Parc Guell

Carrer d'Olot on the Muntanya Pelada, north of the Gracia district
Barcelona, Spain

Contributed by Project for Public Spaces

A sprawling complex of towers, galleries, pavilions and decorative landscaping on a hill overlooking Barcelona. One of Antoni Gaudi's masterpieces.

Why It Works

The extraordinary craftsmanship and unusual use of materials and plants throughout the park catch and delight the eye, making Parc Guell one of the great parks of the world. It is also a place which offers opportunities to engage in different activities, including strolling, people-watching, eating at the cafe and meeting friends.

History & Background

The park was built between 1900-1914, originally planned to be a garden city on the estate of Eusebi Guell. Only two houses were built out of the 60 originally envisioned; Gaudi himself lived in one of them from 1906 to 1926, which is now the Casa-Museu Gaudi. The museum has notable examples of furnishings designed by Gaudi and personal memorabilia.

The park remained the private garden of the Guell family until the 1920s, when the family handed it over to the municipality to use as a public park. It is one of Gaudi's most colorful and playful works, even though it was never fully completed.

Two stone pavilions at the main entrance complete the wall surrounding the park. Intended as a porter's lodge and administrative building, their stone roofs have Catalan vaults of flat-laid brick finished with pieces of broken ceramic, called trencadis. The ceramic trencadis follow the sinuous geometric surfaces, a device which gives all of the park's ornamentation a unique beauty. Each roof is crowned by a small dome and above all stands a tall, spiral-shaped tower adorned with colorful tile and topped with Gaudi's characteristic four-branched cross. A grand stairway divided by a mythological dragon or lizard (which also serves as an overflow for the cistern) leads to the large hypostyle. Parc Guell was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1984.

User Comments:

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02/01/03 Deck Deckard said:: A magical place to spend an afternoon. Gaudi's architecture, and unique designs are to be discovered around every corner. Gaudi really is one of a kind...one can only imagine what the parc would have been like if he had completed the project. It is a cross between Alice in Wonderland, and Hansel & Gretel;- complete with its very own "gingerbread houses". If you take a guide (or eavesdrop on one as I did!) you will find out that there is more then one level to the parc in terms of the overall message & the hidden meanings/imagery behind many of the architectural features (as an example, there is a big "Elephant" theme that the casual eye would miss...) Have fun discovering...! Deck
11/19/03 Frank J. Lichtanski said:: Magical!
09/22/04 Kate Snow said:: I love this park for its color, its playfulness, its topography. But the memory that stands out from my visit is of sound. I remember walking up through the quiet, deserted neighborhood around it on a sunny morning, wondering where all the Barcelonans were, and wondering a little whether I was heading in the right direction, when up the hill from me I began to hear happy voices, laughter and giggling. I was suddenly at Parc Guell and realized that I was hearing delight, inspired, no doubt by this wonderful place and space.
07/29/05 safina ali said:: I visited Parc Guell last week, whilst on holiday in Spain. I was anxious as I sat on the bus, traveling towards the Park, as I hoped that it would live up to my expectations. Well I am happy to say that it lived up to my expectations and more!! The park is beautiful and charming - I wanted to stay there all day - but sadly we had leave. During my stay in Barcelona, I have fallen in love with Gaudi's work, which I recognised all round Barcelona. His work alone is well worth a visit to Barcelona and I hope to be returning very soon.
08/15/05 Kate Spaulding said:: If you walk up to Parc Guell, the steep multi-stair climb is completely worth it once you arrive. Not only at the top do you get an amazing view of Barcelona, but as you walk downward towards the park you arrive on a mass of people clustered in this magic place. There is no other place like this in the world. The benches, columns, ceilings, and steps are all covered in mosaic. It cannot be articulated well enough how truly unique and magical this place is. I cannot wait to go back.