Travel Essentials - From Guidescapes Barcelona

The streets of the Eixample were laid out in a grid, with an open square at each junction, made possible by the fact that the facades facing onto the square were angled to grant the inhabitants a better view. But the Eixample is much more than a grid of streets. It became the ultimate expression of a new form of art & architecture known in Barcelona as Modernisme, and elsewhere as Art Nouveau. Barcelona’s wealthy traders commissioned the great architects to design their houses and public buildings in the Eixample, and they did so with unmatched flair and individuality.

Near the Passeig de Gracia is what’s known as the Quadrat d’Or - the Golden Square, because there is a concentration of many different styles and some of the best examples of Modernisme. The best buildings were built between 1890 and 1910. The Illa de la Discordia (Island of Discord) is a notable block which includes Casa Lleo Morera by Domenech i Montaner, Casa Amatller by Puig i Cadalfalch, inspired by Moorish designs, and Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi, with its magnificent roof and stained glass interiors. These three men are probably the most well-known of Barcelona’s Modernistas.

Other remarkable designs in the Quadrat d’Or are Casa Mila (La Pedrera), which is all wavy lines and fanciful chimneys, and Casa Vicens which draws from Spain’s Moorish past. Both are by Antoni Gaudi. Case Terrades is another Puig i Cadalfalch masterpiece harking back to a bygone era of Gothic palaces. It is known colloquially as Casa de les Punxes (House of the Points) because of its six pointed turrets. Other Modernista gems include the Palau de la Musica Catalan, Parc Guell and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau.

There are many more examples of Modernisme dotted around the city, not just in the Eixample, but they are too numerous to mention. Their sheer number has given Barcelona one of the best collections of Art Nouveau buildings in the world.

Of course the ultimate expression of the Modernista philosophy can be found in the Sagrada Familia cathedral. Work on it began in 1882, and a year later, the task of its completion was assigned to Antoni Gaudi. Despite the fact that Gaudi died in 1926, and the cathedral is still being built today, it is his greatest achievement, earning him recognition as one of Barcelona’s most famous sons.