What to Visit – Colonia Güell

Colonia Güell

The tour of the industrial colony of modernist origin captivates visitors with its charm and the tranquility of its surroundings that transmit the atmosphere of the 19th century that is still present in its streets, making it so special. Colonia Güell preserves an important historical and artistic heritage.

Visitors can stroll around observing unique and beautiful buildings created by the modernist architects of the time and will find the most characteristic features of this movement. On the one hand, the use of exposed brick as a vindication of popular and traditional Catalan architecture, and the incorporation of new techniques and new construction materials such as iron or brittle ceramic.

The most unique buildings in Colonia Güell are the following:

The Güell Colony

A trip to the past.

The tour of Colonia Güell captivates with its charm and the tranquility of the surroundings. The atmosphere of the 19th century It is still preserved in its streets, one of the elements that make it so special.

The unique and beautiful buildings created by the modernist architects of the time display the most characteristic features of this movement. They are the vindication of a popular and traditional Catalan architecture. Below, the most unique buildings:

Buildings in Colonia Güell

Ca L'Espinal

Ca L'Ordal

Can Soler de la Torre

House of the Metge

The Secretary's House

School and teacher's house

The Ateneu Unió

The Fontova theater

The Cooperative

The Sant Luis Parish Center

The Nuns' Convent

The inn

Gaudi Crypt

“A monumental model of the Sagrada Familia”.

The importance of the Colonia Güell church in Gaudí's work is due to the fact that it is the first time that he uses his architectural innovations in a unified manner. As Gaudí himself said, if it had been completed it would have been "a monumental model of the Sagrada Família".

In the church we find the catenary arches which, while simplifying the problem of loads, determine the use of exterior walls in the form of hyperbolic paraboloids. The dynamic and fluid treatment of the interior space or the mechanisms of fusion of the building with the natural environment are due to the same integrative spirit, whose different levels of the naves adapt to the slope of the hill and the materials are of colours and textures similar to those of the soil and vegetation.

All these contributions constitute original solutions that respond to the desire for synthesis between structural approach, construction techniques and architectural forms, but are also enriched by the aesthetic and symbolic value of purely ornamental elements. The Colonia Güell church also includes numerous examples of Gaudí's mastery of applied arts, both in terms of furniture and purely ornamental elements.

The Crypt was declared UNESCO World Heritage in July 2005.

Colonia Güell Exhibition

Located in the building of the former Colonia cooperative, the permanent exhibition offers a global view of the Colonia, its people and the work of Antoni Gaudí.

The Colòni Güell exhibition has five areas for visitors: The Industrial Colonies, The Factory, The People, The Colonia Güell and The Church of Gaudí.

The ground floor is dedicated to the history of industrial colonies in Catalonia and especially that of Colonia Güell. An audiovisual presentation allows visitors to understand the daily life of any given day in Colonia Güell through the eyes and experiences of a little girl.

The most notable feature on the upper floor is the reproduction of the stereoscopic model designed by Gaudí to visualise the structure of the church in three dimensions. This technique, invented by Gaudí to build the crypt, and the discoveries it brought about, would be widely used in the construction of the Sagrada Família.

Colonia Güell Exhibition

Located in the building of the former Colonia cooperative, the permanent exhibition offers a global vision of the Colony, its people and the work of Antoni Gaudí.

The Colonia Güell exhibition has five areas to visit: the industrial colonies, the factory, people, the Güell Colony y Gaudi's Church.

The ground floor is dedicated to the history of the Industrial Colonies of Catalonia and especially to that of Colonia Güell. An audiovisual allows us to understand the daily life of Colonia Güell through the eyes and experiences of a girl.

On the upper floor, the reproduction of the stereostatic model designed by Gaudí to visualize the structure of the church in three dimensions stands out. This technique, invented by Gaudí to build the crypt, and the discoveries that it entailed, was later used in the construction of the Sagrada Familia.

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