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The Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes stands on one of the peaks of the Serra de Rodes, a mountain range right by the sea in the north of Alt Empordà. It is one of the many testimonials of Catalan Romanesque architecture, but it may also be one of the most architecturally sophisticated.
From the 11th to the 14th century it was the main spiritual centre of the county of Empúries and its splendor can be seen in the large dimensions of the monastic complex. This comprises the church, the bell tower, the cloister, the sacristies, the conventional rooms for everyday living and the Palau de l’Abat (the Abbot's Palace).
The monastery is built in terraces in order to adapt to the terrain and the various buildings are arranged around the cloister and the church, built between the 10th and 11th centuries. In these two buildings you can see an exceptional example of Romanesque sculpture: the columns (original) and the capitals that crown them tell us about the classical influence that has marked this unique church.
On the outside, the ‘portalada’, designed by the Mestre de Cabestany, showed different scenes from the life of Christ carved in white marble. The scarce fragments that remain, give us a sample of their extraordinary quality, probably one of the best of its time.
From the monastery you can enjoy one of the best views of Cap de Creus. Shortly before reaching it, you will see the ruins of the medieval village of Santa Creu de Rodes, the most notable of these being the Church of Santa Helena de Rodes.
In 1900, the businessman Eusebio Guell commissioned Antonio Gaudi with a building consisting of 60 single-family homes for affluent families on the outskirts of Barcelona. Despite the project's modernity, it was a commercial failure that forced its promoters to close it in 1914. It is currently one of the most important public parks in Barcelona.
Gaudí experimented with architectural forms closely resembling the landscape and nature . The chosen site, with almost no vegetation, was stony and with significant ground irregularities. Gaudí took advantage of these characteristics by creating winding paths and using materials from the area, such as stones, to build covered spaces and porches supported with sloping columns.
Perhaps the most spectacular part of the park is a double set of steps with a central fountain in the shape of a dragon , all of which is covered in colourful "trencadís" mosaic (by the architect Josep Maria Jujol). The double set of steps leads to a large covered area that projects outwards like a large market, and is supported by 86 majestic Doric columns. The ceiling is adorned with colourful medallions. Above this area there is a large square, bordered by a long bench that defines an original meandering path.
The house that was built as a model of the dwellings of the future housing estate, and that was called Torre Rosa in reference to the Virgin of the Rosary, was inhabited by Antoni Gaudí himself from 1906 to 1925.
The Modernista Vapor Aymerich, Amat i Jover woollen mill is one of the finest examples of industrial Modernista architecture in Catalonia. Designed by the architect Lluís Muncunill and opened in 1908, it is currently the headquarters of the Museu Nacional de la Ciència i la Tècnica de Catalunya - MNACTEC (National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia).
With its characteristic roof of Catalan-vaulted skylights supported by cast iron pillars, and a 42-metre high chimney, the building housed the entire process for transforming wool, from fleece to woven cloth. The name by which the mill is popularly known, 'El Vapor' (steam), refers to the steam engine that was its driving force until 1914.
The museum today reflects the building's industrial past as a woollen mill. The aim of the MNACTEC is both to conserve and raise awareness about Catalonia's scientific, technical and industrial heritage, while also demonstrating the social impact it had. The permanent exhibitions encompass the textile industry, sources of energy, computing, chemistry and transport, amongst others.
The MNACTEC also oversees a Territorial System that coordinates 26 museums and other centres specialising in industrial, scientific and technological heritage. Each of them provides a unique thematic perspective that helps explain the process of industrialisation in Catalonia, as well as the technical, social and cultural repercussions it had.
The Born Cultural Centre in Barcelona is a benchmark facility for Europe: it is both a historical site, the core of the collective Catalan memory and a modern cultural centre.
As a historical site, the old market of Born (1876) was the first large building using iron architecture in the city, demonstrating its prominent role as a European metropolis during the 19th century.
With regard to the historical memory, in the subsoil of the market an exceptional archaeological site, both for its state of conservation and for its dimensions, is preserved. Contemplating the remains of 42 streets and 60 houses that were part of the Barri de la Ribera (the Ribera neighbourhood) you can explore the history of Barcelona and Catalonia, from the Roman era until the early eighteenth century.
The stones speak to us especially of the outcome of the War of Succession for the city, which resisted the siege by Felip V's troops up to the capitulation on 11th September 1714. As a result, the centre of the Born was destroyed in order to build the military stronghold of the Ciutadella.
After years of excavation work, restoration and exhibits, this location has been converted into a cultural centre. Opened in 2014, it acts as an interpretation centre for the War of the Spanish Succession, and at the same time offers a programme that includes literary, musical, and theatrical activities.
The MNAC (Catalan National Museum of Art) is located in the Palau Nacional de Montjuïc, built for the international exhibition of 1929. The Museum opened its doors in 1934, bringing together the medieval collection, which was gradually expanded to include works from other periods. Among the most emblematic works are the magnificent paintings from the apse in Sant Climent and Santa Maria de Taüll.
Regarding Romanesque art, other exceptional pieces include the mural paintings of Santa Maria d'Àneu and Sant Quirze de Pedret, the Batlló Majesty and the altar frontal of Avià. Notable from the Gothic period are masterpieces by painters such as Jaume Huguet, Lluís Dalmau, Bernat Martorell and Lluís Borrassà, among others.
Modern art also has a prominent place and especially since 2014 when the collection, the exhibition rooms and the museography of this period was renovated. La vicaria (The Spanish Wedding) by Marià Fortuny, is one of the star works, followed by pieces of the most representative artists of Modernisme, such as Gaudí or Casas, and those of the avant-garde, such as Picasso or Miró.
There are also great artists from the European Renaissance and Baroque such as Titian or Velazquez, for example, and the photographic exhibits complete the collection.
The Girona Art Museum, founded in 1976, could not have chosen a better setting than the Episcopal Palace, from the 12th and 16th centuries, to host its collection. The museum has the third most important collection of Romanesque and Gothic art in Catalonia. The jewel in the crown is the portable altar from the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, made of stone and wood covered with silver.
Notable also from the medieval collection is the polychrome Romanesque beam from the Monastery of Sant Miquel de Cruïlles, one of the few preserved in Europe. Or the Virgin of Besalú, considered one of the best Gothic examples of its kind. Names such as Bernat Martorell and Lluís Borrassà also have presence there.
But the art collection of the Girona Art Museum goes beyond the Middle Ages. It consists of 8,500 objects that span from the Greek colonies up to the twentieth century.Specifically, this last period also has a presence in the Museum with works by Joaquim Vayreda, Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Martí i Alsina.
Devoted to the culture of the object, the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Design Museum of Barcelona) offers visitors unique collections formed of more than 70,000 pieces which cover, in chronological order, items from the 4th century BC to the present day. The object and all that it means to society is the common denominator of all collections: from its conception, creation and production up to its use according to the period.
Contemplating many of the pieces of the museum is to return, often, to the everyday environment: the Montesa Impala motorcycle, the poster of the opening of the Camp Nou or the Olympic mascot Cobi, among many others, are objects that appeal directly to the sentimental memory of the spectator.
The vast wealth of the new museum in Barcelona is formed by the merger of the collections of the Museu de les Arts Decoratives (decorative arts), the Museu de Ceràmica (ceramics), the Museu Tèxtil i d'Indumentària (textiles and clothing), and the Gabinet de les Arts Gràfiques (graphic arts).
But if the content is outstanding, its container, the Museu del Disseny itself, is not far behind: the building, designed by the MBM team of architects and popularly known as the la grapadora (the stapler), is already a new icon of the contemporary architecture of the city.
Built in 1847 on the Rambla of Barcelona, the Gran Teatre del Liceu was converted from its beginnings into a symbol of the emerging bourgeoisie of Barcelona and Catalonia.
The origin of the Liceu must be situated in the "Liceo Filarmónico Dramático Barcelona de SM la Reina Isabel II" (Barcelona Dramatic and Philharmonic Lyceum of HM Queen Isabel II), an organisation created to fill the need for a music conservatory in the city. The success of the initiative resulted in the construction of a new theatre, which was financed through commercial efforts: the boxes and seats were owned.
In its more than 150 years of history, it has seen three tragic events: the fire of 1861, the anarchist bomb of 1893, and the devastating fire of 1994. The last reconstruction, which lasted five years, has modernised the building, retaining as much as possible of its original essence. Notable is the Hall of Mirrors and its decoration of gilded and polychrome plaster mouldings.
With 2,292 seats, it is currently one of the largest opera houses in the world, and each year puts on more than forty opera performances, as well as dance, recitals, concerts and children's shows.
