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STARPOINTS
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Palau de la Música |
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Hospital de Sant Pau |
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Arc de Triomf |
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Palau de la Música: Our guided tour will explain the symbolism and wonderful decoration of this emblematic building owned by the Orfeo Català, the Catalan Choral Society.
Started in 1905, it was completed in just three years, many of the features being worked on simultaneously off site. Its steel structure enables the use of an enormous amount of glass which gives colour and light to this beautiful concert hall. The Modernista style, with its emphasis on nature, depicts the hall as a garden with a sun skylight in the ceiling and flowers and plants throughout the decoration.
Renovated in 1989 and 2004, the Palau combines the charm of its Modernista heritage with ultra modern services and facilities including an expanding stage which can cover the first three rows of seats when needed.
A symbol of Catalan culture and a sanctuary of music, the Palau has hosted the most famous orchestras, conductors, composers, musicians and singers of the century. |
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Hospital de Sant Pau: This avant guarde hospital by Domenec I Montaner is like a self-contained town, with streets, buildings and gardens. Work started in 1902 and finished around 1926, when the Hospital was finally moved from its old Gothic location in the Raval to the new building.
The access pavilion, crowned by a slender clock tower, has the exposed brickwork that predominates the whole ensemble, with mosaics depicting historical subjects, and stone capitals and corbels in the form of angels, sculpted by a young Pau Gargallo.
The entrance pavilion and the 10 pavilions located around it were built under the personal direction of Domènech i Montaner and show the highly intelligent use of stone, iron and ceramics which is characteristic of the architect. They are connected by a network of underground service passages more than one kilometre long. Thus Domènech designed a totally innovative hospital, breaking the building up into a series of cells surrounded by gardens, with a great deal of sunlight and fresh air, in which the patients and doctors enjoyed a far more pleasant natural environment than at the old medieval hospital.
In 1997 the ensemble was listed as UNESCO World Heritage and will soon be destined to cultural and educational purposes when the transfer of the hospital to new buildings next door is finally completed. |
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| Arc de Triomf: Modernista (art nouveau) entrance to the 1888 Universal Exhibition, the arch stands at the top of a wide avenue lined with lovely modernista lamp posts leading down to Ciutadella Park. We will make a photo stop at this arch which was inaugurated the year that symbolizes the starting date of the Modernista movement in Catalunya. |
