Faithful readers of the blog know I coined the clever phrase, "UNESCO means you must go!" I'm just sitting back, waiting for the royalties to roll in on that phrase!
We walked the mile to the Liceu Metro, took that to Placa Espanya, and then caught the subway train to Colonia Guell, about a 25 minute local train ride outside of Barcelona. We then had a 500 meter walk to the info center for Colonia Guell. It could not have been easier to get there.
Seven of the UNESCO World Heritage sites are by Gaudi, and this is one of them. The other two are by Domenech. I actually feel bad for Cadafalch, because he’s been shut out, even though his work is noteworthy as well.
A “Colonia” was a factory town back from the 1850s to the 1950s. Colonia Guell was owned by Eusebi Guell, a Gaudi patron whose name you should recognize from Parc Guell and Palau (Palace) Guell. Guell sure was swell, as he hired Gaudi to build what are now three/four UNESCO World Heritage sites!
Colonia Guell focused on textiles. But, it was not near a river. Instead, they relied on steam to keep the plant running. The place had a 1,000 workers, and they needed housing, medical, a school, and a church all close to the factory.
Gaudi had gotten the crypt built, and later used many of the ideas he had developed whilst planning the Church at Colonia Guell for Sagrada Familia. Of course, Sagrada Familia is on steriods compared to the crypt at Colonia Guell. Gaudi left the project at Colonia Guell in 1914 to focus on Sagrada Familia, and within two years, Eusebi Guell had further construction on the church stopped because of money problems.
What we didn’t fully realize is that Guell had hired a number of modernisme architects to build the workers housing, the school, key buildings, and the association hall. So you don’t just go to see the crypt, even though that is the prime directive of the trip out there.
The stroll through town with the audioguide was interesting enough, although the school is being reconstructed. That looks like the second most interesting part of the tour.
The crypt itself is worth spending the lion’s share of your time on. It’s no Sagrada Familia, but it’s still outrageously interesting. The colored tiles, the stained glass, the brick ceiling, and, of course, the pillars that look more like trees than building pillars. It’s the product of one of the most interesting men on Earth in the last 150 years.
The photos below don’t do it justice. When you go to Barcelona, it should be the last of the Gaudi buildings you go to, just because it takes more time to get there. That said, if you have time, it is worth the trip.
When he completed his studies at the School of Architecture in 1878 the Director, Elies Rogent, declared: “I do not know if we have awarded this degree to a madman or to a genius; only time will tell.”
The verdict is clear.
Typical street in Colonia Guell. Note
the artistry of the windows.
Chimney cap
Mr. Guell, A Man In Full.
Supervisor's house.
Gaudi Crypt
Holy water receptacle. A giant clam.
Look at the stunning brick
ceiling. And the pillar.
This bell tower was not part
of the original plan, but when
work was going to end, this
was added.
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