Güell Palace
Thursday Doors Challenge
The Palau Güell (Güell Palace) is a mansion designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí for the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell, and built between 1886 and 1888. It is situated in the Carrer Nou de la Rambla, in the El Raval neighbourhood of the city of Barcelona in Catalonia. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Works of Antoni Gaudí” since 1984.
The home is centered on a main room for entertaining high society guests. Guests entered the home in horse-drawn carriages through the front iron gates, which featured a parabolic arch and intricate patterns of forged iron-work resembling seaweed and in some parts a horsewhip. Animals could be taken down a ramp and kept in the livery stable in the basement where the servants resided, while the guests went up the stairs to the receiving room. The ornate walls and ceilings of the receiving room disguised small viewing windows high on the walls where the owners of the home could view their guests from the upper floor and get a ‘sneak peek’ before greeting them, in case they needed to adjust their attire accordingly.
The main party room has a high ceiling with small holes near the top where lanterns were hung at night from the outside to give the appearance of a starlit sky.
It was used in Antonioni‘s film The Passenger as a backdrop for the first meeting between Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider.
In 2004, visits by the public were completely suspended due to renovations; some of the stone used in the original construction was weak and has cracked over the years causing structural problems within the building. As of 1 February 2008, Palau Güell was partially reopened to the public, with access to limited parts of the building only. It is currently completely open with all restoration work completed in April 2011.
More info: WIkipedia
This is my entry for Norm’s Thursday Doors Challenge. Thanks Norm for hosting this challenge.
Güell Palace
Oh I have walked past this one, truly magnificent
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Thanks! Yes, this is in a smal street very close to La Rambla, in the center of tourism. It deserves a visit, The interior is also magnificient.
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I did not go inside, though I wanted to. Maybe I ll go next time
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This is just stunning! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
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Thanks Norm!
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Love Gaudi’s architecture–that was one of my favorite things about visiting Barcelona last summer. I don’t think I ever visited Palau Guell though, so thanks for sharing these doors!
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Thanks Sabina!!
Gaudi has some great buildings in Barcelona. This one is a modest example (it’s only a private house), but it deserves a visit. He was a revolutionary architect, for many a great artist.
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That’s fascinating. I’d never hearrd about this place. Great photos and I love the information.
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Thank you Dan!!. I’m glad you like it. And thanks for stopping by!
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Incredible architecture and workmanship and very nice shots too!
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Thank you Jane!!. I’m glad you like it. I agree with you, this architect is awesome!
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Must be one of then most original ever!
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Stunning!
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Thank you!!. I’m glad you like it.
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Great, I love Gaudi’s work and his unusual life story.
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