Park Güell ( ; ) is a complex of parks and gardens in Barcelona with architectural elements, located in the La Salut neighborhood of the Gràcia district in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is situated on the southern slope of the Turó del Carmel hill, part of the Collserola mountain range, overlooking the city. The separate Parc del Carmel lies on the northern side of the same hill. In the context of Barcelona's late 19th and early 20th-century urban expansion, Catalan industrialist and art patron

Eusebi Güell Eusebi Güell Bacigalupi, 1st Count of Güell (; 15 December 1846 – 8 July 1918), also referred as Eusebio Güell, was a Spanish entrepreneur who profited greatly from the industrial revolution in Catalonia in the late 19th century. Biography ...

commissioned architect

Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( , ; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalans, Catalan architect and designer from Spain, widely known as the greatest exponent of Catalan ''Modernisme''. Gaudí's works have a style, with most located in Barc ...

, a leading figure of the

aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...

movement in Catalan modernism, to design a park. Construction took place between 1900 and 1914, and the park officially opened to the public in 1926. In 1984,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

designated the park a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, recognizing it as part of the " Works of Antoni Gaudí" collection.

Description

Park Güell reflects Gaudí's distinctive artistic sensibilities and visual language, marking a specific phase in his development—his

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

period in the first decade of the 20th century. During this time, Gaudí’s study of nature and organic forms led to innovative structural solutions based on

geometric analysis Geometric analysis is a mathematical discipline where tools from differential equations, especially elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs), are used to establish new results in differential geometry and differential topology. The use of ...

. These geometric insights gave rise to his imaginative and ornamental style. Rooted in

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, Gaudí’s work exhibits structural richness and freedom from the rigidity of classical norms. In Park Güell, he introduced curved and undulating benches—a precursor to the style fully realized in the

Sagrada Família The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, otherwise known as Sagrada Família, is a church under construction in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Desi ...

. Originally, Güell and Gaudí envisioned the site as a private residential development of luxurious homes with modern amenities. The park's common spaces—stairways, terraces, gardens—were designed to embody the political and religious ideals of its creators. Symbolic references include political Catalanism (e.g., on the entrance stairway), and

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(e.g., the Monumento al Calvario, initially conceived as a chapel). Classical elements and

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

references are also present.

Origins as a housing development

The park was originally part of a failed housing development by Count

, inspired by the English

garden city movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with Green belt, greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, i ...

. The name \"Park\" reflects this English influence. The location, a rocky hill called ''Muntanya Pelada'' (Bare Mountain), contained a large house known as Larrard House. Bordering the upscale La Salut neighborhood, Güell sought to market the area for its clean air and views. The plan included sixty triangular plots for luxury homes. Güell moved into Larrard House in 1906 to promote the project, but only two homes were ever built—neither by Gaudí. One house, built as a show home in 1904, remained unsold. Güell persuaded Gaudí to purchase it with his savings. Gaudí moved in with his father and niece in 1906. The house, designed by Francesc Berenguer i Mestres, became the Gaudí House Museum in 1963 and was declared a national monument in 1969.

Municipal garden

Park Güell eventually became a municipal garden. It is reachable by the

Barcelona Metro The Barcelona Metro (Catalan language, Catalan and Spanish language, Spanish: ) is a rapid transit network that runs mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of the larger public transport system ...

, with Vallcarca and Lesseps being closest but not adjacent. Buses and tour buses also serve the park. Since October 2013, entry to the Monumental Zone (main terrace, mosaics, viaducts, and gate area) requires a ticket, while Barcelona residents enter for free. Tickets often sell out. Entry to Gaudí’s house (La Torre Rosa) is separate, with a discount available for visitors of the

. The entrance is marked by two whimsical gatehouses forming the Porter's Lodge pavilion. One housed a phone booth; the other now contains a permanent exhibit of the Barcelona City History Museum. The park's focal point is a terrace bordered by a long, curving bench shaped like a

sea serpent A sea serpent is a type of sea monster described in various mythologies, most notably in Mesopotamian cosmology (Tiamat), Ugaritic cosmology ( Yam, Tannin), biblical cosmology (Leviathan, Rahab), Greek cosmology (Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scy ...

. Designed by Josep Maria Jujol, the bench’s ergonomic form creates enclaves to encourage social interaction. A system of elevated pathways—originally intended for carriages—threads through the park. Designed by Gaudí using local stone, they blend seamlessly with the landscape. Their columns and vaulted supports mimic tree trunks and natural forms. As with his earlier work at Colònia Güell, Gaudí used inverted catenary arches to achieve optimal load-bearing compression. At the park’s highest point is a hill with steps leading to \"El Turó de les Tres Creus\" (\"Hill of the Three Crosses\")—a calvary of three stone crosses. One points skyward; the other two mark cardinal directions. From here, visitors can view the

, Torre Glòries,

Montjuïc Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Montjuïc or Montjuich, meaning "Jewish Mountain" in medieval Latin and Catalan, is a broad, shallow hill in Barcelona with a rich history. It was the birthplace of the city, and its st ...

, and the Mediterranean. Park Güell supports a diverse range of wildlife, including non-native parrots and sightings of the short-toed eagle. It is also known for hummingbird hawk moths.

Gallery of images

File:View from Park Güell Terrace.jpg, View from the main terrace File:Goelenterance06390139.JPG, Entrance to the Park File:Goeldoric06390141.JPG, Doric columns supporting the terrace File:Goelbench06390140.JPG, Ergonomic serpentine bench File:Goelbirdnests06390137.JPG, Bird nests integrated into the walls File:GuellTerraceSeperate.jpg, Terrace retaining walls File:Goelwalways06390156.JPG, Stone arcades mimicking pine trees File:Parc Güell viaduct.jpg, Viaduct designed for carriage transport File:Parc Guell 10.jpg, Colonnaded footpath under a viaduct File:Colonnadeparkguell.jpg, Vaulted retaining wall beneath the road File:Park_Guell_Tile.jpg, Tiled mosaic on the ceiling File:Barcelona 29-04-2006 11-29-38.JPG, Detail of Gaudí’s ceramic tile File:Ceiling mosaic, Park Güell, Barcelona.jpg, Ceiling mosaic in the Hypostyle Room File:Park Güell - Pabellón de entrada.jpg, Porter’s Lodge pavilion with tile roof File:Escalinata de entrada del Park Güell.jpg, Fountain at the entrance File:Casa Martí Trias i Domènech.jpg, Casa Martí Trias i Domènech File:Panoramic view of the entrance to the Park Güell. Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.jpg, Panoramic entrance view File:A musician playing among columns of Sala Hipóstila, Park Güell ( UNESCO World Heritage Site), hill of El Carmel, Gràcia (district), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.jpg, Music performance in the Sala Hipóstila

References

External links