The Palau Güell is a town mansion (translated literally a "palace") in Barcelona, designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí for the Catalan industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí".
The home is centered on a main room for entertaining high society guests. Guests entered the home in horse drawn carriages through the front iron gates, which featured a parabolic arch and intricate patterns of forged iron-work resembling seaweed and in some parts a horsewhip.
Animals could be taken down a ramp and kept in the livery stable in the basement where the servants resided, while the guests went up the stairs to the receiving room. The ornate walls and ceilings of the receiving room disguised small viewing windows high on the walls where the owners of the home could view their guests from the upper floor and get a 'sneak peak' before greeting them, in case they needed to adjust their attire accordingly.
The main party room has a high ceiling with small holes near the top where lanterns were hung at night from the outside to give the appearance of a starlit sky.
In 2004, visits by the public were completely suspended due to renovations; some of the stone used in the original construction was weak and has cracked over the years causing structural problems within the building. As of 1 February 2008, Palau Güell was partially reopened to the public, with access to limited parts of the building only. However, it is currently closed for further restoration works and is estimated to be open to the public by April 2011.
It was used in Antonioni's film The Passenger as a backdrop for the first meeting between Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider.
Barcelona Palau Güell Map
Palau Güell Opening Hours
Opening days: Tuesday to Sunday.
Summer opening hours (1 April to 31 October):
10.00 am to 8.00 pm (ticket windows close at 7.00 pm)
Winter opening hours (1 November to 31 March):
10.00 am to 5.30 pm (ticket windows close at 4.30 pm)
Closed: Mondays, except public holidays, 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 18 to 24 January (for maintenance work).
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