Casa Batllo 4K, (House of Bones or House of the Dragon) Barcelona, Spain

Since 1860, Paseo de Gracia, where Casa Batlló is currently located, has become the city’s backbone and its most important families started to set up home here. In this manner, in the 19th Century, the street became a promenade for pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages, and from the 20th Century it became a main avenue for cars.

Originally, the building was built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortés (one of Gaudí’s architecture professors), when there was still no electric light in Barcelona. In 1903 it was purchased by Mr Josep Batlló y Casanovas, a textile industrialist who owned several factories in Barcelona and a prominent businessman.

Mr Josep Batlló granted full creative freedom to Antoni Gaudí, putting him in charge of a project that initially entailed demolishing the building. However, thanks to the courage shown by Gaudí, the demolition of the house was ruled out, and it was fully reformed between 1904 and 1906. The architect completely changed the façade, redistributing the internal partitioning, expanding the lightwell and converting the inside into a true work of art.

From the 1950s Casa Batlló was no longer owned by the Batlló family. After being taken over by different companies and individuals, since the 1990s the building has been in the hands of its current owners, the Bernat family, who have fully restored the house.

In 1995, the family opened the house to the public and presented this architectural gem to the world, offering the use of the building for events. Since 2002, coinciding with the International Year of Gaudí, cultural visits have also been offered at Casa Batlló. Both activities are currently available, with constant innovations in terms of offer and contents.

At present, Casa Batlló is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an icon in Barcelona, a must see for those who want to discover Gaudí’s work and modernism at its finest. It is also one of the most highly rated cultural and tourist attractions, welcoming 1 million visitors every year.

You may find the main information in the video.

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