The original plan for Parc Guell was not to build a park, but to build a private residential garden city for wealthy Barcelona residents who want to escape the noise and bustle of Barcelona center.
The task that Gaudi was originally commissioned by Josep Guell to complete, was to design the infrastructure for this property development, so that Parc Guell would be divided into 60 plots of land ,that would be sold for 60 individual houses to be built. This plan didn't work. Only one plot of land was ever sold and only 2 houses were ever built in Parc Guell.
Many years later, when it was obvious that the plan to sell houses on this piece of land had failed miserably, was the Park Guell development converted into the public park that we know it today.
This vast plaza below was originally intended to be a theatre for all the residents of the garden city to enjoy. It was called the Greek theatre and Gaudi designed seated that could be erected for performances, so that spectators could enjoy a show with a backdrop of breathtaking views of the city and the sea. The plaza itself measures 79 metres by 36 metres.
The magical never ending curvaceous bench, which snakes its way around the perimeter of Park Guell's main plaza like a multi-coloured serpent. This is a true Gaudi masterpiece.
The entire bench is decorated with a technique of using broken shards of broken tiles and pottery to form a colourful mosaic. This is called "trencadis" in Catalan, or also called "pique assiette."
Guadi and his collaborating architect
Josep Maria Jujol were pioneers in this technique. In Park Guell Jujol created abstract waves and circles of ceramic mosaics interspersed
with traditional nature objects like flowers, shells and stars for this magnificent decoration.
Half of the Park Guell plaza is built on the solid ground of the mountain. The outer part is built over the Greek forest style columns of the Sala Hipóstila below. The Sala Hipóstila was intended to be the market place for the garden city.
The Sala Hipóstila was originally intended to be the development's marketplace in a Greek forest style design. There are 86 classical columns, which are 6 meters high and 1.3 meters in diameter.
Today instead of many busy traders it is home to a rotating stream of classical guitar players much to the delight of visitors.
Close-up of the mosaic on the serpentine bench at Parc Guell Barcelona
It is said, that when they were creating the bench decoration, the park construction workers would pick up bits of broken tile and glass, which they found on their way to work at Park Guell. Jupol even smashed up some of this own dinner service to find the right pieces that he needed. And he raided the kitchen for crockery from the other resident of Parc Guell at the time, the lawyer Martín Trías Domènech.
Even the bubbles seem to be influenced by Antoni Gaudi in this magical park!
Gaudi designed the gate house and administration building in a fairytale gingerbread house style.
The dragon guardian of the subterranean waters in the fountain at the main entrance to Park Guelle is a popular photo spot for tourists.
A tourist gets carried away! Respect for art is overshadowed by the eternal quest for a fun holiday snap. Gaudi would probably have been amused.
The original plan to sell houses on garden city development of Parc Guell failed due to lack of interest. Only 2 more houses, apart from the original estate house, which was already on the grounds and in now a public school, to make three houses in total. None of these houses were designed by Gaudi although he did make changes to the original house that Josep Guell lived in.
This modernist house below was built on two of the original plots by an architect called J. Batllevell. It was commissioned by the lawyer Martín Trías Domènech, who was a friend of both Josep Guell and Gaudi and who became the third resident of Parc Guell.
The house below was built as a model home for the original property development. When no-one was interested in buying it, Guell suggested that Anton Gaudi buy it and move in with his father. His father died almost immediately, but Gaudi lived here from 1906 until 1925. At the very end of his life he moved into his studio at the Sagrada Famila.
Today it houses the Gaudi museum in Barcelona and a collection of furniture designed by Gaudi. His bedroom can be seen largely intact.
