WHAT TO VISIT?
Colonia Güell
The path through the industrial Colonia captivates tourists because of its charm and the tranquility this vestige of the Modernist era inspires through the palpable 19th century atmosphere kept alive between its streets and buildings. Currently, an important piece of historic and artistic heritage remains in the Colonia Güell.
Visitors can walk around all the while observing beautiful, singular buildings created by modernist architects where on can see the most typical characteristics of said movement. On the one hand, the use of brick walls as a vindication of a Catalan folk architecture, and the incorporation of new techniques and new materials such as iron or ceramic trencadis.General Public
Enjoy Colonia Güell by your own with the audioguides. If you prefer, on Saturdays and Sundays they offer a guided tour in Spanish.
Gaudí’s Crypt
“Monumental model of the Sagrada Familia“.
The main importance of the church of the Colonia Güell in so far as Gaudi goes is that this is where Gaudi brought together for the first time all of his architectural innovations. As Gaudi said, had the church been finished it would have been a “monumental model of the Sagrada Familia”
In the church we can see Gaudi created the naves single space without using buttresses, flying buttresses or supporting walls. This was possible thanks to a combination of leaning pillars and catenary arches which also result in the hyperbolic paraboloid shape of the perimeter walls. This same integrative spirit is reflected on the inside as well as in the fusion of the building with the environment –the different levels of the naves are adapted to the hill’s slope and the materials and colors used similar to those of the surrounding vegetation-
All of these elements constitute a set of original solutions which answer to the desire for synthesis between structural planning, construction techniques, and architectural shapes. Notwithstanding, these also contribute to the purely aesthetic and symbolic values of the ornamental elements. The Church of the Colonia Güell includes numerous examples of Gaudí’s control of the applied arts regarding both practical and purely ornamental decoration.
Discover Colonia Güell’s Crypt, Gaudí’s best kept secret!
The Crypt was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2005.
Exhibition
Located in the Colony’s old cooperative, it offers a global vision on what the estate was, how its people lived and the works of Antoni Gaudi.
The permanent exhibition has five areas are Industrial Colonies, The mill, People, Colonia Güell and Gaudi’s church.
Ground floor is dedicated to the history of indusctrial Colonias in Catalonia and, in particular, to that of the Colonia Güell. A 12-minute video shows the daily life of workers in the Colonia Güell through the eyes of a little girl.The most interesting item on the top floor is a reproduction of the model designed by Gaudi to visualize the church’s structure in three dimensions. This technique, invented by Gaudi in order to build his crypt, was used, along with several others developed during this time, in the construction of the Sagrada Familia.
Address
08690 Santa Coloma de Cervelló. (Baix Llobregat – Barcelona)
If you need information about the visit, contact with us.
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