The Casa Milà , better known as the La Pedrerais one of the most important buildings designed by Gaudà in Barcelona.
It was the Catalan architect's last civil work, and is a must-see attraction to discover his distinctive architecture.
I'll take you on a tour of the site today.
La Pedrera in Barcelona: article summary
Where is La Pedrera in Barcelona?
La Pedrera is located in the Eixample district of the city of Barcelona, on Avenida Paseo de Gracia. This is one of the city's most popular streets, where you can also find other important buildings of the Modernist movement, such as Casa Batlló or Casa Amatller.
It's impossible to cross the Paseo de Gracia area and not see this grand stone building. Casa Milà doesn't go unnoticed, with its its immense façade filled with curves and unique details.
What is the history of this place?
Casa Milà was built between 1906 and 1910 and commissioned by the couple Pedro Milá y Camps and Roser Segimon, who lived on one floor of the building and rented out the rest. At the time, Paseo de Gracia was the most important avenue in the city and, of course, all the most important and wealthiest families lived here. began building their homes here.
As it stands today, this unique building did not go unnoticed and was mocked by society at the time. The truth is that La Pedrera, like all the work of GaudÃmarked a turning point in architecture, and is one of the world's most important of Catalan modernism.
After several years of deterioration, La Pedrera was restored and opened to the public as a cultural center in 1996. Since 2013, the Catalunya Foundation has been operating there, carrying out social, cultural and environmental projects. Today, La Pedrera is one of Barcelona's most visited places.
Tickets to La Pedrera in Barcelona
If you're planning to visit La Pedrera, I recommend booking your tickets in advance. There are several types of ticket available, and all offer a different experience. You can choose between :
- Visit Pedrera Essential This tour includes an audioguide and allows you to visit the building. You must choose the exact date and time of the tour.
- Visit Pedrera Oculta A guided tour of the basement and rear façade.
- Visit Pedrera Night Experience A nocturnal visit that includes a glass of cava and a rooftop show.
- Visit Pedrera Premium This tour includes an audioguide and allows you to visit the building, but with a free date.
- Visit Pedrera essential & night experience A ticket that combines the essential visit with a night-time experience.
What are the opening hours of La Pedrera in Barcelona?
You can visit the site :
- From Friday to Sunday and public holidays 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Visit nocturnal visit takes place from 8.40 pm to 10 pm
What you can see at La Pedrera
There are many things to see when you visit La Pedrera. These include the roof, the attic and the apartments.
Visit the roof
Unlike other buildings and museums, which are usually visited from the bottom up, the tour of La Pedrera begins on the roof of the building. This place is sure to surprise you.
The roof of La Pedrera is completely different from any other building. The roof's elements include stairwells, ventilation towers and chimneys which, rather than having been built for purely functional purposes, also fulfil an aesthetic role. These sculptural volumes with their curved forms are covered in stone, marble and ceramics.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the roof offers an incredible view of Barcelona. You can see the whole of Paseo de Gracia and the Sagrada Familia.
Continue your visit in the attic
After visiting the rooftop terrace, you descend to the attic, another area of Casa Milà that leaves you speechless. Here you can really see GaudÃ's greatness as an architect 270 brick catenary arches, simulating the skeleton of a whale, support the roof and create a unique interior.
This was once the building's communal laundry. Today, the attic houses a Gaudà exhibition, with models of his works, videos of his history, furniture designed by him and more.
Visit the apartments
The next space you visit is the fourth-floor apartment. It's furnished just as it was back then. It gives us an idea of how a bourgeois family lived at La Pedrera.
We can also see how Gaudà thought about every detail of his works: knobs, handles, mouldings, doors, among other elements. were designed by the architect.
End the visit at the butterfly court
The tour ends in the interior patio, a characteristic Casa Milà space that provides light and ventilation to the apartments. This patio has wonderful details: the iridescent colors of the ceiling resemble those of a butterfly wing.
Barcelona's La Pedrera is a must-see when visiting the city. I advise you to visit in the morning to avoid the crowds. Last but not least book your ticket in advance to save time on your visit!
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