s architecture and design, Parc Guell took 14 years to build. Construction began in 1900 and finished incomplete from the original plans in 1914, due to the onset of World War I and diminished support from the bourgeoisie. The plans for housing were never realized, and the two gingerbread lodges that mark the entrance are all that sit on the park’s ground to hint of this.
And what an entrance they create. The lodges, built of stone and lined with abstract ceramic tile designs, incite fantasies of fairytales and unbelievable dreams. Despite their imaginative décor, the lodges were built with function in mind, and housed administrative rooms as well as living quarters. Their inspiration is unknown, although people have interpreted the lodges as scenes from fairy tales or hallucinations.
Gaudi's Greek Influence
No matter which direction you come from, it is what’s at the end of the winding paths, or at the top of the wide, dramatic staircases leading from the entrance that is the heart of Parc Guell. A wide open sandy square, lined from the back with palm trees, is Gaudi’s homage to ancient Greek civilization and resembles a Greek theater. It’s surrounded by a winding, ceramic bench that looks like a mosaic of colors from far away, but turns into a smorgasbord of small, carefully chosen tiles that fit together like a puzzle as you approach it.
Flowers, birds, symbols, clusters of colors, and patterns combine to form one of the greatest works of 20th century art that is functional as well as it is magical. The undulating bench, besides acting as a viewpoint and resting area for visitors, is also a drainage system for rainwater. Below the bench’s edge is the famous dragon that guards the entrance to the park, or could be a smiling lizard, welcoming visitors to Parc Guell.
Gaudi may have achieved his dream for a utopian place for people to forget about their worries and the outside world. Although no one lives there, Parc Guell is still a place that is visited by people from around the world, who can experience utopia through Antoni Gaudi’s eyes. Hopefully they find a sliver of utopia for themselves, if only for a couple of minutes.
Information from The Complete Guide to Parc Guell, published by Dos De Arte Ediciones, S.L.
