Route through modernist Barcelona

Modernism was an artistic and cultural movement of the late nineteenth century that was unique in Barcelona. Find out!

The industrial revolution, together with trade and fortunes from the Indies gave way to a new social class: the bourgeoisie. This wealthy class wanted to modernize the city, make it more open and reflective of the current European cultural movements. Thus, the old walls were demolished to oxygenate a city that already had half a million inhabitants and the squared neighborhood of the “Eixample” was created, where they would have space to build their dreams.

The wealthy families of this new social class commissioned a series of architectural projects largely to demonstrate their economic power. The entire city became a true modernist museum

We will start the route through Passeig de Gracia where we find the Lleó Morera, Batlló, Milà and Amatller houses built respectively by Domènech i Montaner, Antoni Gaudí and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the great masters of Modernism.

The Ametller house can be visited in small groups. Casa Batlló is a masterpiece and jewel of Antoni Gaudí’s architecture that stands out for its design and colors. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Casa Milà, known as La Pedrera, is one of Gaudí’s most recognized works with an undulating façade that reminds us of the proximity of the sea. You will be able to visit, among the sinuous shapes and unevenness of the roof, its chimneys with magical shapes so present in all of Gaudí’s artwork.

The masterpiece of the teacher is “Sagrada Familia”, in whose details are hidden a multitude of stories from the Bible, but also of nature and Christian religious symbolism. The endless cathedral and universal symbol of Barcelona began to be built in 1882. It is an expiatory temple and, therefore, it is still financed by donations, in addition to the collection of tickets. The official end date is set at 2026.

The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. This modernist complex by Lluís Doménech i Montaner, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, can be visited since its restoration in 2014. The famous architect planned the construction of twenty-seven pavilions in the space equivalent to nine blocks in the Eixample neighborhood. Today you can stroll through these landscaped pavilions, which make up a kind of city within the city.

The Palau de la Música Catalana. This concert hall was built between 1905 and 1908 under the orders of the architect Lluís Doménech i Montaner to be the headquarters of the Orfeó Català, a choir founded in 1891 focused on spreading Catalan and universal choral music. It was built with the contributions of people of all kinds. It is essential to visit the interior to see the concert hall, which is the true heart of the Palau. Above all, the glass and iron skylight stands out, flooding the space with light and color, in addition to the stone sculptures of valkyries and muses that surround the stage.

The Palau Güell, the Park Güell and the Gaudí Crypt of the Güell neighborhood are other great examples of the magnificent work of the maestro that we invite you to discover. In them you can find the key to the Gaudí game between nature and architecture.

Accessibility

BCN modernista

• The Palau de la Música Catalana does not present architectural barriers.
• The recommended access is through the Plaza del Foyer.
• The itinerary through the interior does not present difficulties. Communication between floors is done by 3 elevators.
• The Concert Hall, like the Petit Palau hall, has areas reserved for wheelchair users.
• It has 2 adapted toilets: Ground Floor (Hall) and First Floor (large concert hall).
• It has parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities.

Access to the temple must be via Calle Cerdeña • Wheelchairs are available on loan. • The information stand has some accessibility difficulties • The entrance to the museum is accessible • The museum showcases are adapted for people with reduced mobility. • The towers are not accessible to people in wheelchairs. • The School building is practicable.

• The Sant Pau modernist site is fully accessible for people in wheelchairs. • The general itinerary of the visit varies slightly for people with reduced mobility as they must use the elevator to avoid some flights of stairs. The site staff is attentive to the needs of visitors with disabilities and facilitates alternative travel. • The pavement varies: cement, tiles or carpet in some pavilion and in the elevator. • The exhibition elements are at the appropriate height for visitors in wheelchairs. • All lifts are adapted. • It has adapted bathrooms

• It is recommended that visitors in a wheelchair be accompanied. • The Monumental Zone has some architectural barriers, although there are alternative paths and ramps that allow people with reduced mobility to make a very complete visit to the park. • At the foot of the main steps are the bar, the shop and the toilets. Each core of toilets has adapted cabins. • Access to the Gaudí House-museum is via a stone ramp whose slope ranges between 12 and 14%. Although it is not accessible, it can be seen from the outside.

  • The FGC Colonia Güell train station is accessible.
  • Wheelchair users may need help to move through the streets and paths of the Colony since some are made of sand, others have cobblestones and in some cases there are steep slopes. Even so, much of the environment is paved and can be visited properly.
  • The Interpretation Center is accessible.
  • There is an elevator to go up to the exhibition of models and audiovisuals.
  • There are adapted bathrooms.
  • To access the interior of the crypt there is a mobile ramp that can be requested.
  • The FGC Colonia Güell train station is accessible.
  • Wheelchair users may need help to move through the streets and paths of the Colony since some are made of sand, others have cobblestones and in some cases there are steep slopes. Even so, much of the environment is paved and can be visited properly.
  • The Interpretation Center is accessible.
  • There is an elevator to go up to the exhibition of models and audiovisuals.
  • There are adapted bathrooms.
  • To access the interior of the crypt there is a mobile ramp that can be requested.