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Palau Güell Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3-5

Not far from the hustle and bustle of Barcelona’s main tourist thoroughfare las Ramblas, is modernist architect and one of Barcelona favourite sons Antoni Gaudí’s Palau Güell. Located down a narrow street in el Raval, one of Barcelona’s livelier neighborhoods, the first thing that captures the visitor’s eye is an enormous set of wrought iron gates guarding the entrance to what was once the Güell family mansion.Güell, Gaudí’s patron, an industrialist and politician contracted Gaudí to design a mansion that would serve both as the family home and as a place of reference in the cultural and social circles of Barcelona’s elite. Gaudí designed Palau Güell using the innovative concept of space and light plus the use of traditional materials, stone, wood, wrought iron, ceramics and glass.

The home is centered on a main room for entertaining high society guests. Guests entered the home in horse-drawn carriages through the front iron gates, which featured a parabolic arch and intricate patterns of forged iron-work resembling seaweed and in some parts a horsewhip

Animals could be taken down a ramp and kept in the livery stable in the basement where the servants resided, while the guests went up the stairs to the receiving room

In 2004, visits by the public were completely suspended due to renovations; some of the stone used in the original construction was weak and has cracked over the years causing structural problems within the building. As of 1 February 2008, Palau Güell was partially reopened to the public, with access to limited parts of the building only. It is currently completely open with all restoration work completed in April 2011.It was used in Antonioni's film The Passenger as a backdrop for the first meeting between Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider.

Staircases of Honor

Dining room

Sala de passos perduts

Sala de passos perduts

Palau Guell planta noble The highlight of any tour to Palau Guell is the visit to what is known as the Planta Noble, where musical performance, poetry, official receptions and the like would have been held in the central room. Visitors would first have had to pass different luxuriously decorated rooms which would have demonstrated the wealth and social standing of the family. The first of which would be the L’avant-sala, a richly decorated room with a wooden inlaid ceiling and magnificent stained glass windows, the visitor would then have to pass through the sala de passos perduts before reaching the central hall. The sala de passos perduts features large windows allowing natural light to flood into the building and a series of arches and columns

The crowning glory of the Palau Güell is without a doubt the central hall, beautifully lit by the natural light which filters  down through the hundreds of tiny holes in the enormous domed roof overhead. The central hall forms the structural vertebrae from which the rest of the Palau was built around. During recitals the audience would be on the ground floor of the central hall with the organ, the superior floors would be occupied by the orchestra, the choir and finally the organ tubes. The effect was that of being surrounded by sound. Also on the Plant Noble are the family dining room, smoking room, billiards room and a terrace

The main party room has a high ceiling with small holes near the top where lanterns were hung at night from the outside to give the appearance of a starlit sky

Text: InternetPictures: Daniela Iacob & InternetCopyrights of the photos belong to each photographer

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Jose Carreras – Damunt de tu nomesles flors

Catalan Song - Damunt de tu nomesles flors "Above you Nothing but Flowers“

Above you, nothing but flowers.They were like a white offering:the light which they gave to your bodywould never again belong to the branch.

A whole life of perfumewas given to you with their kiss.You shone with the lighttreasured in the enclosing gaze.

If only I could have been the sigh of a flower!To give myself like a lily to you, so that my lifemight slowly fade away on your breast, and never againto know the night which would vanish by your side.

This song is from the CD Jose Carreras sings Catalan Songs and the translation is from the booklet that comes with it.

Dr. Josep Maria Carreras i Coll, (born December 5, 1946, Barcelona) ,better known as José Carreras, is a Spanish tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini.