Palau Güell

This carefully crafted building from 1886-1888 is a proud component in the world famous "Works of Antoni Gaudí", a collection of UNESCO-approved architectural highlights which celebrate this Catalan architect's career and help to protect it for future generations to enjoy.

Eusebi Güell was one of the most important donors in Gaudi's career, drawing on his skills and expertise for a number of different projects and consultations. Every piece of architecture in his lifetime would have a clear purpose and in the case of this building it is for entertaining guests. Everything was planned in this regard, from their arrival and reception to a large main room where most of the entertainment would occur. As a tycoon of industry, these types of social occasions were essential to Eusebi Güell in order for him to keep good relations with his key business contacts as well as negotiate new deals for the future. He took a great interest in the project, for this very reason. The mansion remains on the Gaudi trail and is one of the highlights of his architectural career.

The Guell family would reside here until moving to Park Güell, another of Gaudi's projects. Besides business, they were also involved in politics too, and Eusebi additionally was a patron of the arts. It required someone with knowledge and an open-minded nature to draw on the services of Gaudi who was still relatively young and inexperienced at this time. His style was also fresh but controversial which would put off some of the more traditional voices. Over time the artist would build strong relationships with several key donors who would also help to build his reptation through their own connections as well as the experiences others would have when visiting some of his completed constructions. This example is classed loosely as Art Nouveau, though this architect pushed the boundaries of this movement far beyond anyone else in terms of the artistic disciplines in which he worked and the tools and materials that he used.

Even at this early stage in his career, the artist was already demonstrating his mastery of space and light within architectural design. He would also make use of a surprisingly wide range of materials, again showing his ability to draw on all manner of techniques and ideas. At the time of its completion, he had incorporated elements of stone, iron, wood, pottery and glass within the building. Some of this was for the main structure, others as part of his considerable attention to detail over the interior of each room. He was not someone who could easily pass tasks over to others and preferred to cover every aspect of the completed palace. This obsessive nature ensured high standards throughout his work but also led to a number of projects being delivered more slowly than otherwise would have been the case. Even Michelangelo, for example, was willing to use assistants in order to complete the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes and he was a notoriously strong-willed individual.

Buy Tickets for Palau Güell

This popular venue for tourists was completed renovated fairly recently that dealt with several issues left over from the initial construction back in the 19th century. As with all other elements of the Gaudi trail, it is advisable to buy tickets online before arriving at the venue. You will save money for doing so, in most cases, but also avoid the substantial queues that can occur during peak hours. Plenty of ticketing options are available online and this can help to reduce any stress on your holiday. Besides the normal basic tickets for visitors, there are also a number of other additional things that you can add in order to get the most out of your visit. These include a guided tour from a local expert as well as late hours for those who want to go during quieter times. There are seasonal events to look out for too, such as carol singing around xmas time.

Directions to the Mansion

This location is well supported by public transport, so can be reached from other parts of the Gaudi experience relatively easily. It is accessible by metro, bus and local train routes and there are also several car parks close by too. Several tourist buses also go directly to the venue, such it its popularity, which means you can normally hop-on and hop-off without getting lost in the streets of Barcelona. More uptodate information can be found on the official website of this building, at PalauGuell.cat. This is a multi-language, well organised website with tickets available to buy online. It may be worth planning your days in advance of your visit, at least roughly, so that you arrive on these different excursions at sensible times and also reduce your daily travelling by as much as possible.