Modern, Barcelona has been for more than a century. Follower of avant-garde, nonconformist and daring, the beautiful Catalan has always known how to make her difference. By defending tooth and nail its language and its culture, but also by its flamboyant architecture.

It was at the end of the 19th century, with the Modernists, whose leader Antoni Gaudí, that Barcelona developed its uniqueness, with an original architecture which today attracts tourists. But Barcelona has not lost its avant-garde fiber.

A century and dust later, far from falling asleep on its past, the city continues its transformation. The organization of the Olympics in 92 acted as a detonator. The construction of the Olympic Village allows the development of a new district, facing the Mediterranean.

More recently, the Forum 2004, and the Districto 22@ plan, designed to revitalize the industrial district of Poblenou (photo), saw the emergence of new buildings, signed by great Catalan or international architects.

A short itinerary in avant-garde Barcelona, from the Güell park of yesteryear to the park designed by Jean Nouvel very recently.

Modernist Barcelona

Audacity, still audacity… Barcelona icons today, buildings like the Sagrada Familia or La Pedrera (photo) are like a bomb when they are created. They were born from a revolutionary artistic movement, Modernism, which is in Barcelona what Art Nouveau is in Brussels.

This style inspired by nature and organic forms, which is expressed through design and architecture, knew its heyday at the time of the Universal Exhibition of 1888. In the bourgeois houses of that time, the imagination is in power: floral patterns, Moorish inspiration, curves and mosaics make every day a work of art.

Witness, the current Museum of Natural Sciences and Zoology (also called “castle of the 3 dragons”) by Lluís Domènech I Montaner, designed at the time to accommodate the restaurant of the exhibition. It was the same who imagined the formidable Palace of Catalan Music (Palau de la Música Catalan), built between 1905 and 1908.

Some wealthy individuals participated in the expansion of this movement. The bourgeois are having atypical houses built in Eixample, decorated with floral ornaments, sculptures, wrought iron, polychrome canopies, sgraffito, ceramics. To observe this work, go to Passeig de Gràcia, where three buildings form a block called ” the apple of discord”” At the time, these homes caused a lot of ink to flow.

It must be said that the architects Lluís Domènech I Montaner, Josep Puig I Cadafalch and Antoni Gaudí competed in imagination to satisfy the Lleó Morera, Amatller and Batlló families. Two of these buildings are open to the public for visits, but some apartments are still inhabited by individuals. It leaves you dreaming.

In the footsteps of Gaudí

Antoni Gaudí: the name of this architect alone evokes the figure of Barcelona. We can see its imprint in the four corners of the city. Passeig de Gracia, do not miss the visit of Casa Mila, better known under the name of “Pedrera”, whose undulating chimneys remind soldiers standing guard. During the month of July, the terrace remains open in the evening. Ideal for a drink in this magical setting.

As fantastic as it is, this achievement seems very modest with the famous Sagrada Família, the work of his life, commissioned in 1883 and remained unfinished to this day. To realize his wildest dreams, Gaudí could count on his friend and patron Eusebi Güell. This industrialist notably commissioned a park from him, a veritable green lung of the city.

The Parc Güell (photo), with its mosaic benches overlooking Barcelona, was immortalized by Cédric Klapisch in the film L’Auberge espagnole. In addition to these great achievements, Gaudí imprinted his mark on the sidewalks of the city, on the street lamps ( plaça Reial ), he built houses for individuals like the Casa Vincens (rue les Carolines), the Palais Güell (rue Nou de la Rambla), Casa Calvet (rue Casp).

The metamorphosis for the Olympic Games

More than a century after the Modernist era, Barcelona experienced a new impetus in the district of Sant Martí. The organization of the 1992 Olympic Games was the occasion for a facelift: “Until then, the city turned its back on the sea”, explains Ariel Cavilli, architect and guide for thematic tours. “The seaside was linked to transport and industry, but the new urbanization plan of Oriol Bohigas, architect adviser to the Mayor, has enabled Barcelona to reconnect with the water and transform the city”.

Vila Olimpica, a new residential area, has emerged between the zoo and the beach. Symbol of this renewal, the two towers of Port Olimpic and the copper-colored fish (fish), 35 meters high, signed Frank O. Ghery. “More than the buildings, it is the long promenade where people come to stroll and ride a bicycle that makes the charm of the place” continues Ariel Cavilli.

Located between the Barceloneta beach and that of Nova Acaria, the Olympic Port occupies an area of 25 hectares reclaimed from the sea, fitted out for boating and for endless nights, as dozens of restaurants have opened, thus rivaling the Barri Gòtic.

The new Barcelona

Barcelona is continuing its renovation. In 2004, the organization of the Forum des cultures helped revitalize the old industrial district of Poblenou (photo). The Forum itself is a huge convention center that can accommodate up to 15,000 people. This is where the Primavera Sound festival, or the Feria de Abril de Catalunya, takes place in the spring. Just opposite, the blue triangle signed by the Swiss duo Herzog and de Meuron, which now houses the Museum of Natural History.

More recently, things are moving around Diagonal, between Glories and the sea. A whole technological district, with industries related to communication, audio visual or biomedicine, is emerging from the ground. Called Districto 22@, this urbanization plan has enabled the rehabilitation of the Poblenou district.

Several abandoned textile factories have been transformed, such as Can Framis, which has become a museum of contemporary art with a pretty exhibition area of 3,800 m2, or Ca L’Anayo, restored and enlarged to accommodate a university.

This brand new neighborhood has also become the playground for “archi-stars”. Jean Nouvel built the great Torre Agbar, which culminates at 144 meters and created a large park along the avenue, the central park of Poblenou. In the evening, it is better to go to the side of rambla Poblenou, very lively with its small bars and restaurants, without being crowded.

Spain Visa Singapore for citizens and foreign nationals living here.