Casa Batlló, Barcelona

The Casa Batlló, situated at the crossroads of the Passeig de Gràcia and the Carrer Aragó, was designed by Antoni Gaudí for the textile manufacturer Josep Batlló i Casanovas and counts as one of the most famous buildings of the Modernist school.The appearance of the facade is characterized by an ornamental structure which seems to have departed completely from any received principles of architecture. The window frontage on the first floor is bordered by freely swinging shapes some of which suggest plants, others entrances to caves. Above that the facade is covered with glazed ceramic tiles in green, blue and ochre colors. The small balconies have railings made out of beaten steel. The wave-shaped roof has, like that of the Casa Milà, a large number of richly decorated chimneys. Parts of the interior fittings, which were likewize designed by Gaudí, can be seen in the Museu Gaudí.