Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is a modernistic building located at Passeig de Gracia 43 in Barcelona. It was built in 1875-77.

Casa Batlló is also known as 'an apple of discord'. The discord is connected to the fact that there are two other buildings designed by famous Catalan architects: Casa Amatller by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Casa Lleo Morera by Lluis Domenech i Muntaner in the closest neighbourhood. It means that three of the most acknowledged and noted architects from Catalonia designed their houses very close one to another. It causes that while we pass next to the buildings admiring one of them- we forget the previous one or compare the buildings even more, not being able to see the real value of any of them.

La Casa Batlló was originally designed by Emilio Sala Cortes for an owner of textile factories in Barcelona-Josep Batlló i Casanovas, what is an origin of the name. In 1905-1907 a conversion was performed and the building was designed once more by Antonio Gaudi. The reconstruction met a sceptical attitude of the City Council because of their incapacity to understand Gaudi's innovativeness.

Casa Batlló is a building of an unique and exceptional beauty built in sandstone from Montjuïc mountain. Waving and rounded shapes of decorative elements are supposed to resemble a lake or a sea. The façade is adorned with balconies made of cast-iron which look as traditional Venetian masks in their shape. Windows of the first floor were designed to avoid any straight lines, whereas columns around them imitate bones. Because of that the building is called "Casa dels Ossos"(The House of Bones) by some. Casa Batlló is topped with a roof in a shape of a dragon and tiles in light tones are supposed to resemble scales of reptiles. Some experts interpret a monumental cross which is situated above the white colonnade as a sword of St. George fighting with the dragon because this legend is one of the elements of Catalan identity. There are chimneys on the roof of the building in a form of attics.

The interior is furnished in art-Nouveau style with wooden pieces of furniture in unconventional shapes. The conversion of the building was planned to make the most of a natural light what means that Gaudi preceded his own epoch as it was not popular yet. The color of tiles on the walls is of a wide palette, from light to dark, but placed in a manner to exposure the interior to the maximum.

The building was renovated two times, in 1970 and 1999, without changing the original project. The house once owned by the Batlló family was sold in 1954 to the Iberic Insurance Company whereas in 1994 it was purchased by the Bernat family(owners of the Chupa Chups chain) who bought it for 75mln euro.

Since 2005 Casa Batlló is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Source of description: planerGO

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magda82
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Casa Battlo - the amazing architecture Casa Battlo is the most 'colourful' art of Gaudi I have ever seen The architecture is very nice and is located almost in the center of Paseo Gracia. The furnitures inside are a real piece of art. Also from the roof you can admire nice views of Barcelona. The entrance was very expensive - 18 euro... rating 1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 2011-10-08 00:29:10
Neighbourhood Dreta de l'Eixample (Eixample)
Price definition of price normal : 18.00
UNESCO 320bis
Geographical coordinates 41.3917175, 2.1649745
Address Barcelona, Passeig de Gràcia 43
Construction dates 1905 - 1907
More information official website
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