The Palau Güell in Barcelona is one of the early works of Antoni Gaudí and one of the most magnificent buildings of the art nouveau. It is situated in the district of Raval, just a few steps off the Rambla. Parts of the façade of the Palau Güell resemble a Venetian palace, the oval portals at the front are conspicuous. This allowed a direct access of the stables with a carriage. Guests could then use the stairs to access the upper floors.
The Palau Güell reopend in May 2011 after 7 years of reconstruction works.

In 1885, Gaudí was assigned the task of designing a city palace by his patron, the industrial Eusebi Güelli i Bacigalupi. Construction started in October 1886. The palace was inaugurated during world exhibition in 1888, even if works went on beyond that date. The conspicuous chimneys that are typical of Gaudí were installed on top of the roof in 1895. The roof has a total of 20 chimneys also used for the ventilation of the building.

Architecture of the Palau Güell

The Palau Güell was planned to be a multi-purpose building with apartments, event and exposition rooms. Only a basic surface of 18x22 meters was available for the construction of a glamourous and yet functional palace. Gaudí once again proved his genius with this task, he created one of the most magnificent buildings of the Modernisme, the Catalan art nouveau.

But Gaudí did not only build houses, he also was a designer and decorated the house with impressive wrought-iron works, wood, ceramic, stained glass and stone works.

Floors of the Palau Güell

The basement contained the stables for the horses and the sleeping quarters for the servants. The basement could be reached via two spiral ramps.

Via two large, oval entries, you could enter the grounds by carriage. From the carriage hall in the back, the ramp for the horses led down to the basement.

The elevated ground floor contained the working rooms, the library of the landlord Eusebi Güell and further administration rooms. This floor also contains the magnificent entry hall from which a just as magnificent stair leads to the piano nobile, the floor of the landlord's family. To the main floor of the house also belongs a tribune on the north face of the house roofing the entries of the house.

The centerpiece of the piano nobile is a 17 meter high parlor decorated with wall paintings. A parabolic dome forms the roof of the parlor. The parlor was used for social events and to hold religious services. The northern rooms of the piano nobile were dedicated to social events whereas the southern part was used for family purposes, such as the dining room or the snooker room.

The second floor contained the private rooms of the family which are aligned towards the window gallery of the large parlor.

In the attic were the quarters of the house personnel and service rooms such as the kitchen, the food locker and the washing rooms. On the terrace, you can see a large conical spire covering the dome of the large parlor and 20 chimneys decorated with colored tiles.

The Palau Güell has been included to the list of World Heritage sites by the UNESCO since 1984.

Find the Palau Güell on the city map in the city part Raval.