Rundown farmhouse in the Delta de Llobregat
Rundown farmhouse in El Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat, near Barcelona. Many, however, have been restored.
Articles in ‘Architecture’
Las Arenas bullring
Excellent article on the woes of Las Arenas bullring by journalist Nicholas John Mead. Barcelona is already famous for problems that have beset the Sagrada Familia, but for the last two years the prestigious €100m Las Arenas bullring restoration project in Plaça Espanya has run into setback after setback with contruction only resuming a few weeks ago. Read here
There were once three bullrings in Barcelona - Plaza de el Torin which was built in 1834, but was demolished long ago ; the above Plaza de las Arenas, built in 1900 and closed in 1977; and the present bullring, the Plaza de Toros Monumental, built in 1914.
Where is Columbus pointing to?
![[Colom.jpg]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mO07g9kbB7Q/S40rAjuBfKI/AAAAAAAAAL4/Vq5FvFMUssc/s1600/Colom.jpg)
Not America that’s for sure. The Barcelonautes blog claims to have the answer: La Platja de Sa Calobra in Mallorca. After that it’s Algiers, the Sahara desert and the length of Africa.
A sad hole in the wall
In Calle de Ramalleres, 17 in the walls of the Casa de la Misericòrdia, in El Raval there is a hole framed in wood. Poor women who were inacapble of feeding their new-born babies would leave them here on a platform which turned. The nuns inside hearing the baby’s cries would spin the turntable round and take the infant. Today the hole is blocked off. Map here
Sant Felip Neri Square
The Plaça de Sant Felip Neri is the most delightful square in Barcelona. Its peaceful, secret atmosphere belies its tragic history. When I arrived in Barcelona 20 years ago I was told that the pitted marks in the stone were from the bullets of Anarchist execution squads, who had shot priests against the wall here. This was a myth put out by the Francoist authorities. The story took time to die. It was an attempt to cover up the death of 153 people here when a bomb fell on the convent in the square on 30 January 1938. The church which had been turned into a makeshift orphanage and most of the victims were refugee children from Madrid. As the rescue workers pulled out the survivors from the building another bomb fell in the square, killing more. It was the second worst bombing atrocity to hit Barcelona during the war.
Santa Maria del Mar door
By general consensus, Santa Maria del Mar is the most beautiful of Barcelona’s churches and an outstanding example of Catalan Gothic. One of its most interesting details are the twin figures on the front doors. They show the dockworkers or porters of La Ribera, who gave up their Sundays over several decades to carry stone from the Foixarda quarry on Montjuic to help build the church.
Casa Vicens
Casa Vicens (1883-1889) is a wonderful whimsical building with some lovely details. I particularly like the tilework and the dragons. It was the first family residence designed by Gaudí, and is considered his first important work. It was built for industrialist Manuel Vicens, who depending on the source was either a stockbroker or tile manufacturer. The building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Works of Antoni Gaudí” in 2005. See Google Map
Casa Vicens (Wikipedia) The building shows several influences, most notably the Moorish (or Mudéjar) influence, particularly evident at the top. The house is constructed of undressed stone, rough red bricks, and colored ceramic tiles in checkerboard and floral patterns. The owner, Manuel Vicens, was the owner of a brick and tile factory, so the ceramic tiles pay tribute to his employment. The yellow, zinnia-flowered tile, designed by Gaudí, was manufactured by Vicens. Rooftop towers are reminiscent of Moorish architecture. Because the house is a private residence, its interior cannot be visited. Nevertheless, the house is generally open to “neighbours and citizens” on Saint Rita’s Day, May 22.
Location
Carrer Carolines, no. 24. Metro Fontana. L3
See also
Barcelona shacks
Most of the shacks built by the waves of immigrants in the 20th century in Barcelona have been demolished or converted, for the better, into more formal, decent housing, but a number of examples still survive in El Carmel, Montjuic and on the edges of Collserola. Many are threatened by bulldozers, but I think the most interesting should be protected as part of the city’s heritage and because they make the edges of the parks where many of them are sited more interesting. These ones below were taken in the Parc de la Creueta del Coll, El Carmel, and show a clear influence of southern Spanish rural architecture. I love the rural air and the chaos. Photos by Mónica.
The house of snails
The Casa de los Caracoles (House of Snails) at Tamarit 91 is one of the most interesting buildings along the generally dull Carrer Parallel, and a good place to stop off on your way from Plaza España to the centre.
Legend has it that the original owner had the house built after coming across a stash of gold while looking for snails on Montjuic. In thanks to these gastropods he covered the façade of the building in snail motifs. Or that was his story anyway for covering up some early 20th century dodgy dealing.
The building of the Sagrada Família
The Sagrada Família in 1915. The first stone was placed on 19 March 1882.
Wikipedia on the Sagrada Família “The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026. On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked, “My client is not in a hurry.”
The Fundació Antoni Tàpies opened its doors this week after being closed for reforms for several years.