Park Guell

Few people know, that this amazing place is a project, which completely failed. Together with his patron, Guell, at 1900 Gaudi decided to repeat the experience of English townhouses and conceived a garden city called “Park Guell”. Was supposed, what will be built in the park 62 home for wealthy Catalans.

But it was not so easy to sell the idea of ​​living far from the sea to the local rich, from the city center, on an incomprehensible bald mountain, because the vegetation of the park appeared much later. As a result, instead of 60 total houses built in the park 3 - Guell himself lived in one and now there is a primary school, in another Gaudi settled with his family (although he himself lived almost all the time at a construction site in the Sagrada Familia) and now there is a museum, and the third house still belongs to the descendants of the lawyer, friend guell, who apparently decided to support him out of pity.

But for Barcelona, ​​this story has a happy ending, because Gaudi has left a unique park as a legacy to the city, became the "place of power" of the city.

At the entrance to the park we are met by two gingerbread houses, as if they had just been taken out of the oven and coated with glaze on top. A guard was supposed to live in one of them., and the second is the administration of the residential complex. Now here is an interactive museum and shop. Gaudi's Roof of a House Decorates Inverted Cups of Coffee, as a symbol of the rejection of earthly temptations.

On the stairs, in the center of which the world-famous lizard sunbathes, we rise to the hall 100 columns (them in reality 86), where a farm fair was to be held several times a week. Inside columns drainage system for filtering rainwater. Gaudi is one of the first architects in the world, who thought not only about recycling, but also cared for the environment.

Above the hall with columns is an open terrace with city views., where to rest, sitting on the longest bench in the world, which combines beauty and functionality. “Gaudi ordered the workers to take off all their clothes and sit as conveniently as possible on the previously applied layer of mortar., to get a perfect seat shape, while the material freezes ”.

Broken dishes, shards of glass, tiles in the hands of Gaudi turned into a precious finish. Collage master - he decorates the bench with intricate patterns, which hides many religious symbols.

In Park Guell there are always lines, to take a city view photo. But we will tell you one important secret - you can get into the park without queues and absolutely free of charge. 8 in the morning. Perfect, to see the dawn over Barcelona and then have time to calmly walk before, how will the buses with tourists arrive.