Capital of art nouveau and pickpockets - Works of Antoni Gaudí 320; Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona 804; Human Towers 00364; Mediterranean diet 00884
What and Why
Barcelona is now one of the most popular tourist cities, offering its visitors good art, football, food, culture, commerce and even science. It has developed itself as a significant global brand as a city and is considered one of the economic powerhouse in Spain (Spanish: España) and Europe, in spite of the country's slump. On the other hand, or maybe as a result, it is also the world capital of pickpockets and tourist scammers. It is also the epicentre of the Catalonia independence movement (independentismo catalán).
The city, from a UNESCO WHS perspective, honours two local artists, Antoni Gaudí i Cornet for his various architectural works around the city and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, who built the Hospital de Sant Pau and Palau de la Música Catalana. Both have developed the city through their respective vision of modern architecture and art nouveau, under the banner of 'In search of a national architecture (En busca d'une arquitectura nacional)'. Their influence has spread way farther than Barcelona and exerted a major global influence, and further expand Barcelona's reputation of culture.
Toponymy
Barcelona, from the ancient Iberian city name Barkeno, is usually known to be named after the general Hamilcar Barca from Carthage (Phoenician: 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕, Qrt Ḥdšt) in the 2nd century BCE. However the city now leaves very little traces of wars or fortresses as in other European cities.
See
Sagrada Família
The icon of Barcelona but never in completed form, Sagrada Família, meaning 'holy family' in Spanish, is Gaudí marquee and controversial work and where he is buried. Gaudí once said, 'My client is in no hurry. (Mi cliente no tiene prisa.)', believing that God was his real client and he had all the time in the world, perhaps leading to the temple's unfinished nature is what it makes it iconic and talked-about. The Spanish government has now restarted the construction and is targetting completion by 2026 CE, making it the tallest cathedral in the world when the central massive spire is complete. The building famous appearance looks like a huge organic cluster of ant nests due to its colour and textures, typical of Gaudí's biomorphic style. The pamphlet below shows, what has been built (in brown) and what is still under construction (in fade grey).
Gaudí's original design calls for a total of eighteen spires, as above, representing in ascending order of height the twelve apostles, the Virgin Mary (Aramaic: מרים, Maryam), the four gospels and the tallest of all, Jesus (Hebrew: ישוע, Yeshua). Only eight spires of the twelve apostles have been built as at today.
Similar to other Gaudí's works, the building embodies a lot of curves, peculiar geometries and extensive sculptures and carvings, and in way macabre symbolism, especially the main entrance. The main entrance which is unusually located at the side of the nave, the Nativity façade (fachada del Nacimiento), celebrates the birth of Jesus, and is decorated with scenes reminiscent of elements of life. This façade is more traditional in sense as the sculptures are more Gothic (French: gothique) in style and was sculptured by Gaudí himself.
The main exit of the church from the other side of the nave is the more famous Passion façade (fachada de la Pasión), which symbolises the suffering and sins of mankind and is shaped a bit like skeleton. Compared to the other facades, this side is rather macabre, austere and less decorated, as above.
The usual main entrance of the church is the Glory façade (fachada de la Gloria), which during the time of visit was still under construction and under heavy scaffolding. The main door of the church is one of the most photographed: It features the Lord's Prayer (Latin: Pater Noster) in Catalan in the foreground, but the prayer in 50 other languages at the background. The letters AG at the bottom line are highlighted in gold form the initials of Gaudí.
The interior nave of the temple, by comparison, is fairly conventional, except for the various curvy columns which intersect at the ceiling. When one looks up it appears a bit like the interior of the carcass of a big monster.
For a mathematical fetish, I cannot help notice one weird mathematical exhibit, the 4 × 4 magic square on one of the walls near the Passion façade. This magic square is not the standard 4 × 4 where every rows, columns and diagonals add up to 34. One notices that there are two 10s, two 14s, but 12 and 16 are missing. This is to add up to 33, the age of Jesus at the time of his death.
Casa Milà
Fondly known as La Perdrera, meaning 'stone quarry' in Spanish, this corner sitting building is probably the second most famous work of Gaudí. This is built for the Milà family and features not a single straight wall, free-plan floor, intertwining and inter-connecting floors and underground garage.
Casa Milà actually consists of two buildings, which are structured around two courtyards linked somewhere at the top and the base, and looks like a double torus. No floor shares the same floor plan as there is no load-bearing walls. The only load-bearing walls are the building façades themselves.
The peculiar shape and form of building brings in multiple construction techniques way ahead of its time. It also uses a lot of wrought iron, which was very uncommon.
The most spectacular is probably the rooftop terrace which features alien-looking biomorphic chimneys, known as witch-scarers (espanta bruixes), as below. Even the roof terrace itself is undulating like a hill.
One of the inner atria and its patio.
The inner rooms, as mentioned, contains no straight walls. As a matter of fact, after walking through the entire building, there is really no storeys of the same interior structure.
The attic, which was once a laundry area is now an art and design museum, part of it explains the design of the building. The structure is designed to look like the inner carcass of some animal, reflecting Gaudí's strong adherence to biomorphism.
Park Güell (Parque Güell)
Park of techno-colour extraordinaire and the face of modernism, Park Güell (Parque Güell) was built for the patron-entrepreneur Eusebi Güell I Bacigalupi who intended to turn the area into a new township development. Park Güell is the reflection of Gaudí's artistic inspiration, using a huge load and mosaics of organic shapes and colours to reflect political and religious ideals shared by the patron and architect.
There are also lots of sculptures of mythological creatures around, which was inspired by the Temple of Apollo (Greek: Ναός του Απόλλωνα, Naos tou Apollona) in Delphi (Greek: Δελφοί). The most famous of these creatures is the dragon or salamander. Many buildings look like a sugar-coated gingerbread and it is like fantasyland for children.
Palau de la Música Catalana
From Gaudí we turn to Domenech who got his UNESCO honours through this incredible musical palace. There are various similarities between Domenech's and Gaudí's work in the form of curvy geometries and dynamic colours. The rich decoration of the façade of the Palau, including traditional Spanish and Arabic architecture, is successfully married with the building's structure, in spite of the relatively humble vestibule.
The concert hall which seats about 2,200 people, is the only auditorium in Europe that is illuminated during daylight hours entirely by natural light, and this is the centrepiece of the Palau: the inverted dome stained-glass skylight.
I have to say it is very bold to see a musical hall to use stained glass and it does make the inner auditorium uncomfortably bright during daytime. Domenech believed that the stained glass windows and its light penetration would produce a soothing effect on its audiences. Personally I have to say it creates an opposite effect on me.
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
The Hospital de Sant Pau really looks more like a city hall or a cathedral than a hospital, especially with the extensive exterior art nouveau decor. Domenech believed that art had the power to heal people's illness and he built this building purposefully for use as a hospital, using beige and mild colours in the interior to create a calming effect.
Other landmark sites include Casa Batlló, Ramblas, Barcelonetta, Camp Nou, Sants-Montjuïc, to name just a few. Again not the scope of this blog to rate all of them, my favourite area of Barcelona goes actually to the Gothic Quarter (Barrio Gótico) where one will see a number of buildings from the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum).
Buy and Do
Human tower (Castell)
We were fortunate that we witnessed a human tower (castell) when we visited Ramblas.
A human tower (castell) is built traditionally at festivals in the region and is usually done with competing teams, with its origin dating back to the 17th century CE. Human towers carry a very significant cultural identity for Catalonia (Catalan: Catanlunya).
The arrangement of the castell can be into a multi-tiered structure and the highest has a height of nine or ten people. The motto of castell construction is 'Força, equilibri, valor i seny' meaning 'strength, balance, courage and common sense'.
Typically castellers wear white trousers with a black sash (faixa) and a shirt with a particular team colour. The sash is the most important part of their outfit and one only wears a faixa when being a casteller. The sash is also believed to support the lower back, and is used by other castellers in the team as a handhold when during the climb.
Castell is another ICH that has been inscribed.
Eat and Drink
Paella
Clearly the Catalan cuisine features tapas, paella and lots of Mediterranean seafood and vegetables. We had a lunch in an institution-like restaurant called Bodega Monumental where we had some very good paella. Paella is usually considered the national dish of Spain and mistaken as Barcelona dish, but in fact it is a fairly regional dish originating from Valencia but strongly influenced by Barcelona.
Molecular gastronomy (Gastronomía molecular)
Barcelona is actually a centre of gastronomy, and if you do know it is also the modern birthplace of molecular cuisine, with many food preparation influenced by this fad with the celebrity chef Ferran Adrià i Acosta. The city has now more than 20 Michelin-rated restaurants, and because of this reputation we had one of the best fine-dining and Mediterranean dinners ever in a Michelin-starred restaurant La Barra De Carles Abellán. The chef, Carles Abellán uses seafood extensively but infuses Oriental cooking method with the Mediterranean diet and molecular cuisine. Absolutely fabulous. However I believe it had been closed.
Getting There and Around
Barcelona is well connected, with buses and metros serving almost everywhere in the entire city, including all the sites in the blog. The monuments of Barcelona are actually all within walking distances.
One of the things you need to know, is the difference in terminals for the El-Prat Airport (Aeropuerto Barcelona–El Prat). The train only reaches Terminal 2, which is 15 km away from the main international Terminal 1. While there is a shuttle connecting the two, the journey is around 10 to 15 minutes. We almost missed our flight as a result.
Barcelona is a very unsafe city, as it is the world's capital of pickpockets. I almost know no one who has not been pickpocketed in Barcelona, myself included. Having said that, Barcelona deserves to a week spent there.
Entrance ticket to the Gaudi's sites range from EUR 12 to 20€, while the music palace is 20€.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Seven properties built by the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) in or near Barcelona testify to Gaudí’s exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These monuments represent an eclectic, as well as a very personal, style which was given free reign in the design of gardens, sculpture and all decorative arts, as well as architecture. The seven buildings are: Parque Güell; Palacio Güell; Casa Mila; Casa Vicens; Gaudí’s work on the Nativity façade and Crypt of La Sagrada Familia; Casa Batlló; Crypt in Colonia Güell.
These are two of the finest contributions to Barcelona's architecture by the Catalan art nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The Palau de la Música Catalana is an exuberant steel-framed structure full of light and space, and decorated by many of the leading designers of the day. The Hospital de Sant Pau is equally bold in its design and decoration, while at the same time perfectly adapted to the needs of the sick.
The Mediterranean diet involves a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions concerning crops, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking, and particularly the sharing and consumption of food. Eating together is the foundation of the cultural identity and continuity of communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is a moment of social exchange and communication, an affirmation and renewal of family, group or community identity. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes values of hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, and a way of life guided by respect for diversity. It plays a vital role in cultural spaces, festivals and celebrations, bringing together people of all ages, conditions and social classes. It includes the craftsmanship and production of traditional receptacles for the transport, preservation and consumption of food, including ceramic plates and glasses. Women play an important role in transmitting knowledge of the Mediterranean diet: they safeguard its techniques, respect seasonal rhythms and festive events, and transmit the values of the element to new generations. Markets also play a key role as spaces for cultivating and transmitting the Mediterranean diet during the daily practice of exchange, agreement and mutual respect.
Castells are human towers built by members of amateur groups, usually as part of annual festivities in Catalonian towns and cities. The traditional setting is the square in front of the town hall balcony. The human towers are formed by castellers standing on the shoulders of one another in a succession of stages (between six and ten). Each level of the tronc, the name given to the second level upwards, generally comprises two to five heavier built men supporting younger, lighter-weight boys or girls. The pom de dalt – the three uppermost levels of the tower – comprises young children. Anyone is welcome to form the pinya, the throng that supports the base of the tower. Each group can be identified by its costume, particularly the colour of the shirts, while the cummerbund serves to protect the back and is gripped by castellers as they climb up the tower. Before, during and after the performance, musicians play a variety of traditional melodies on a wind instrument known as a gralla, setting the rhythm to which the tower is built. The knowledge required for raising castells is traditionally passed down from generation to generation within a group, and can only be learned by practice.
References
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