A Visit to Palau Güell, Antoni Gaudí's Early Work in Barcelona

You expect to feel like you're walking through history when you walk through a normal museum, but what about when you walk through a museum that used to be a house? Like a normal house that people previously lived in. This is what you experience when walking through Palau Güell in Barcelona. It is a wonderful experience to see architecture that is over 100 years old, designed by the famed Barcelona artist, Antoni Gaudí.

This house-turned-museum is located near the Gothic Quarter and just steps away from La Rambla. It was built 1886-1890 by Antoni Gaudí for Eusebi Güell, so it holds quite a bit of history, if for no other reason than the age of the house. However, this commission was one of Antoni Gaudí's earlier works that contains the essence that all of his other works exude.

In 1945, the house was donated to the Barcelona Provincial Council by Güell's youngest daughter with the stipulation that it be used for cultural purposes. The location was then declared an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, listed under the heading "Works of Antoni Gaudí".

Entering the museum, you are greeted with an area to pick up information about the things you'll see, as well as a walking tour available in many languages, so you can have a deeper understanding of everything you see and fully understand the history of everything you see. Since I was walking into this museum with no information about Antoni Gaudí or any deep history of Barcelona, I really appreciated the walking tour.

The architecture throughout the house was magnificent. When you start the tour, you are shown a model of the entire house so you can easily see the architectural elements visible across the outside of the house that you may miss because there is so much to look at. This helped me better see how all of the architectural decisions mesh together.

Leaving the model of the house, you start to walk through the rooms of the house. I started with the horse stables that are in an underground/back portion of the building. It was very interesting to see the structure because it is beautiful, although it is just a place to hold and care for horses. That is one thing that is amazing about seeing Antoni Gaudí's work throughout the Palau.

Walking through each room gives you something new to enjoy. From stained glass windows to wood carvings, there is something to love in each room. Some of my favorite parts were the gorgeous stained glass windows, intricately carved railings, and intriguing metalworks.

Finishing off the tour is the roof. Now, normally, a roof won't be much of a spectacle; however, it definitely is here. There are spire-like objects all around the roof. They are so intriguing because they are stone and tile mosaics, and none of them look the same. A place an artist would truly love. I feel like I could sit out there and paint or draw all day long.

There are so many different things to see in Barcelona, Spain, and I know you don't want to miss any of it. Be sure to add Palau Güell to your list of places to visit because it truly is a good experience. It was a great introduction to Antoni Gaudí since you will learn about him the entire time you are in Barcelona. He was a key artist/architect for the city and continues to influence the work of today.