Editing Park Güell

{{Short description|Public park system in Barcelona, Spain}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Park Güell
| photo = Parc guell - panoramio.jpg
| photo_width = 260px
| photo_caption = The two buildings at the entrance of the park
| map = 
| map_width = 
| type = 
| location = [[Barcelona]], Spain
| coords = {{Coord|41|24|49|N|2|09|10|E|region:ES-CT_scale:5000|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref = 
| area = 
| established = 1914
| operator = 
| visitation_num = 
| status = 
| open = 
| embedded = 
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child = yes
| part_of = Works of Antoni Gaudí
| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(i), (ii), (iv)}}(i), (ii), (iv)
| ID = 320-001
| year = 1984
| extension = 2005
}}
{{designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Spain
| designation1_type = Non-movable
| designation1_criteria = Monument
| designation1_date = 24 July 1969
| designation1_number = RI-51-0003818
}}
}}

'''Park Güell''' ({{langx|ca|Parc Güell}} {{IPA|ca|ˈpaɾɡ ˈɡweʎ|}}; {{langx|es|Parque Güell}}) is a complex of [[Parks and gardens of Barcelona|parks and gardens in Barcelona]] and architectural elements located in the [[La Salut]] neighborhood of the Gràcia district in [[Barcelona]], [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]]. Situated on the southern slope of the Turó del Carmel hill, part of the [[Collserola]] mountain range, it overlooks the city. The separate Parc del Carmel is on the northern side of the same hill.

In the context of Barcelona's late 19th and early 20th-century [[Urbanization|urban expansion]], Catalan industrialist and art patron [[Eusebi Güell]] commissioned architect [[Antoni Gaudí]], a leading figure of the [[Aesthetics|aesthetic]] movement in [[Catalan modernism]], to design a park.

Construction took place between 1900 and 1914, and the park officially opened to the public in 1926. In 1984, [[UNESCO]] designated the park a [[World Heritage Site]], recognizing it as part of the "[[Works of Antoni Gaudí]]" collection.<ref name="gaudiunesco">{{Citation | title =Works of Antoni Gaudí |publisher = Unesco| url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/320 | access-date = 15 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Origin and creation {{!}} Web oficial Park Güell {{!}} Barcelona |url=https://parkguell.barcelona/en/park-guell/origin-and-creation |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=parkguell.barcelona}}</ref>

==Description==
Park Güell reflects Gaudí's distinct artistic sensibilities, influences, and visual language, while also capturing a specific phase in his artistic development. It is associated with his [[naturalist]] period in the first decade of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Origin and creation {{!}} Web oficial Park Güell {{!}} Barcelona |url=https://parkguell.barcelona/en/park-guell/origin-and-creation |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=parkguell.barcelona}}</ref> During this time, Gaudí's study of nature and organic forms increasingly influenced his creative approach, leading him to introduce new structural solutions based on [[geometric analysis]].

Gaudí expanded upon these geometric forms to develop his characteristically imaginative and ornamental style. Rooted in [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]], his works feature a structural richness of forms and volumes, free from the rational rigidity of [[Classical architecture|classical]] conventions. In Park Güell, Gaudí applied some of these structural innovations, for example, in the curving and undulating park benches. He further developed this characteristic style in the monumental [[Sagrada Família]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gaudí and Güell {{!}} Park Güell |url=https://parkguell.barcelona/en/park-guell/gaudi-and-guell |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=parkguell.barcelona}}</ref>

Güell and Gaudí initially conceived the site not as a public park but as a private community of luxurious homes equipped with modern amenities, intended to meet residents' needs both artistically and physically. They envisioned a community strongly influenced by [[symbolism (arts)|symbolism]]. The park's common spaces—stairways, plazas, terraces, and gardens—are designed to physically express the political and religious ideals of both patron and architect. For instance, there are noticeable concepts originating from political [[Catalanism]], especially on the entrance stairway where the [[Catalan countries|Catalan Countries]] are represented, and [[Catholicism]] in the Monumento al Calvario, originally planned as a chapel. In addition to Gaudí's reinterpretation of classical architectural elements (like [[column]]s, [[colonnade]]s, and [[portico]]s), Park Güell also includes numerous references to [[Greek mythology]]. {{peacock|date=March 2023}}

==Origins as a housing development==
[[File:Barcelona 193.JPG|thumb|upright|The [[Gaudí House Museum]]]]
The park was originally part of a failed housing development project initiated by [[Count]] [[Eusebi Güell]]. Influenced by the English [[garden city movement]], the development's name incorporated the English term ''"Park"'' ([[Catalan language|Catalan]]: ''Parc Güell'', Spanish: ''Parque Güell''). The chosen site was a rocky hill with sparse vegetation, known as ''Muntanya Pelada'' (Bare Mountain), which already contained a large country house called Larrard House or Muntaner de Dalt House.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Over a hundred years of history {{!}} Web oficial Park Güell {{!}} Barcelona |url=https://parkguell.barcelona/en/park-guell/over-hundred-years-history |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=parkguell.barcelona}}</ref> The area bordered an upper-class neighborhood, La Salut ("The Health"). Güell aimed to capitalize on the site's fresh air and scenic views, promoting it as an attractive location away from industrial pollution. The initial plan proposed dividing the land into sixty triangular lots for luxury housing. In 1906, Güell moved into Larrard House, reportedly to promote the development. However, only two houses were ultimately built, neither designed by Antoni Gaudí.

One house was built as a display home and put up for sale in 1904. As no buyers emerged, Güell suggested Gaudí purchase it with his own savings. Gaudí agreed and moved in with his family and father in 1906.<ref name="zim">{{Citation | last = Zimmermann | first = Robert | year =2002 | title =The Best of Gaudí | url =http://www.sola-sole.com/bgaudi.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702205603/http://www.sola-sole.com/bgaudi.pdf|archive-date=2 July 2007}}</ref> This house, where Gaudí lived from 1906 until his death in 1926, was built in 1904 by [[Francesc Berenguer i Mestres|Francesc Berenguer]], a modernist architect and Gaudí's associate. It contains original works by Gaudí and several collaborators. Since 1963, it has been open to the public as the [[Gaudí House Museum]] (Catalan: ''Casa Museu Gaudí''). In 1969, it was declared a historical artistic monument of national interest.

== Municipal garden ==
[[File:Parc Güell Dragon Restored.jpg|left|thumb|Gaudí's multicolored [[mosaic]] salamander, popularly known as ''El Drac'' (English: the dragon), facing the main entrance following its restoration due to a vandalism incident in February 2007]]
[[File:Park Guell Terrace.JPG|left|thumb|Gaudí's mosaic work on the main terrace]]

Park Güell has since been converted into a municipal garden. It is accessible by the [[Barcelona Metro|metro]], though the closest stations ([[Vallcarca metro station|Vallcarca]] and [[Lesseps station|Lesseps]]) are some distance from the site at the base of Turó de Carmel. City buses and commercial tourist buses also serve the park. In October 2013, an entrance fee was introduced for the Monumental Zone (main entrance, terrace, viaducts, and areas with mosaics), though Barcelona citizens can enter free of charge. Limited tickets are available and often sell out in advance. La Torre Rosa, Gaudí's home converted into a museum featuring furniture he designed, requires a separate entrance fee, though a reduced rate is available for visitors also seeing the [[Sagrada Família]] Church.

The entrance is flanked by two gatehouses designed by Gaudí, forming the Porter's Lodge pavilion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parkguell.barcelona/en/park-guell/emblematic-features/entrance-pavilions|title = The entrance and the porter's lodge pavilions &#124; Web oficial Park Güell &#124; Barcelona}}</ref> One building contains a small room with a telephone booth. The other, formerly the porter's house, now houses a permanent exhibition of the [[Barcelona City History Museum]] (Catalan: ''Museu d'Història de Barcelona'').<ref>{{cite web|title=MUHBA Park Güell|url=http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/museuhistoria/en/muhba-park-guell}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXEGigoEa5k| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211122/fXEGigoEa5k| archive-date=2021-11-22 | url-status=live|title=LMVC UPC CPSV. MUHBA. Levantamiento del Parc Güell Casa del Guarda|date=3 April 2013|access-date=2 April 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The park's focal point is the main terrace, enclosed by a long bench shaped like a [[sea serpent]]. The curves of the serpent bench form enclaves designed to encourage social interaction. The design of the benches was the work of Gaudí's collaborator [[Josep Maria Jujol]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/sep/09/gaudis-partner-in-iconic-barcelona-design-finally-gets-the-limelight |title=Gaudí's partner in iconic Barcelona design finally gets the limelight |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Stephen |last=Burgen |date=2016-09-09 |access-date=2016-09-09}}</ref>

Another prominent feature throughout the park is the series of elevated pathways, originally intended to service the houses. Designed by Gaudí, they jut out from the steep hillside or rest on [[Viaduct]]s, often serving as roofs for lower footpaths within arcades. To minimize their visual intrusion, Gaudí constructed them using local stone, making them appear as an extension of the landscape. Echoing natural forms, the columns and branching [[Vault (architecture)|vaults]] supporting the roadways were carved to resemble tree trunks. Similar to his earlier work at the Church of Colònia Güell, Gaudí used curved vaulting and the alignment of sloping columns to create [[Inverted catenary|inverted catenary arch]] shapes, functioning as ideal compression structures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dataphys.org/list/gaudis-hanging-chain-models/ |title=1889 – Gaudí's Hanging Chain Models |website=List of Physical Visualizations |date=20 January 2015 |access-date=8 June 2017}}</ref>

At the park's highest point is a stone hill with steps leading to a platform topped by three large crosses. This [[calvary]] is officially named "El Turó de les Tres Creus." Two crosses point north–south and east–west, while the third and tallest points skyward. From here, visitors have a panoramic view of the main city, including the Sagrada Família, [[Torre Glòries|Agbar Tower]], the [[Montjuïc]] area, and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.

Park Güell supports a variety of wildlife, notably several of Barcelona's non-native parrot species, and there have even been sightings of the [[Short-toed snake eagle|short-toed eagle]]. The park also hosts a population of [[Macroglossum stellatarum|hummingbird hawk moths]].
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==Gallery of images==
<gallery>
File:View from Park Güell Terrace.jpg| View from the main terrace of the park.
File:Goelenterance06390139.JPG|Entrance to the Park.
File:Goeldoric06390141.JPG|Doric columns support the roof of the lower court which forms the central terrace, with serpentine seating round its edge.
File:Goelbench06390140.JPG|The unique shape of the serpentine bench enables the people sitting on it to converse privately, although the square is large. The bench is tiled to dry up quickly after it rains. To stop people from sitting in the wet part of the bench, small bumps were installed by Gaudí.
File:Goelbirdnests06390137.JPG|Bird nests built by Gaudí in the terrace walls. The walls imitate the trees planted on them.
File:GuellTerraceSeperate.jpg|An uninterrupted view of the terrace walls.
File:Goelwalways06390156.JPG|Roadway in the Park - resembles the pine trees of the park. To fit in, the road and walkway structures between the terraces were built with stones quarried within the park. Bird nests have been installed in the walkways.
File:Parc Güell viaduct.jpg|One of the three viaducts located within the park. Originally created by Antoni Gaudí to allow carriages to easily facilitate the transportation of visitors from the park's entrance to the "Turó de Tres Creus" which can be found on the top of the mountain, these viaducts continue to allow guests to travel throughout the park.
File:Parc Guell 10.jpg|Colonnaded footpath under the roadway viaduct, with external columns sloping to take the diagonal thrust from the vault supporting the road.
File:Colonnadeparkguell.jpg|Colonnaded pathway where the road projects out from the hillside, with the vaulting forming a [[retaining wall]] that curves over to support the road, and transmits the load onto sloping columns.
File:Park_Guell_Tile.jpg| Another of Gaudí's Tiled Mosaics on the ceiling.
File:Barcelona 29-04-2006 11-29-38.JPG|One of Gaudí's unique tiles in Park Güell
File:Ceiling mosaic, Park Güell, Barcelona.jpg|Ceiling Mosaic in the Hypostyle Room, Park Güell, Barcelona
File:Park Güell - Pabellón de entrada.jpg|The Porter's Lodge pavilion at the park's entrance. The roof is made up of broken tiles.
File:Escalinata de entrada del Park Güell.jpg|Third fountain at the entrance with the dragon
File:Casa Martí Trias i Domènech.jpg|Casa Martí Trias i Domènech
File:Panoramic view of the entrance to the Park Güell. Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.jpg|Panoramic view of the entrance to the Park Güell. Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
File:A musician playing among columns of Sala Hipóstila, Park Güell ( UNESCO World Heritage Site), hill of El Carmel, Gràcia (district), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.jpg|A musician playing among columns of Sala Hipóstila, Park Güell (UNESCO World Heritage Site), hill of El Carmel, Gràcia (district), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of Gaudí buildings]]
* [[List of Modernisme buildings in Barcelona]]
* [[Urban planning of Barcelona]]
* [[Parks and gardens of Barcelona]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/story/EwXxN9VZZdgIAA Works of Antoni Gaudí] UNESCO Collection on Google Arts and Culture
* [https://parkguell.barcelona/en?q=en Park Güell Official Website]

{{Antoni Gaudí}}
{{Barcelona landmarks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Antoni Gaudí buildings]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1914]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Barcelona]]
[[Category:Culture in Barcelona]]
[[Category:Modernisme architecture in Barcelona]]
[[Category:Gràcia]]
[[Category:Parks in Barcelona|Guell]]
[[Category:Visionary environments]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures with azulejos in Catalonia]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Barcelona]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Catalonia]]