Casa Batllo is located at the center of Eixample quarter, on Passeig de Gracia. The façade of the house is covered with mosaics made of shattered ceramic tiles. Terraces on lower floors have columns that resemble bones, and those on higher floors resemble pieces of skulls. Given those characteristics, the house is often referred to as “the house of bones”. Many cultural events are held in this house. Starting from 1860, when Barcelona passed the ambitious urban plan (also known as the Cerda Plan), Passeig de Gracia has become backbone of the city, and many respectable local families started moving in. In the 19th century, this street became a pedestrian zone as well as a zone for horse carriages, and in the 20th century it became main car avenue.
Initially, the building was constructed by Emilio Sala Cortes in 1877 (one of Gaudi’s architecture professors), when there was no street lighting in Barcelona. In 1903, it was bought by Mr Josep Batallo y Casanovas, a textile industrialist who owned a couple of factories in Barcelona. He gave Antonio Gaudi complete creative freedom, putting him at the head of the project that was initially considered as a demolition project.
However, owing to courage shown by Gaudi, the demolition was canceled, so they proceeded with complete renovation in the period between 1904 and 1906. The architect completely reformed the façade by revamping the inner zone, by expanding the terraces, and by reconstructing the interior into a real work of art. Besides artistic beauty, the building is exceptionally functional, it is more modern that it can be described as historical. Some have even noticed elements that announced architectural trends of the late 20th century.
Since the 1950s, the house is not owned by the Batllo family. After various companies and individuals took it over, since the 1990s it is owned by the Bernat family, who renovated it completely.
In 1995, the family opened the house for public and presented the architectural jewel to the rest of the world, by offering it as a venue for various events. Since 2002, the year of honoring Gaudi, Casa Batllo is also available for cultural visits. Both types of activities are currently available, with constant innovations regarding both the presentation and the content.
Casa Batllo is officially an UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to that, it is one of the most valued cultural and tourist attractions that each year welcomes over a million of visitors.
Ticket price for Casu Batllo
Regular ticket price 25 euros
Reduced ticket price 22 eur - pensioners, and children from 7 to 18 years of age
Children up to 7 years do not pay the entrance fee
For residents of Catalonia 15 eur
Working hours of Casu Batllo
from 9:00h to 21:00h
Author of the article:
Ana Lazarević - correspondent for the city of Barcelona
Contact: [email protected]
