Photos: Parc Guell

Parc Güell

Parc Güell was built between 1910 and 1914. It was commissioned by Count Eusebi Güell, and the land is his family estate. He wanted something like an English garden suburb. The original design involved 60 buildings, but that never came to pass. Parc Güell was opened as a park in 1922.

Getting to the park is a steep climb. The reward: a panoramic view of Barcelona.

	Wild things On the outskirts of the park things pleasingly unkempt.
	The birth of art nouveau? The tree may be listing, but who knows.
	Over-wrought iron Throughout the park there's some unusual iron sculpture and fencing.
	More over-wrought iron
	As sculpture
	Finally, something practical
	Catacomb With seating, if you like to hang around catacombs.
	Iron gate
	The main pavillion
	Columns and vaulting There are 84 pillars
	Mosaics
	Playing field on the roof
	Decorated bench The bench goes around most of the field.
	Side view Just to prove that the field is really on the roof.
	Ice cream stand aside some fantastical plant holders
	Ping Fellow house guest, architect, and my tour companion for the day.
	Detail This is the wall around the field, and the border of a path that goes around the top. Reminds me of trilobite fossils.
	More planters and benches on the path.
	Stone staircase
	Mosaic lizard One of several animals on the stair coming down from the pavillion.
	Gaudí museum Gaudí actually lived in this building from 1906 to 1926, but it's actually designed by another architect, Francesc Beringuer.

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