The Casa Batlló in Barcelona was rebuilt for a local tycoon in the early 20th century by Antoni Gaudi. Today it is a monument of architecture in Catalonia and all of Spain, loved by Barcelonans and visitors to the city.
Construction of Casa Batlló
The owner of this tenement house originally planned to demolish it and build a new house in the vacant place, but Antonio Gaudi decided that the old Casa Batlló was simply enough to rebuild, to reconstruct.
Interestingly, the owners of the house had innovative views on modern art, including. architecture. They asked Gaudi to create something extraordinary, daring, astonishing from their banal income house.
This preserved the original structure of the old building and did not require the destruction of the houses standing next to it. Antonio Gaudi simply created designs for two facades of the Casa Batlló: one facing the boulevard, the other to the inner side of the neighborhood.
Gaudi remodeled the ground floor, built an expansive basement and attic, and designed new furniture. An original terrace with steps appeared on the roof of the Casa Batlló.
Great idea – building a back patio, resulting in much better lighting of the house during the day. Gaudi later applied this idea to the design and construction of his other buildings.
Researchers and connoisseurs of Gaudi’s work are convinced that the Casa Batlló is a new step of the architect, from this project he found his own style of architecture, he stopped imitating other styles and architects.
Features of the Casa Batlló
Antonio Gaudi stopped using straight lines in his designs for the first time. He was always convinced that there are no straight lines in nature, so you shouldn’t use them in architecture either, it’s unnatural.
Wavy lines are often used in the decoration of the facades of the Casa Batlló and its interiors. Many experts have explained the symbolism of the building’s façade facing the boulevard.
The most credible opinion is that the Casa Batlló in Barcelona symbolizes the figure of the dragon, a favorite mythological character of Antoni Gaudi. The dragon and the salamander also appear frequently in his other works.
The defender of Catalonia is St. George. His victory over the dragon is a victory of good over evil. The front of the house is the scales of a dragon, covered with the bones of its countless victims. In his back, on top of the roof is a sword of St. John the Baptist. The tower of St. George is a tower with a cross.
The building
In the course of a major restructuring, the house greatly increased its area and height. The area has increased by a third and today is more than 4,000 square meters, and the height is more than a third – almost 33 meters and has 7 floors + 1 basement floor.
In this house, Gaudi had thought out the structure and decor in advance. In the backyard, he created a unique play of light and shadow, gradually changing color from white to blue shades, thus achieving almost uniform illumination.
All the decorations in the Casa Batlló are made by the best craftsmen of their time. The best blacksmiths of Barcelona and Catalonia, the Badia brothers, worked on the wrought iron décor; the famous glassblower Pelegri created the stained-glass windows, etc.
All the furniture designed by Antoni Gaudi and created by the best furniture makers in Barcelona is now in the Museum of the great architect located in Park Guell, another immortal creation of the master.
The rebuilt Casa Batlló became a model of Art Nouveau architecture for its owners. After this building, new modernist style houses appeared in Barcelona, making the city a European center of modern architecture.
Casa Batlló (or Casa Batlló) was recognized as an architectural monument of Barcelona in the 1960s. A few years later, it was declared a national monument of Spain. At the beginning of the 21st century, the house was included in the famous UNESCO list.
Facade
The first thing that catches your eye is the curved façade, decorated with stone and mosaic ceramics of different colors. Balconies and window frames look like animal bones. The roof of the Casa Batlló is like the curved spine of a dragon.
Tourists are especially attracted by the amazing stained glass windows on the facade of the building. You can see that the architect has found his way, he no longer has idols, he rejected the generally recognized standards, rules and axioms in architecture.
Rooms and apartments
On the first floor is a large apartment with a glazed balcony, where Señor Baglio and his wife lived. The basement housed various offices and retail establishments. And the apartments on the upper floors were rented.
The lucrative apartments could be accessed through the courtyard by stairs and then by elevator, which still works today. You can also enter a private private courtyard through the dining room and balcony of the Baglio family.
Interesting things about Casa Batlló
In every line, in the exterior and interior of this house you can see a certain message of the great Gaudi. What did the author want to say to posterity, what was his idea, whether we have managed to unravel everything after a century?
Antoni Gaudi always drew his creative powers and inspiration from nature when creating his next masterpiece. He had a divine gift: to see in trees and animals, their shape and color, power and beauty, to then use in his favorite architecture.
Of great interest is the glazing of the mezzanine, the House has large windows overlooking the boulevard. They are quite easy to raise, thanks to a system of counterweights, and open up a wonderful panorama of the entire length of the large room.
The apartments in Casa Batlló have no numbers; they are signed with a unique, one-of-a-kind font that Gaudi himself invented specifically for his masterpiece.
Most of the interior decor in Casa Batlló is made of wood, almost all preserved and today housed in the Gaudí Museum. According to this decor even today can be the art of young decorators.
Gaudi first created a mosaic from ceramic shards; it was his idea. Today, such a mosaic adorns the interiors of many buildings around the world. Mosaic decor always looks fresh and unique.
Excursions to the Casa Batlló
Today this house has been turned into a museum, with daily tours by residents of Barcelona, young architects and just tourists from all over the world. Antoni Gaudi’s masterpieces are unusually sought after (Casa Amalle, Mila, etc.).
You can visit the museum with a guide from the tour desk or with a private guide, including. who speak the Russian language. For more professional information in the field of architecture, we recommend to go to the museum with a guide.
A guided walk along the boulevard on which Casa Batlló stands, and a tour of it, as well as other monuments of modernist architecture, will cost a fan of Gaudi only €40 or 3,020.4 rubles.
If you decide to visit the Casa Batlló on your own, you can buy an audio guide, which has a Russian translation. This way you get full information about the architect and his creation.
With the help of the audio guide, the tourist will get all the important information, explore the significant objects, and look around the entire building. You can also buy a video guide, which virtually takes you back to the time when the Balho family lived in this house.
How to get to Casa Batlló in Barcelona?
Casa Batlló is located at 43, Passeig de Gracia Boulevard, Barcelona.
Casa Batlló on the map of Barcelona
You can get here by shuttle buses NoNo. 7, 22 and 24. If you walk, the main landmark is the Plaza Catalunya, it will show you any local resident. Walk to the northwest side of the square and from there exit to Paseo de Gracia Boulevard.
There is also a city tourist bus number 3A, which has a stop on Paseo de Gracia, near Casa Batlló. There is a metro station with the same name nearby; you can get there by subway lines L2, L3 and L4.
Opening hours and ticket prices for the Casa Batlló Museum
The museum works every day, without holidays and weekends, from 09-00 to 21-00. The last group of visitors is let in at 20:00.
Tickets can be purchased offline at the box office, located at the entrance to the museum, as well as online on the museum website at: www.casabatllo.es/ru When purchasing tickets online visitors receive a video guide – as a gift.
- Adult ticket – €22.5 or 1,699 rubles.
- Tickets for children under 18 are €19.5 or 1,472 rubles.
- Children under 7 years old – free admission with parents.
- Students and pensioners – admission with supporting documents – €19.5 or 1,472 rubles.
There is an excellent store where you can buy great souvenirs made in the Gaudi style as a memento of the Casa Batlló. There are gifts for every age and budget. Trivia like postcards, key chains or magnets cost just one euro.
Casa Batllo video tour
Reviews about Casa Batlló
Vera Sitnikova, Chelyabinsk, 54:
Connoisseurs of Antoni Gaudi’s work will be delighted. To see the Casa Batlló not in glossy pictures, but in real life is pure beauty. Be sure to bring a camera or at least a cell phone.
Andrei Gomelsky, Voronezh, 43 years old:
Be sure to read about Gaudi and watch videos of his masterpieces before Barcelona. He worked in the Art Nouveau style, which to many today would still seem a style of the distant future, so magnificent is it.
Konstantin Rebriev, Novosibirsk, 32 years old:
If you’ve never seen Antoni Gaudi’s architecture, there are an incredible number of discoveries ahead of you. I envy you, for you have yet to touch the Great Master’s brilliant insights.
