City Tour

Just traveling around Europe

Estudio Patagon -

When I think of architecture in Spain, I immediately think of Antoni Gaudí, perhaps the most famous Spanish architect dead or alive. But then I remember Santiago Calatrava, designer of the Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan and the Alamillo Bridge in Seville. And what about the Pritzker Laureate, José Rafael Moneo? Oh, and then there was the Roman Empire in Spain....

Architecture in Spain is an exotic mix of early Moorish influences, European trends, and surreal modernism. These selected sites link to resources that will help you plan your architecture tour through Spain.

Visiting Barcelona

This northeast coastal city, capital of the Catalonia region, has become synonymous with Antoni Gaudí. You can't miss his architecture, or the "new" modern buildings going up every year.

  • La Sagrada Familia, the great unfinished cathedral begun by Gaudi in 1882, and La Sagrada Familia school, for the children of the construction workers
  • Casa Vicens, Gaudi's Gothic/Moorish house designed for a Spanish businessman
  • Guell Palace and Guell Park, Gaudi commissions from patron Eusebi Güell
  • Colegio Teresiano, one of Antoni Gaudí's first commissions
  • Casa Calvet, a rather traditional design for Gaudi
  • Gaudi-designed wall around Finca Miralles, as wavy and abstract as Frank Gehry's work
  • Casa Batlló, a very colorful remodeling job by Gaudi, is located in Illa de la Discordia or the Block of Discord. This street displays the architecture of Catalan architects Josep Puig (1867-1956), Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1850-1923), and Gaudi (1852-1926).
  • Gaudi's La Pedrera, one of the most famous apartment buildings in the world
  • Montjuic Communications Tower, design by Spanish-born Santiago Calatrava for the 1992 Summer Olympics
  • Agbar Tower, French architect Jean Nouvel transformed Gaudi's catenary curve
  • Barcelona Cathedral, the city's Gothic cathedral
  • The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and Palau de la Música Catalana, both UNESCO world heritage sites, are designs of the art nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner
  • Hotel Porta Fira, a 2010 hotel designed by Pritzker Laureate Toyo Ito
  • The Forum Building (Edificio Fórum) designed by Herzog and de Meuron