Güell Pavilions: Gaudí designed the gate, the gatekeeper’s lodge, the stables and the coach house at the entrance to the Güell’s summer residence.
The entrance features the striking Dragon Gate, a five-meter wrought iron sculpture of a mythological dragon with bat’s wings, a scaly body, great fangs and a sinuous tongue.
The walls and the domes of the stables are covered with tiles, ceramics and mosaics. Today it is property of the University of Barcelona and houses the Gaudí Chair.
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Colonia Güell Crypt: In 1898, Eusebi Güell, a leading industrialist and patron of Catalan arts and literature, commissioned the architect Antoni Gaudí to design a church for the textile industrial estate that he had founded in Santa Coloma de Cervelló in 1890.
In 1908 building started and stopped, unfinished, in 1914. The lower nave, since called a crypt, was nevertheless an outstanding achievement full of architectural innovations, both technical and decorative. Gaudí was able to try out many features he would use later in his search for synthesis between the structural layout, building techniques and architectural forms: caternary arches, hyperbolic paraboloids, and harmony of shape and textures with the surroundings.
Decorative elements enhance the beauty: Gaudinian crosses, glass and ceramic mosaics, floral stained glass windows, and a seashell font.
Gaudí also tried out his 3-dimensional model, using strings and weights to calculate the arches and pillars needed to sustain the weight.
The Crypt, lauded by architects as a groundbreaking work, is a World Heritage Site since 2005. Daily Tours offer the only tour to this treasure.
After visiting the crypt we will see the modernista industrial estate, a charming enclave and in its day a great improvement to workers’ conditions.
Before going back to Barcelona you will have free time to wonder around the marvels of the Colonia Güell. |
