Description of the attraction
Casa Vicens (Casa Vicens) is one of the first significant works of the outstanding architect Antoni Gaudí, which was created by him at the dawn of his work. The building, made in the Art Nouveau style, stood out sharply against the general background of the numerous eclectic structures at that time. This house was commissioned by a young architect, industrialist Manuel Vicens, who was involved in the production of bricks and ceramic tiles. This partly explains the great use of these materials in the construction and decoration of the house.
The house was built between 1883 and 1889. This work of Gaudí demonstrates the great influence on his early work of the Spanish-Arabic Mudejar style, which is especially evident in the decoration of the upper part of the building. At the same time, Gaudi already here uses new elements and techniques peculiar only to him.
In plan, the house has regular shapes with many protruding gables, bay windows, buttresses and turrets, which gives it additional volume. The main material that was used by the architect in the construction of the house is uncoated stone; bricks, tiles and ceramic tiles produced by the owner are also used in many respects. House Vicens immediately attracts the eye with its richly decorated square-shaped ceramic tiles in a checkerboard pattern and tiles with a bright floral pattern. A lot of forged parts are also used, and the architect himself designed a significant part of the grilles for gates, windows and balconies.
Along with other buildings by Antoni Gaudi, Vicens' House is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The house is a private property, and therefore there is no possibility of viewing it from the inside, however, on St. Rita's Day, May 22, it becomes open to the public.
In 2007, Casa Vicens was put up for sale.
