Eusebi Güell hired Gaudi to design a 60 home, high-end residential community in a Barcelona suburb overlooking the sea. Work began in October 1900. By 1907, the park was hosting events, becoming a known Barcelona tourist attraction. In 1914, Gaudi had completed several features such as the park’s walls, porter’s pavilions, a dragon stairway, a Hypostyle room with 86 columns, a palm trees paths, a Greek theatre (large square at the center bordered with a beautiful, undulating mosaic ornated bench on one side and a retaining wall on the other), three viaducts … etc. The project was however abandoned due to lack of home sales. Apparently, the elite society preferred to live in the city rather than the then-difficult-to-reach suburb.
After Güell died, the property was purchased by the city from his heirs. It opened as a municipal park in 1926 and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. Gaudi lived on the property in a model home from 1906 to 1925. The house is currently a museum. Unfortunately, it was closed for repairs during our visit in March 2024.
Güell park is a Barcelona iconic landmark, it is very popular. It consists of a monumental section (about 30 acres) and a wooded section (about 20 acres). In order to visit the monumental section, visitors must purchase timed entry tickets online. They must enter within 30 minutes of their purchased time. I selected the wrong date by mistake. Upon reaching the park, I figured I’d just buy new tickets for that day but that did not happen as they were at capacity. They restrict hourly entry to 1,400 visitors. We had taken the hop on hop off bus to the nearest stop, which was about a 20 minutes’ walk from the entrance. It included a set of steep uphill steps. The next day we took an uber who dropped us off a bit closer, but we still had to climb up the steep steps. I understand a taxi would have dropped us off in front of the entrance. You’d want to opt for the best transport based on your mobility needs. I enjoyed our visit to the park especially the beautiful scenery from the center plaza. I did not enjoy the crowds, but I was one of them. I think a visit to Barcelona should include a stop at this park especially for any Gaudi fan despite how busy it might be.
References Park Guell Web Site
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