THE PALAU GUELL    

This extraordinary building, constructed between 1886 and 1888 and declared a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO, was Antoni Gaudi's first major architectural project, commissioned by the Guell family.  The facade is particularly striking, with its twin arches leading into the central vestibule. Off the latter are various rooms decorated with Modernista fittings.

A ramp leads down to the basement stables, constructed with bare brick columns and arches. The rooftop terrace is a wonderful mixture of random spires, battlements and chimneys of differing shapes and sizes, decorated with colored ceramic mosaics. Look closely and on one you will find a reproduction of COI, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics mascot. Unfortunately, the Guell family did not live here long. In 1936, the palace was confiscated by Spanish Civil War anarchists, who used it as their military headquarters and prison.