Casa Batlló

Originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortés, one of Antoni Gaudí's architecture professors, the building was a classical, uninspiring structure. In 1903, it was purchased by the textile industrialist Josep Batlló, who granted Gaudí full creative freedom to renovate it. While Batlló initially wanted to demolish the building, Gaudí convinced him that a total redesign was possible, leading to a complete transformation between 1904 and 1906 that turned the facade into a vibrant work of art. The building is a pinnacle of Catalan Modernisme, often referred to locally as the 'Casa dels Ossos' or House of Bones because of its skeletal organic design. The facade is covered in a colorful mosaic known as trencadís, made from broken ceramic tiles that shift in color from orange-gold to greenish-blue depending on the sunlight. Gaudí avoided straight lines entirely, believing they did not exist in nature, and instead used undulating shapes and anatomical references throughout the structure. The roof is perhaps the most iconic element, featuring a tiled surface that resembles the scales of a dragon's back. This is widely interpreted as a representation of the legend of Saint George, the patron saint of Catalonia. The small turret topped with a four-armed cross is said to represent the hilt of Saint George's sword plunged into the dragon, while the balconies below represent the skulls and bones of the dragon's victims. This symbolic narrative makes the house not just a residence, but a landmark of cultural identity.