{"id":34509,"date":"2023-12-07T21:58:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T21:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/?p=34509"},"modified":"2025-09-03T18:41:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T18:41:15","slug":"exploring-gaudis-casa-batllo-in-barcelona-inside-and-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/exploring-gaudis-casa-batllo-in-barcelona-inside-and-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Gaud\u00ed\u2019s Casa Batll\u00f3 in Barcelona, Inside and Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Outside 43 Paseo de Gracia (Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia<\/a> in Catalan), you\u2019ll always find crowds of people waiting to enter Casa Batll\u00f3, a house Antoni Gaud\u00ed designed for the wealthy businessman Josep Batll\u00f3 between 1904 and 1906. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaud\u00ed seemed to have a talent for designing homes and spaces for wealthy people<\/a> with big imaginations, and Batll\u00f3 gave him complete creative freedom to design his house.  Casa Batll\u00f3 is an expression of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s joyful and bold style \u2014 you can\u2019t walk down Paseo de Gracia without stopping to admire it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was Gaud\u00ed\u2019s inspiration for Casa Batll\u00f3\u2019s fa\u00e7ade?  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fans of Gaud\u00ed are split on how we should interpret the exterior design of Casa Batll\u00f3. Most people believe it symbolizes the legend of Saint George (Sant Jordi in Catalan), the patron saint of Catalonia. According to the legend, Saint George slayed a dragon that was threatening to destroy the village and devour a princess whose turn it was to be sacrificed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip<\/strong>: If you\u2019re in Barcelona for Sant Jordi\u2019s Day on April 23<\/a>, stop by the Casa Batll\u00f3 to see its fa\u00e7ade decorated with roses<\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on this interpretation, the roof resembles the body of the dragon, the tower topped with a cross the handle of Saint George\u2019s sword, and the bone-shaped columns outside the ground floor the bones of the dragon\u2019s victims. That’s why you’ll sometimes hear it called “the house of bones.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A less gruesome interpretation is that Casa Batll\u00f3 represents an aquatic landscape. Like Salvador Dal\u00ed, you might see the shapes and colors of the sea in Gaud\u00ed\u2019s design rather than a heroic legend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\"Barcelona\n\t\t\t\"Barcelona\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExplore brilliant designs by Gaud\u00ed and other Modernist masters<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Barcelona Architecture Walking Tour With Optional Casa Batll\u00f3 Upgrade<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tLearn More\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

A house full of art <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Casa Batll\u00f3 isn\u2019t all fa\u00e7ade \u2014 you need to step inside to fully appreciate Gaud\u00ed\u2019s genius. From the entrance hall that makes you feel like you\u2019re underwater to the Instagram-worthy roof terrace (also known as the \u201cdragon\u2019s back\u201d), every detail has a purpose but is also a piece of art, which is characteristic of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s brand of Catalan modernism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Casa Batll\u00f3 by Gaud\u00ed, Barcelona (@casabatllo)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>