Barcelona - Palau Güell (Closed until January 2007)

In 1886 the architect Antoni Gaudí was instructed by his patron, Eusebi Güell, to build an upper-class residence on a plot of land measuring only 18 x 22m/60 x 73ft, on the Carrer Nou de la Rambla, a narrow street in the old town.

Eusebi Güell was a great patron of the arts, and he wished to see this reflected in the palace: in the very center of the building a large domed hall - intended to be used for poetry readings and private concerts - extends from the first floor right up to the roof. Around it are grouped the living rooms; the ground floor, which opens on to the street through two parabolic portals with artistic wrought-iron grilles bearing the letters E and G, Eusebi Güell's initials, housed the stables. The entire building reflects Güell's enormous wealth, with its sumptuous décor, valuable textiles and individually designed furniture, most of it by Gaudí. Here, perhaps more than in any other building, we see the ostentatious - today perhaps almost comical - imagination of the master builder. Even the roof was not forgotten when it came to art, as the dome and chimney - like those on the Casa Milà - come across as elements of decorative sculpture.