Visit the Colonia Güell and the Gaudí Crypt, in Barcelona

Description

The tour of Colonia Güell, an industrial colony of modernist origin, captivates visitors with its charm and peaceful surroundings. The atmosphere of the 19th century is still preserved in its streets, one of the elements that make it so special. Its buildings, unique and of great beauty, were created by the modernist architects of the time and boast the most characteristic features of that movement. They are the vindication of popular and traditional Catalan architecture. The factory was the central nucleus and raison d'être of the Colonia Güell. Dedicated to the production of velvets and panas, its main difference with the textile factories of the time was that it used coal instead of water power. The so-called Gaudí Crypt is the colony's church. It is an important work by Gaudí in which he used all his architectural innovations for the first time in a unified manner. An unfinished work which, as Gaudí himself said, if it had been finished would have been "a monumental model of the Sagrada Família". This work was undoubtedly Gaudí's laboratory, where he experimented with the innovations that he would later apply to the Sagrada Família. The Gaudí Crypt of the Colonia Güell was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005, but remains today one of the architect's best-kept secrets. It is an atypical example of architecture built with materials of similar colours and textures to the soil and vegetation. In fact, it blends in perfectly with the surrounding woodland.