Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona

This is a great view of the Caretakers Lodge and Administrative Building at Park Guell's entrance. There are many levels in the park and the higher you go, the better your view becomes. You are free to wander about, enjoying all nature offers alongside Gaudi's wonderful art.

This is the Caretaker's Lodge that sits at the entrance of Park Guell. In 1900, Gaudi began planning a residential complex. Lack of enthusiasm caused this project to halt and in 1922, the City acquired this complex and transformed it into a public park. In 1984, it was declared a World Heritage Site and is enjoyed by many visitors every year.

Inside Park Guell, Gaudi constructed a road network of organic appearing routes and porticos. He built viaducts that allowed easy access and that provided coverage from above, all keeping with the organic appearance of the park.

This is the bench lookout point where many people congregate to rest and enjoy the wonderful view from above. It is covered in mosaics and wraps all the way around this large area.

This is the view from the bench lookout area. You can see the top of the Caretaker's Lodge and beyond into the city of Barcelona. This is a wonderful spot to relax and enjoy life.

This is a close up of the Caretaker's lodge to show the many tiles, colors and textures that were so prevalent in Gaudi's art. They say he was inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel when he designed this house.

On the second level of the park, the Hypostyle Hall is a covered area that, at one time, was to be used for the community's market place. The columns are of Doric style from the classical Greece. You can see 2 of the 4 rosettes that represent the four seasons.

This is the park's icon - the dragon on the stairway. It functions as an overflow for the cistern and is covered in wonderfully colored ceramic tiles. Crowds are always around this sculpture and it is amazing to see.

Here is a closer view of the ceramics used on the bench in the park. He chose bright colors, patterns and created a beautiful winding vision. Many people rest, relax, eat snacks and just enjoy each other's company up here.

This wall is right next to the Dragon and is very unique and interesting. As you get up close to it, you can see all the tiles it took to mosaic it. Notice that some of the squares are convex and others concave. All the designs are different and it creates a wonderful art piece.