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I just regret not having seen this during my trip to Barcelona...i love this building! Well, we saw Sagrada Familia, and of course, only from the outside...but we didnt even pass by this one =[.
This is the Casa Batlló, built in 1877. The local name of the building is House of Bones (Casa dels ossos) and it does
indeed have a visceral, skeletal, organic quality .
The building looks very remarkable — like everything Gaudí designed, only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work.
Much of the facade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was linked to the back of a dragon or dinosaur.
A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the sword of St. George - patron of Catalonia.
4 comments:
Very cool. I think I have a 100 year old postcard of this same building.
It just means you need to go back to Barcelona. Even when it's crowded, this building is so magical...the interior even more so than the exterior. I had been there as a child, but went back earlier this year. When you consider not only the aesthetics, but also the design for natural light and airflow...the man was a genius. I really hope you have a chance to go back and see it.
Ana! I was checking Spanish postcards to not send you a repeated one... and found you already have a view of Casa Batlló. There are so many views of this beautiful building that I am tempted to send another one! I also discovered that you came to Barcelona once! What a pity you didn't see this building, at least from the outside! The street where it is located is called "Passeig de Gràcia" and it is one of the main avenues in Barcelona. I just got to know that Casa Batlló is an UNESCO site as it is one of Gaudí's works (and they are UNESCO World Heritage Sites). Here it is: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/320
I just hope that next time you come to Barcelona you visit Casa Batlló! It is magical! And maybe we can meet as well! :)
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