SPAIN  |  Barcelona, Spain Travel Guide
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Parc Güell

C/ Olot s/n,
Barcelona
Cataluña
Spain

Type: Park
Hours: Park open Nov.-Feb. 10 am-6 pm; March-Oct. 10 am-7 pm; April-Sept. 10 am-8 pm; May-Aug. 10 am-9 pm.

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The planned city that never came to fruition is pure Gaudí, a fantastical park set on a tree-covered hill overlooking the city and the sea with all the undulating shapes, the trencadí mosaics (colorful titles broken into odd shapes, then rearranged in a design) with their hidden meanings that were the architect’s stock and trade. Which is why it wasn’t surprising when a group of young Americans I’d met, secure in their European beards and feed store hats, told me they were headed to Gaudí’s park to trip on mushrooms. It’s not really necessary, I thought. The place is strange enough as it is. The main entry gate is flanked by two whimsical houses with wavey roofs covered by the broken tile mosaics that color the park at every turn and topped by twisting spiracles. One supports a four-sided cross that was a common feature of Gaudí’s work. The other, ironically, hoists a mock amanita muscaria, a wild, hallucinogenic mushroom. The buildings were to serve as the porter house and an administration center for the upscale housing development originally planned for the hill. In 1900 financier Eusebi Güell purchased these 84 acres and commissioned Gaudí to create a private, garden city based on English models.
Last updated February 21, 2008
Posted in   Spain  |  Barcelona
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