Welcome to the street known as "Mançana de la Discordia".
On this street you can find three fashionable buildings, made by three important modernist
architects.
In front of you stands the most famous one, the spectacular Casa Batlló, made by Antonio
Gaudi.
To the left of the Casa Batlló you have the Casa Amatller, designed by Josep Puig and
further down the same street, in the corner, you have the Casa Lléo Morera, designed by
Lluis Domènech.
The name "Mançana de la Discordia" means "Apple of Discord".
The name refers to Greek mythology where an apple, given by the goddess Eris "to the fairest",
lead to a dispute between three goddesses, eventually leading to the Trojan War.
In this case it of course refers to the rivalry of three architects and their buildings, instead
of the goddesses and luckily it hasn't led to any war.
The wonderfully strange house you are standing in front of was originally built between 1875
and 1877.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the house was bought by the rich industrialist
Josep Batlló who intended to tear down the old house and build a new one on the site.
He contacted Antonio Gaudi who accepted the job of designing the new structure.
Gaudi did however convince Batlló to keep the old structure and simply remodel it instead
of tearing it down.
Between the years 1904 and 1906, Gaudi completely remodeled the interior, created a new façade
and a new roof, while also adding extra height to the building.
The project was strongly discussed by the local government, as many elements of the
design completely broke away from the Barcelonan building norms and standards.
Luckily for both you and I, the project was allowed to be completed.
Even though it is based on a previous structure, Gaudi basically constructed a whole new building.
While Gaudi is the man behind the building and its design, he had help of experts within
the fields of carpeting, ceramics and iron works to complete the structure.
The name "Casa Batlló" simply means "The house of Batlló", based on its founder.
To no surprise, the Casa Batlló is most known for its outstanding façade, generally considered
one of the most creative and brilliant urban façades in the world.
The façade is, like everything Gaudi created, almost without any straight lines and a masterpiece
of Art Nouveau architecture.
The lower levels is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing
sculpted stone work.
These large windows have given the building one of its nicknames, the "House of Yawns".
If you look above the ground floor, at the large oval windows, you can see that the pillars
look very similar to bones.
This has, together with the balconies which also looks like pieces from a skeleton, given
the house its other nickname; the "House of Bones".
Much of the upper façade is decorated with a beautiful Catalan mosaic made of glazed
ceramic tiles, which makes the building look like something taken from a fairy tale.
The roof further adds to the surrealistic feeling you get from looking at the house.
If you are able to get a good look at the roof, you will see that it is arched and that
the scaly roof very much resembles the back of a dragon or dinosaur.
A common theory about Casa Batlló is that it pays tribute to the legend of the Catalonian
patron saint, Saint George, and his battle with the dragon.
The spire like feature on the left side of the roof would then represent "Ascalon", the
sword of Saint George, which has been plunged into the back of the dragon.
The bone-like features of the façade would represent the bones of all of the dragon's
victims or the bones from the dragon itself.
If you decide to go inside, you can also enter the roof and get a closer look at its magnificence.
There is of course a ton of other things to see on the inside as well.
People say it's the façade that catches your attention, but the interior that captures
your imagination.
On the inside you can find undulating walls, beautiful tile and many other decorative elements.
If you have the time and money to go inside, I can highly recommend it, as it will give
you a deeper understanding of the famous architect and his intentions.
It is also a fantastic chance to escape and become lost in one of Gaudi's dreamlands.
The Casa Batlló is today one of Barcelona's most famous buildings and it can be found
on the UNESCO World Heritage List; a testament to the uniqueness of this enchanting building.