|
|
|
Special activities (tours) |
Viajes Iberia organizes two guided tours for companions during the conference.
GOTHIC QUARTER TOUR
A bit of history
The Barri Gòtic, located within the old town district of Barcelona, occupies the former location of an ancient fortified Roman village. It is named on account of the many buildings constructed between the 13th-15th centuries, though it is in fact, far older.
The tour
The main points on this walking tour through Barcelona's old quarter are:
Las Ramblas: the most famous boulevard in Spain, the Ramblas is a colourful avenue where street mimes perform amongst flower stalls and picturesque cafes. Don't miss the Mercat de la Boqueria, the oldest of the city's 40 markets.
El Call: call is the Catalan word for "narrow street", and the Jewish Quarters in Catalonia are named after this term. Records indicate that Jewish families started moving to Roman Barcino as early as the 2nd century. They tended to congregate near one another and intermarry, and soon El Call sprang to life near the centre of town.
Catedral: Barcelona's cathedral stands as a celebrated example of Catalonian Gothic architecture. The 19th century west façade aside, the basilica was begun at the end of the 13th century and completed in the mid-15th century. With its large bell towers, blending of medieval and Renaissance styles, beautiful cloister, high altar, side chapels, sculptured choir, and Gothic arches, it ranks as one of the most impressive cathedrals in Spain.
Plaça Reial: this is the most crowded, happening plaça in the entire Barri Gòtic where tourists and locals alike congregate to eat and drink at night, and to sell stamps and coins at the Sunday morning flea market.
This visit takes around four hours.
MODERNIST TOUR
Introduction
About Modernism
Modernism was the Catalan response to a variety of artistic movements running throughout Europe at the turn of the 19th century, widely known by the French term: Art Nouveau. And Barcelona is undoubtedly the Mecca of Modernism.
Modernism in Barcelona became far more than a outlandish artistic style. It became a way of life. The bourgeoisie lived immersed in Modernism: from the architecture of their houses to the smallest object, including furniture, ceramics, jewellery and ironwork. This sort of 'total art' is also what we find on the façade of many Modernist buildings, the detail and complexity of which is quite stunning.
About the Modernists
The three big names among the architects of the time are Domènech i Montaner, Puig i Cadafalch, and, of course, Antoni Gaudí. They were extremely diverse in their personal interpretations of the style. The three architects come together in the so-called Manzana de la Discordia (Apple of Discord) on Passeig de Gràcia. Here we find Gaudí's Casa Batlló, a major work that reveals a sculptural concept of architecture. Just next door stands the neo-Gothic style Casa Amatller, by Puig i Cadafalch. And just two doors further south is Domènech i Montaner's Casa Lleó Morera. This beautiful, highly decorated house shows great similarities with the Palau de la Música Catalana, by the same architect. The Palau has been considered as the epitome of this 'total art', the best expression of an overall, integrated design based on the aesthetic credo of arts and crafts. Domènech is therefore considered to be the most genuine and remarkable of the Modernist architects.
'And Gaudí?' you might ask.
Well, Gaudí was just being himself. His genius allowed him to live in a world populated exclusively with his own fantasies. However, seen as the paradigmatic representative of the Modernist movement, Gaudí was really a one-off, an unclassifiable figure. While his colleagues, Domènech and Puig, were public figures who took an active part in politics and cultural life, Gaudí became increasingly eccentric, leading a semi-reclusive existence. He was a visionary man, deeply religious. Nature was his main source of inspiration, being, in to his own words, "the best expression of perfect architectural forms".
The Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's most famous work that seems to appear on every Barcelona postcard, is the foremost representation of the architect's obsessive religious faith. For the last twenty years of his life, he worked on no other projects and even lived on the site, a shabby white-haired hermit. At the time of his death, at seventy-four, only one of the planned towers had been finished; another three stood shrouded in scaffolding. From 1926 to the present, work has continued among much controversy. While detractors of the project criticise it for being rampantly kitsch, its defenders are helping to support Gaudí's legacy to the city with their private funds and individual donations.
Putting aside controversy, for and against, no one can deny that the Sagrada Familia is a daring work in progress, just like the city it presides over.
Description of the tour
This route is an absolute must when visiting Barcelona. Modernism is the city's centrepiece and many great examples of this pioneering architecture that draws visitors to Barcelona remain intact.
The main points of this visit are:
- Park Güell: a romantic homage to 19th-century English parks.
- Apple of Discord: Gaudí's Casa Batlló, Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Amatller and Domènech i Montaner's Casa Lleó Morera. A silent battle of three geniuses.
- Sagrada Familia: Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece.
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera): a UNESCO world heritage site.