The metropolis of Barcelona is unique for the number of architectural monuments that reside within it. Walking through the city, one can find authentic masterpieces of different styles such as Gothic, neoclassical, modernist, functionalist, high-tech, Art Deco, Neo-Mudéjar, among others.
If you want to be swept away by the beauty of Barcelona's most significant buildings and learn about their history, we recommend you keep reading, because we are about to bring you some of the most emblematic monuments of the Catalan city. The selection includes iconic buildings and others that are not so well-known. So it's time to discover them!
Art Nouveau Site of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
This building is part of one of the beauties that Catalan modernism has left us. In 1997, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. Luis Domènech i Montaner, with the help of his son, created this hospital complex at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Hospital de Sant Pau consists of the main building and 27 additional pavilions. The buildings are wrapped in reddish bricks and are connected by underground galleries more than a kilometer long that were used to transport patients.
Lleó i Morera House
It is, undoubtedly, one of the main works of Lluís Domènech i Montaner and exemplifies perfectly the bourgeois dwelling. The remodeling of the house corresponds to the architect's floral period from Canet de Mar, perhaps the most characteristic. In that context, the Casa Lleó i Morera is one of the representatives and one of the most important of this period, as a model of a bourgeois house. It was a multi-story building, where the owners lived on the main floor, a fact that marks the profound decoration found in its interiors and the rest of the floors.
If someone still doesn't know it, they will find it in the so-called Block of Discord, right on Paseo de Gracia. The public opinion at the time named it that way because within a short distance, there are three buildings by Antoni Gaudí (Casa Batlló), Puig i Cadafalch (Casa Amatller), and Domènech i Montaner (Casa Lleó i Morera).
This modernist building exudes art from every corner and is considered one of the finest modernist works due to the intense artistic contribution of the best craftsmen of the time.The majesty of the building is appreciated from the outside thanks to its beautiful facade and is accentuated upon entering the lobby, the hall, the gallery, or the smoking room.
Casa Terradas, the 'House of Spikes'
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Diagonal Avenue, one finds the “Casa de les Punxes”, a building originally conceived as a residence for the Terradas family, but which due to its design has transcended generation after generation to become an attractive landmark for visitors of the city. Spanning three different properties, Josep Puig i Cadafalch carried out a renovation that unified the three sections into one through a large exposed brick façade. To execute the work, he drew inspiration from the Neuschwanstein Castle, of the Wagnerian movement. The final result was an imposing construction of a triangular block of houses reminiscent of a large medieval castle with four conical towers, which have left in the city's memory the popular name by which it is known today: La Casa de les Punxes. With Saint George as the main figure, the entire complex treasures a great deal of symbolism and a multitude of decorative elements, such as the tribunes, stained glass windows, and wrought ironwork throughout the exterior of the house, the work of craftsmen like Enric Monserdà and Alfons Juyol.
City Hall: Barcelona City Council
We did not want to miss the opportunity to include the Barcelona City Hall in this ranking. Its location in Sant Jaume Square, very close to the ancient Roman Forum, and just a few meters from the cathedral, means that many tourists end up discovering it by chance.
Its neoclassical facade dates back to 1847, when the square was redeveloped. Even older is the facade on Ciudad Street (1399), which until then was the main entrance to the city hall. From that time are the popular rooms that have survived to this day: The Saló de Cent, the Chapel, the Election hall, or the Scribe's office.
Arc de Triomphe
It is well known the great transformation that Barcelona underwent for the Barcelona '92 Olympic Games. But this was not the first renovation that the city experienced. Before, another major event served to modernize the city: The Universal Exposition held in 1888 and The International, in 1929. Some remnants from that era are still preserved.
One of them is the Arc de Triomf, designed in 1888 by Josep Vilaseca, which served as the gateway to the grounds of the Exhibition, located in the current Ciutadella Park. Unlike other arches with a marked military character, the Barcelona Arc de Triomf was characterized by its civil component, marked by artistic, scientific, and economic progress.
The Arch is inspired by Neo-Mudéjar style and rises up to 30 meters. Its decoration is highlighted by its rich sculptural ornamentation, the work of various authors of the time who represented, through allegories, the adherence of the Nations to the Exhibition and Barcelona's reception of each of them.
Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
The next major event that the city experienced was another International Exhibition, that of 1929, which gave us one of the quintessential landscapes of Barcelona. Little could the architect Carles Buigas have imagined that the colorful fountain he designed would become a major attraction for both locals and visitors.
The secret? For the little ones, discovering a magical fountain from which colored water flows. For adults, the synchronization between the fountain and the music, so that the fountain seems to dance to the rhythm of the songs played over the loudspeakers. And people liked it so much that in the end the city made it its own, turning it into the closing activity of the Mercè Festival with the famous Pyromusical where the music and the dance of the fountain are combined with a fireworks display.
Agbar Tower
One of the latest buildings to join the Barcelona skyline. For 10 years it has been the headquarters of Aguas de Barcelona, which gave the building its name. Designed by Jean Nouvel, it is the third tallest building in Barcelona, standing at 145 meters tall, surpassed only by the Mapfre tower and the Arts hotel, which are 154 meters tall. According to the architect himself, the construction was inspired by the bell towers of the Sagrada Familia and the pinnacles of the Montserrat mountain, although it reminds all of us of The Gherkin, the iconic building of London's city.
These are just a few of the main architectural attractions that visitors to the city can find: La Sagrada Familia, Tibidabo, Camp Nou, Palau Sant Jordi… and countless other places that make Barcelona a unique city in the world. And you, which one do you prefer?
