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Sagrada
Familia:
Of
all the architectural masterpieces in Barcelona and in Catalonia, the
Sagrada Familia is undoubtedly the one with the most important symbolic
value. It is the symbol of the modernist architecture of Barcelona and the
most influential work by Gaudí. The
Temple was originally a private initiative, that of Josep Maria Bocadella,
who chaired the Associació Espiritual de Devots de Sant Josep. Work began
in 1882 under the direction of Francesc de Paula Villar, who intended to
give the work a neogothic style, in fashion at that time. However, the
differences between the architect and the municipality led him to give up
the project. He was replaced by Antoni Gaudí i Cornet who, from then on,
would give the work his own personality. The
Temple has three façades, one of which looks onto the streets Marina and
Cerdenya, the so-called Birth, which was built in the year 1891. The
second one is the Passion, with the door of the Faith. It is presided over
by the symbol of Saint Joseph, and includes groups of sculptures devoted
to the visitation and to the infancy of Jesus. There are three groups of
sculptures in the symbol of Jesus: the Annunciation, Nativity and
Coronation of the Virgin. Lastly,
to the left can be found the door of hope, with the symbol of Mary and
scenes concerning the holy family (a rock from Montserrat mountain, the
spiritual heart of Catalonia, was placed on the crest). The
main façade which faces the sea evokes the Glory of God. The Towers,
which are the main symbol of the temple, are more than 100m high and,
according to the plans, above them, at 170m, crowning the central dome of
the nave, a symbol of the Saviour will be installed. Before
his death, Gaudí had time to complete most of the interiors of the
temple. The architect was so obsessed by this project that he even slept
in the temple. It is thought that a distraction due to being lost in
thought about the work may have been what prevented him from seeing the
tram which knocked him down in 1926. When
Gaudí died, the architect Sugrañés i Gras took over the project until
1935, when the work came to a standstill because of the Civil War. After
the interruption of the war, the architect Quintana i Vidal took over the
work, followed by Lluís Bonet, Isidre Puig, Francesc de Paula Cardoner
and the current coordinating architect, Jordi Bonet. The
sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs is currently in charge of the sculptures (which
some people criticize for their stylized lines, considered to be too
distant from the original idea of Gaudí). The
best way for visitors to get to know Gaudí's projects is to visit the
Sagrada Familia Museum, which exhibits abundant graphic material on the
design of this temple. Visitors can climb to the top of one of the towers
of the temple, which offers extraordinary views both of the city and of
the temple itself. Barrio
Gótico:
The
Barri Gòtic is the centre of Barcelona, where the city originated, and
where the main public buildings are located: the Palau de la Generalitat,
the Town Hall, the Cathedral, the Palau Reial. Barcelona
originated in Roman times and, despite its transformation in the Middle
Ages, there are still traces of its origins. The
Cardus, an ancient Roman road which went from east to west of the city,
coincided with the route of Calle Del Bisbe and the north-south axis, the
Decumanus, is now covered by Carrer de la Llibreteria and Carrer del Call. The
Roman walls, a short stretch of which can still be seen today, formed an
irregular square, and can be reconstructed thanks to the remains of its
outer walks: -
Tapineria and Sots-Tinent Navarro to the north; -
Avinguda de la Catedral and Plaça Nova to the west; -
and Carrer de la Palla to the south. In
the higher area of Mons Táber, a hill where the ancient Roman city
originated, behind the current Plaça de Sant Jaume, was the forum, with
the administrative buildings of the city. Subsequently
Counts, Kings of Aragón and ecclesiastical bodies adorned the
neighbourhood over the following centuries with numerous monuments, some
of which we will now discover. The
Cathedral began to be built in
1298 during the rule of James II of Aragon and completed in 1454. It
is one of the masterpieces of Spanish gothic. Despite its modest
dimensions, not comparable with other big cathedrals such as those in
Burgos or León, the temple is very rich in architectural elements. The
temple has a fountain where the Ou Com Balla ritual takes places,
consisting of an egg placed on top of the jet of water, which remains
suspended there thanks to the force of the water. The
current façade is 19th century and was designed by Josep Oriol Mestres
and August Font, and sponsored by the famous Catalan businessman Manuel
Girona. Parque
Güell:
Designed
by Antoni Gaudí i Cornet and built from 1900 to 1914. The
assignment of this project was made by the count of Güell as an
aristocratic city-garden with single-family residences. The
project finally wasn't a success and consequently it became a municipality
property and since 1923 being transformed in a public park. The
main gateway show two administrative pavilions made in stone, roofs of
Catalan vaults and covered of "trencadis" (surfaces covered with
irregular ceramic pieces) who is also profusely present in the park and
also in other Gaudí works and Art Nouveau architecture. Both roofs of
those pavilions are crowned by original domes remembering mushrooms, the
left building show a stylized tower with the Gaudí typical four branches
cross. Entering
into the park, it is a stairway divided by different figures before to
arrive to a colonnade hall with 86 massive columns sustaining the big
square. It is interesting to look at the colored plafonds (designed by
Josep Maria Jujol) on the roof. The
big square is a nice balcony overlooking Barcelona and the sea. The square
is delimited by an undulated bench covered itself with "trencadis".
This large square is used as a place for cultural and popular meetings. The
park is developed around this central square. A
large network of serpentine paths with extraordinary architectural
solutions is the perfect solution to walk quietly to enjoy nature and look
at this Gaudí artwork. Camp
Nou:
You
can visit every corner of the stadium and get a firsthand look at the
places where day to day life takes place at the club and feel the magic of
a five star venue. The Camp Nou Tour takes you through the past and
present of an emblematic stadium for both Barça supporters and other
football fans alike. The
Camp Nou Tour also includes a visit to the Club Museum, where you can
spend as long as you like admiring all the different trophies, photographs
and personal belongings of the legendary stars that have all helped make
FC Barcelona what it is today. Barcelona
had outgrown their old stadium, Camp de Les Corts, which had held 60,000
supporters. The Camp Nou, built between 1954 and 1957, was designed by
architects Francesc Mitjans-Miró, Lorenzo García Barbon and Josep
Soteras Mauri. FC Barcelona won their first game at Camp Nou in impressive
fashion, a 4-2 victory against Legia Warsaw, with Eulogio Martínez
scoring the first goal at the new stadium. Over 90,000 fans were present
at this momentous occasion. The
stadium capacity has varied, opening at 93,053 but growing to 105,000 for
the 1982 FIFA World Cup. With the outlawing of standing sections at the
stadium in the late 1990s, its capacity settled to just below 99,000. One
of the stands displaying Barcelona's motto, Més que un club meaning More
than a club. The
stadium's facilities include a memorabilia shop, mini pitches for training
matches, and a chapel for players. The stadium also houses the most
visited museum in Catalonia, El Museu del Barça, which receives about
1,200,000 visits per year. The museum was inaugurated in 1984 under the
presidence of Josep Lluís Nuñez. The museum shows 1,420 pieces about FC
Barcelona's history, of which 420 are trophies. The inauguration ceremony
of the 1982 World Cup was held on June 13. In front of a 100,000-strong
crowd, Belgium beat Argentina 1-0. |
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