The temples of Sant Pere, Sant Miquel and Santa María, which originally formed the Paleolithic "cathedral" in Egara, have undergone multiple stages of construction that have left their mark in a variety of styles, -from late Roman to Gothic styles- and artistic disciplines. It is, therefore, a monument unique to Catalonia.
The first building is a paleochristian complex that served as the bishopric of Egara, of which there are still vestiges of the temples of Santa Maria and Sant Miquel. The fact that there are three churches has historically been interpreted as a "copy" of the ancient Byzantine model -two churches and a baptistery- but after recent excavations (2000-2007), scholars think that the church of Sant Miquel was not used as a baptistery, but rather that it had a funerary use. Therefore, we find ourselves in a paleochristian cathedral, set out as a miniature city with several outbuildings and temples.
The second stage of construction dates back to the ninth and tenth centuries following the Christian conquest of the territory dominated by the Muslims. Therefore, the style is Pre-Romanesque; there are many signs of this era in the churches that were eventually finished in the third and final stage, by this time the Romanesque (11th-12th centuries).
The group comprising the Theatre-Museum with the dome and the Torre Galatea (with its façade decorated with manequins, eggs and loaves of crusty bread) is the most emblematic icon of Figueres’ urban landscape.The building itself is considered to be the world's largest surrealist object. But, at the same time, in its interior it houses many masterpieces by Salvador Dalí.
The Theatre-Museum, built on the remains of the former Figueres Theatre, was designed and planned by Dalí himself as his great personal project. Its collection of paintings enables the visitor to go on an artistic tour, starting with the painter’s early work (The Smiling Venus and Port Alguer). Besides this and most importantly, the Museum covers the explosion of surrealism with emblematic works such as the Spectre of Sex-Appeal, Leda Atomica, The Basket of Bread and Galatea of the Spheres.
Also of particular interest is a set of works that Dalí created specifically for his own Museum, such as the Mae West Room, the Wind Palace gallery, the Rainy Cadillac and the painting Gala Nude Watching the Sea which at 18 metres distance appears as President Lincoln.
In 1988 the Loggias Room exhibition area was added, showing the later work of Salvador Dalí, based on scientific experimentation and the study of classical painting.
The Teatre-Museu Dalí in Figueres together with the Castell Gala Dalí de Púbol and the Casa-Museu Salvador Dalí in Portlligat, make up the Dalí triangle of Empordà which enables visitors to immerse themselves in the life and work of one of Catalonia’s most international painters.
The Pau Casals Museum is one of the most significant testimonies of the legacy of Pau Casals, one of the most universal Catalan musicians, who revolutionised the world through innovation in playing the cello.
The building it occupies is the Vil·la Casals, which the musician had built in 1910, on the seafront in Sant Salvador, El Vendrell. Originally designed as a summer house, it was renovated in the noucentista-style, along with the Music Room, the garden and the viewpoint. Casals lived there until 1939, when he had to go into exile and never returned.
In 1972, the musician and his wife, Marta Montañez, created the Fundació Pau Casals to conserve the heritage contained in their house in Sant Salvador. After his death, La Sala del Sentiment, La Sala de Concerts and La Sala del Vigatà were opened to the public and in 1976 the house was opened as a museum.
In the current museum, opened in 2001, the visitor can admire various sculptures, paintings, musical instruments, photographs, autographs, pieces of furniture and other personal belongings of the musician, in addition to participating in various activities aimed at the promotion and dissemination of music.
In the middle of Montjuïc, in Barcelona, under the shade of the trees, the white volumes of the Fundació Joan Miró do not go unnoticed. In its interior, it holds more than 14,000 pieces by the surrealist painter, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics and tapestries. One of the most important aspects of the Fundació is that it preserves nearly all Joan Miró’s preparatory sketches, with more than 8,000 drawings, invaluable material for understanding the work of the artist.
The collection was originally created with a donation from Joan Miró himself and has since grown with donations from family, friends and collectors.
Through the Foundation’s collection, you can take a journey through the artistic life of Miró. Starting with his early paintings with their clear influence of Impressionism, Fauvism and French Cubism (Chapel of Sant Joan d'Horta and Portrait of a Young Girl). Progressing on to his fully surrealist phase (The Bottle of Wine) and his well-known collages (Homage to Prats). And ending with his works on the Civil War (Man and Woman in Front of a Pile of Excrement) and his paintings of the constellations.
But the museum is not only notable for the work it houses but also for its architectural and museological concepts. Miró wanted to open a foundation that would look to the future, that would not become a temple of collectors' objects but rather a place of discovery and debate. And with this objective, he asked the architect Josep Lluís Sert to construct a building with its own personality. The result is a piece of architecture that serves as the perfect showcase for the work of the artist.
A former fisherman's hut in Portlligat, Salvador Dalí moved here in 1930 and continued to work here until 1982. Since its initial construction, the painter began acquiring other similar huts and, over forty years, defined what would be the home as it is today, considered by some as "a true biological structure".
The building, designed by Dalí and Gala, is a labyrinthine structure organised around the so-called "Saló de l'Óssa" (Hall of the Bear). From this central area, the home spreads out through a succession of small rooms connected by corridors, small level changes and culs-de-sac. The rooms have windows of different shapes and sizes but with one common denominator: they frame the Portlligat bay, a place that is a recurring theme in Dalí's work.
The home, which the writer Josep Pla described as "surprising, extraordinary and never seen before" was a refuge where Dalí led "a life of asceticism and isolation" after living for many years in Paris.
In 1982, after Gala's death, Dalí did not return to Portlligat. With the painter's death (1989), in 1994 the house became a small museum areaadapted by the architects Oriol Clos i Costa and José Ramos Illán. Together with the Castell Gala Dalí de Púbol and the Teatre-Museu Dalí in Figueres, make up the Dalí triangle of Empordà
Built between 1932 and 1936 in the district of Sant Andreu in Barcelona, Casa Bloc is a paradigmatic example of the first Rationalist architecture in Catalonia. It was designed by Josep Lluís Sert (1902-1983), Josep Torres Clave (1906-1939) and Joan Baptista Subirana (1904-1978), members of GATCPAC (Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture). It is a group that, along with the Government of Catalonia, promoted the introduction of modern architecture to the country in the early 1930s.
During the Second Republic, it was an innovative social project integrated into the urban environment and featured functional housing conceived as standardised accommodation for workers. A 'new' architecture that defined the modern urban morphology, typical of the twentieth century, in contrast to the Eixample in the nineteenth century.
Today you can visit the house 1/11 of the Casa Bloc, converted into an apartment-museum run by the Design Museum of Barcelona. The museum project has restored the original structure and appearance of the home, and presents it as its creators had intended.
The Pyrenees was the last area inhabited by dinosaurs, 65 million years ago. This explains why the Cretaceous site of Coll de Nargó is regarded by the scientific community as one of the most important in the world. Providing an excellent source of information on the time when the last great dinosaurs became extinct and a new era dominated by mammals began.
The site consists of an area open to the public which is called the "Mirador del Creataci", (Cretaceous Observation Centre), from where you can see dinosaur footprints, fossilised plant and animal remains, and dinosaurs nests and eggs. To spread the importance of the site, the Dinosfera, museum was established, providing interactive interpretation based on new technologies.
The permanent exhibition focuses particularly on explaining the assumed reproduction process of these giants of nature. And one of the most spectacular pieces found at Coll de Nargó and on display in the Museum, is the largest dinosaur nest in Europe. In fact, one of the main creatures responsible for the clutches of eggs that have been found in the area is the titanosaurus. For this reason, a reproduction of this sauropod can be found at the start of the exhibition.
