Incredible Facts About Park Guell in Barcelona

Yet another marvel designed by none other than Spain's famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, Park Güell offers some fantastic views of the city!

The businessman Eusebi Güell came up with an idea of building an urban residential complex for rich families to stay in a healthy environment with beautiful views! That's when Antoni Gaudi was roped in, to design the prestigious complex.

The remoteness of the terrain alongside difficulty in connecting it to the main Barcelona area were the drawbacks that led to few takers for the prestigious project!

After Eusebi's death, his heirs offered the place to the Barcelona City Council, who opened up the place to the public, four years later!

Out of the two showhouses that were constructed, Antoni Gaudi lived in one of them with his elderly father and ill niece in 1906. The other one belonged to the lawyer, Martí Trias i Domènech.

Gaudi didn't design the house that he was living in! It was designed by Catalan architect, Francesc Berenguer. Despite this, the house is called the Gaudi House Museum! However, the furniture inside the house was designed by Gaudi himself.

Just like Gaudi's other designs, this one too is inspired by nature! He tried to mimic the structure and shape of the trees to design the columns of the park. There isn't a straight line in the entire park's design!

The palm leaves-shaped iron gates were never a part of the original part. They came from Gaudi's other design marvel, Casa Vicens!

The park has 3 entrances - Carrer d'Olat, Carretera del Carmel and Passatge de Sant Josep de la Muntanya. The most-used and picturesque one is the Carrer d'Olat! However, if you are visiting in groups, you might enter the park via the Carretera del Carmel way that has a coach park.

The latest attraction at Park Güell is the curved-shaped beach flowing type, 110 m terrace design that overlooks the city of Barcelona! The use of ceramic shruds, mosaics, and iron balustrades in the terrace design is a remarkable sight to witness.

Inspired by the British garden city movement where housing complexes were designed with industrial, commercial and outdoor areas closer to the locality, Gaudi used the English word 'Park' instead of the Catalan word 'Parc'!

Inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel, the two buildings at the entrance of the park - the porter's lodge and the guard's residence (Casa del Gaurda) were designed. The Casa del Gaurda is a part of the Barcelona History Museum and draws huge crowds daily!

The Hypostyle Room that is made up of 86 striated columns was to be used as a marketplace, as per the original plan. The inspiration drawn from Roman temples is evident in the column design.

The covered walkways inside the park were constructed to connect all the houses in the park. This cover also supports the road above the walkways, serving a dual purpose.

In 1977, after a donation from Austria, the picturesque Austria Gardens were born! If you stand at the center of the gardens, the two showhouses are clearly visible.

Short-toed eagle and different species of parrots (not native to Barcelona) are inhabitants of the park! You can easily come across a few of them while roaming around the place. Also, look out for the hummingbird hawk moth that can be easily spotted in the locality.

If you visit only the famous 'monumental area', you are missing out on Gaudi's other wonderful work! Explore the backside of the monumental area that features some nice walks covered with native trees and plants. And this part of the park is free of cost, unlike the monumental area where you need to pay a fee!

The technique of using small pieces of chopped ceramics that became synonymus with Gaudi's work, trencadís, is visible in the salamander's design that guards the staircase in the monumental area!

The park was decalared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, under the 'Works of Antoni Gaudi' project!