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The city of
Barcelona is ornamented with the
flamboyant structures of
20th-century architect Antoni
Gaudí y Cornet. His imaginative
and fluid style, exemplified by
Casa Milá and the Parque and
Palacio Güell, and the curving
facade of Casa Battló reveals a
gothic influence. The building
was originally a block of flats.
Gaudí was hired by the
industrialist Josep Battló to
give a facelift. Dali later
compared the facade to "the
tranquil waters of a lake". |
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Because the original
plans were destroyed during the
Spanish Civil War, Gaudí’s
magnum opus—the La Sagrada
Familia in Barcelona—will
most likely never be finished
according to the architect’s
intentions. Nevertheless,
contemporary architects continue
to work to finish the cathedral
in a manner consistent with the
peculiar genius of its creator. |
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The unfinished
church of Sagrada Familia in
Barcelona may be Antonio
Gaudí’s most significant
creation. Gaudí took over
construction of the church in the
1880s, working on it steadily
until his untimely death in 1926.
For the last ten years of his
life, Gaudí lived in a small
room on the church grounds and
devoted himself to the project.
Since 1979 work has been underway
to complete the church with the
intention of being faithful to
Gaudí’s vision, even though
the plans he left behind were
burned by anarchists during the
country’s civil war. |
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Situated on the
Mediterranean, Barcelona is one
of Spain's major ports. It is
responsible for handling the
maritime trade so important to a
nation whose isthmus location
severely limits overland
transport. |
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