One of my favorite spots in the Barcelona has a rather awful sounding name, despite being a thing of beauty. I'm speaking of La Manzana de la Discordia
(The Block of Discord) at Paseo de Gracia numbers 35-45. Here the dramatically clashing styles of the three great architects of Catalan Modernism are on display in buildings that stand practically side by side: Lluís Domènech i Montaner' s Lleó Morera, Josep Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Casa Amatller, and and Antoni Gaudí's Casa Battló. Directly in front of the latter is a tile with km. 0 embedded on it to mark the beginning of the European Route of Modernism, also known as the European Route of Art Nouveau.
The Barcelona Modernism Route is an itinerary that takes you through the Barcelona of Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch, the architects who, together with others, made Barcelona the world capital of Modernism. This Route enables you to get to know thoroughly impressive palatial residences, amazing houses, the temple that has become a symbol of the city and a huge hospital, but it also includes humbler and more everyday buildings and items such as chemists’, shops, lampposts and benches - 115 works in all which show that Art Nouveau put down strong roots in Barcelona and today Modernism is still an art that is alive and part of life in the city.*
There is an official Modernism Route Guidebook available at Barcelona tourist offices and in many local bookstores. The book includes discount coupons for sites along the route that charge entry fees. If you aren't interested in getting the book, you can find a list of the 115 sites included on the route
here, as well as a briefer list of the thirty most recommended modernist monuments
here.
Discord has never been so much fun!
Chao amig@s,
Carloz
*From What is the Modernism Route?
