Park Guell facts

Antoni Gaudi, one of Spain’s most famous architects, designed the park, but its history is more complex than you might think. 

Interested in learning more? Dive in to learn the Park Guell facts.

Park Guell was planned to be a residential estate.

Eusebi Güell commissioned Antoni Gaudi to create a house project on a significant estate. 

According to the plan, development on Park Guell began in October 1900. 

However, the project failed, and only two residences were erected within the estate by 1914, when it was abandoned. 

Many other projects, such as the Hypostyle Room, were finished, and Park Guell was transformed into a private garden where events would be held. 

Park Guell first opened to the public in 1926 as a municipal park.

Nature inspired the design.

Antoni Gaudi’s passion for the natural world is visible in his works, especially in Park Guell. 

The park’s design is created to blend in with the natural setting in which it was located, working with the topography of the mountain.

His dedication to natural creation principles is the cause for the lack of straight lines in his creations. 

Undulating lines or curves replicate natural structures such as trees, shells, plants, and rocks throughout Park Guell.

Park Guell was named after Gaudi’s patron.

Have you ever wondered where the park got its name? The answer is straight.

The first home project handled by Gaudi was the pet project of a Catalan nobleman and Gaudi’s longtime supporter and friend, Eusebi Guell. British residential parks inspired the idea. 

The park is named after Gaudi’s patron and source of inspiration.

One of the houses was home to Antoni Gaudi.

Gaudi moved into the park in 1906, at Güell’s recommendation, and lived in one of the two completed showhouses. 

Surprisingly, he had not planned the mansion – Francesc Berenguer designed it.

Gaudi stayed in the Park Güell residence with his family and his elderly father till his death in 1926. The Gaudi House Museum is now available to the general public.

It houses furniture and other items he designed and utilized throughout his life.

The Hypostyle Room was supposed to serve a different function.

The Hypostyle Room, one of Park Guell’s most recognizable features, was initially intended as a marketplace for the estate’s tenants. 

The room, which features 86 twisting columns, was inspired by Roman temples. 

A tube inside collects rainwater that filters from the square and transports it to an underground tank.

The dragon’s mouth on the stairwell serves as an overflow. 

Austria Gardens was intended to be a housing development

Designated initially for housing plots, the zone is currently known as Austria Garden. 

However, once Park Guell was available to the public, the zone was converted into a municipal plant nursery. 

The Austrian government gave trees to the park in 1977, hence the zone’s name. 

From here, visitors can have fantastic views over the park and see the two residences erected on this site.

The Iron Gates.

The palm-leaf-shaped iron gates surrounding the property were not in Gaudi’s original design. 

The officials brought it explicitly from Casa Vicens to replace the wooden gates after Gaudi’s death.

Trencadís technique was developed here. 

The colorful trencadis salamander is the most photographed attraction in the entire park. The construction guards the monumental zone’s stairs.

This is where Gaudi first tried out the trencadis mosaic method and became famous. 

Trenchadis means ‘chopped’ in Catalan, which entails cutting many ceramics into tiny pieces and bonding them back together.

The majority of it is free to visit. 

Millions of people visit the park yearly, although 95% is free.

The monumental zone contains the entryway (with the famed lizard), the elegantly curved seat, and the market hall, the sole portion that isn’t free.

If you want to enter this zone, ensure you get a Park Guell ticket in advance because only 400 people are permitted every half hour.

Featured Image : Jeison Higuita on Unsplash