Casa Vicens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Casa Vicens |
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| General information | |
| Location | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Coordinates | 41°24′13″N 2°09′03″E / 41.40358°N 2.15079°E |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Part of | Works of Antoni Gaudí |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv) |
| Inscription | 1984 (8th Session) |
| Extensions | 2005 |
| Area | 0.12 ha (13,000 sq ft) |
| Buffer zone | 4.23 ha (455,000 sq ft) |
| Type: | Non-movable |
| Criteria: | Monument |
| Designated: | 24 July 1969 |
| Reference #: | RI-51-0003823 |
Casa Vicens is a super cool and unique building in Barcelona, Spain. It was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí. This house is special because it was one of his very first big projects.
Gaudí built Casa Vicens between 1883 and 1885. He used an "Orientalist" style, which means it looks a bit like buildings from places like India or Japan. But Gaudí added his own special touch, making it truly one-of-a-kind. This house was a big deal when it was built and everyone talked about it!
Back then, the area where Casa Vicens stands, called Gràcia, was a separate town. Now, it's a busy part of Barcelona. The house originally had a huge garden, but over time, parts of the land were sold. Today, the property is smaller, but still amazing.
Gaudí designed the house with three main walls, as one side was connected to a nearby convent. Later, in 1925, the house was made bigger. Gaudí was too busy with his other projects, so his student, Joan Baptista Serra, did the extension. He tried to keep Gaudí's original style, making the house stand alone.
Casa Vicens is part of Gaudí's early work, where he loved using colorful ceramic tiles. He also used unique arches and brick designs. This house is so important that it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. This means it's a special place that should be protected for everyone to enjoy!
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Casa Vicens
Gaudí's First Big Steps
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Antoni Gaudí was born in 1852 and became an architect in 1878. To pay for his studies, he worked for other architects. After graduating, he designed things like streetlights and furniture. His first really important project was the Cooperativa Obrera Mataronense, a workers' cooperative.
While building Casa Vicens, Gaudí also started working on the famous Sagrada Família church in Barcelona. He would spend the rest of his life on that huge project! He also designed other buildings around the same time, like El Capricho and the Güell Pavilions. These buildings also show his early "Orientalist" style.
Gaudí loved studying art from places like Persia and Byzantium. He used lots of ceramic tiles and unique shapes in his designs. He believed a house was like a "small family nation," a special place for a family to call their own.
How the House Came to Be
In 1878, a man named Manuel Vicens i Montaner asked Gaudí to build a summer house for his family. Manuel Vicens was a stockbroker. He inherited the land where the house was built from his mother.
We don't know exactly how Vicens and Gaudí met. But they became friends, and Gaudí even spent summers at Vicens' other house. Gaudí designed some furniture for that house too.
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At the time, Gràcia was a quiet town, separate from Barcelona. Many rich families had their summer homes there. Casa Vicens is on a street now called Carrer de les Carolines.
Gaudí finished the plans for Casa Vicens in 1880, but they were signed in 1883. The building itself was built between 1883 and 1885. Gaudí was very hands-on. He would even knock down parts he thought weren't good enough!
He worked with many skilled artists and craftsmen. These included sculptor Llorenç Matamala i Piñol, carpenter Eudald Puntí, and blacksmith Joan Oñós. The painter Francesc Torrescassana and sculptor Antoni Riba helped with the decorations.
The original property was quite large, about 1035 square meters. The house had three sides, as one side was against a convent wall. The main entrance was on one side, but the most important facade faced the garden.
Gaudí designed the house to be a single-family home. It had a basement for storage, a main floor with living areas, a first floor with bedrooms, and an attic for staff. He even designed a special staircase.
Gaudí wanted the house to blend with nature. He used tiles with yellow flowers, like the ones he found growing on the land. He also designed the main gate to look like palm leaves, inspired by a palm tree he saw there. He said, "When I went to take the measurements of the site, it was totally covered with some yellow flowers, which I used as an ornamental theme for the ceramic."
He made sure the house had good light and air. One cool part was a covered porch next to the dining room. It had wooden screens that could open up, making it feel like you were outside. There was also a special fountain that made a rainbow effect with water and light.
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The garden had different areas, including fruit trees. Gaudí designed a big waterfall made of brick, with a unique arch shape. It had sculptures of children swimming. This waterfall was later taken down in 1946 when parts of the garden were sold.
The fence around the property was also special. It had stone walls and cast iron gates with palm leaf designs. Some parts of this original fence are now in Park Güell and the Gaudí House Museum.
Next to Casa Vicens, there was a natural spring called Santa Rita. People used to come there to drink the water. Later, a small chapel was built there, but it was also demolished in 1963 for new buildings.
Changes and Growth Over Time
In 1899, Manuel Vicens' widow sold the house to Dr. Antonio Jover Puig. He was a famous children's doctor who had made his money in Cuba.
In 1925, Dr. Jover wanted to make the house bigger to live there full-time. He bought more land, making the property much larger. He asked Gaudí to do the extension, but Gaudí was busy. So, Gaudí suggested his student, Joan Baptista Serra.
Serra designed the new part of the house to match Gaudí's style. You can see the difference in how the tiles are arranged. Gaudí made them look more lively, while Serra's are more uniform. The extension was built between 1925 and 1927.
The extension added a new side to the house, making it stand alone. Serra even built a small tower, just like one Gaudí had on the other side. The house was changed from one big family home into three separate apartments. This meant Gaudí's original staircase was replaced.
Some other changes happened too. The open porch was closed off with glass, changing Gaudí's idea of connecting with the garden. The special water fountain was also removed.
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The street outside was widened in 1925, bringing the house closer to the road. The main entrance was moved, and a new terrace and stairs were added. Inside, Serra used newer materials like iron beams. He also added a new staircase and made the new rooms simpler than Gaudí's original designs.
In 1927, Casa Vicens won an award from Barcelona City Council for its renovations and extension. This was also to recognize Gaudí's original work.
Over the years, more parts of the garden were sold off, and the waterfall was demolished in 1946. The chapel of Santa Rita was also torn down in 1963. The house was restored in 1997, focusing on the outside and the roof.
Becoming a Museum
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In 2014, the family who owned Casa Vicens sold it to a bank called MoraBanc. The bank decided to turn the house into a museum. It opened to the public on November 16, 2017.
The restoration work was done by architects Elías Torres and José Antonio Martínez Lapeña from 2015 to 2017. They replaced the old staircase with a modern one and added a lift. They also removed parts that had been added later, which didn't fit Gaudí's original design.
They brought back the open porch with its special wooden screens and even recovered the original water fountain! The museum tour focuses on Gaudí's original rooms. The parts added by Serra are now used for the visitor reception and exhibitions.
In the exhibition area, you can see furniture Gaudí designed, original plans, and a model of the house. There's also a bookstore in the basement and a café in the garden.
During the restoration, the paintings by Torrescassana were carefully cleaned and repaired. Many of the ceramic tiles were also fixed or replaced using the same old techniques. Even the lamps and other details were restored by experts.
The restoration project won several awards for its amazing work. In 2019, a copy of Gaudí's original waterfall was even rebuilt and placed in a museum in Cornellà de Llobregat.
What Casa Vicens Looks Like
The house today is about 711 square meters. It has four levels: a basement, two main living floors, and an attic. Gaudí used traditional building methods, like strong walls and wooden beams. He also used a mix of stone, brick, and colorful ceramic tiles.
Gaudí designed the house for summer living, so it feels connected to the garden. He used straight lines in his design, which was different from his later curved styles. The house feels light and open, with porches, balconies, and special wooden screens.
Outside the House
The outside walls are a mix of stone and rows of tiles. These tiles have yellow flowers, like the "Indian carnations" Gaudí found on the site. The tiles are about 15 cm big.
The walls have parts that stick out, a common feature in Islamic architecture. The different textures and shapes create cool shadows and colors. On the second floor, there's a continuous balcony with arches and oriental-style wooden screens. The corners have balconies with small sculptures of angels, made by Antoni Riba.
The side facing Carrer de les Carolines was the original entrance. After the street was widened in 1925, the entrance moved. The right side of this wall was added by Serra.
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The side facing the garden was the main part of Gaudí's design. It has three levels. The covered porch is in the middle, connecting to the dining room. On the first floor, there's a balcony for the bedrooms. The second floor, with the attic, is covered in tiles and has a chimney. A small tower with a dome marks the highest point of the house, about 17 meters tall.
The covered porch is 5.5 meters high. It has a fountain in the center, decorated with carnation tiles. The wooden screens around the porch are inspired by Japanese designs. The terrace above the porch has benches and planters with tiles showing flowers and sunflower leaves.
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On the porch, you can find phrases from Catalan folk songs. For example, "Sol, solet, vinam a veure" ("Sun, little sun, come and see me").
The main door today was added in 1925. It's raised from the ground with stairs and has a metal railing. The door has cool cast iron hinges with flower designs. Above the door is a lamp with plant motifs.
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The smoking room entrance has steps with carnation tiles and spiral railings. The wooden door has oriental-style shapes. Next to the entrance is a ceramic vase with flowers and a faun's head.
The other two sides of the house have similar designs. Part of the northwest side was added by Serra. The northeast side was entirely built by Serra, as Gaudí's original design had a shared wall there.
The roof is about 150 square meters. Gaudí's original roof has four sloped sides with Arabic tiles and a walkway. Serra's part of the roof is flat. Both parts have small towers covered in tiles and topped with bronze flames. The chimneys are also made of brick and tiles.
At the street entrance, you'll see the famous gate with palm leaves and carnation flowers. It's about 2.3 meters tall. Two lamps were added to the gate in 1925.
The garden today is smaller, but it tries to look like Gaudí's original design. It has palm trees, magnolias, and roses. There's also a small niche that looks like the old Santa Rita chapel.
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Windows with wrought iron grille and upper balcony
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Entrance door lamp
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Smoking room door
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Smoking room window
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Planter with flower tiles and sunflower leaves
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Ceramic vase
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Inside the House
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The inside of the house has strong masonry walls and wooden beams. Gaudí designed the rooms with small hexagonal hallways. This allowed rooms to be closed off for privacy.
Each floor had a different purpose. The basement was for storage. The main floor had the dining room, porch, and smoking room. The first floor had bedrooms and a library. The attic was for staff. Gaudí even designed all the furniture, including the sliding doors and special locks.
When you enter, you go through a porch into the foyer. The foyer has a wooden ceiling with colorful designs and wall decorations showing plants. An Islamic-style lamp hangs from the ceiling.
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The dining room is decorated with stucco ivy on gold walls. The ceiling has paper-mâché fruit and strawberry leaves. The floor is made of small mosaic tiles. There's a fireplace surrounded by shiny ceramic tiles. The ceiling vaults have cherry tree and shell designs.
Between the dining room and the porch, you'll see paintings of birds and plants by Francesc Torrescassana. There are twenty-four bird figures, all flying except for the flamingos. Gaudí designed the dining room cabinets to perfectly fit these paintings. He also made unique locks for every door. Above two dining room doors, there are terracotta figures, one male and one female, made by Antoni Riba.
The covered porch connects to the dining room. It opens to the outside with oriental-style wooden screens. In the center is a fountain with a marble column and a metal mesh that looks like a spider's web. The room is decorated with carnation tiles and ceiling paintings that look like a sky seen through palm leaves.
Next to the dining room is the smoking room, a very special space. It has a unique ceiling with Islamic-style "stalactites" made of plaster, showing palm leaves and dates. The walls are covered with gold, blue, and green paper-mâché tiles. This room used to have a hookah for smoking tobacco.
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On the first floor were the bedrooms. The main bedroom has a beamed ceiling with ceramic tiles and green vine designs. It also has a terrace with a wooden bench. The living room has a dome painted to look like the sky with white doves flying. This room also has blue, white, and ochre tiles on the floor.
The dressing room has blue and white check tiles and a ceiling with floral designs. The bathroom has a grey floor and tiled walls with unique oil-painted flowers.
The second floor, originally for staff, is now an exhibition space. Gaudí designed it simply, with high ceilings to help regulate the building's temperature. The basement, with its arched ceilings, was once a wine cellar and coal storage. Now, it's the museum shop.
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Dining room, southeast side
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Bird paintings on the dining room jambs
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Odalisque figure, by Antoni Riba
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Bedroom ceiling
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Living room balcony window
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Bathroom
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The Paintings
The paintings in the dining room were created by Francesc Torrescassana i Sallarés. He was a painter from Barcelona. He studied art and traveled to Rome and Paris. He painted historical scenes, everyday life, portraits, and landscapes.
We don't know exactly when Manuel Vicens asked Torrescassana to paint for the house. It seems Vicens already collected his art. Gaudí designed the dining room furniture to perfectly display these paintings.
In total, there are thirty-two paintings in the dining room. They include portraits, indoor scenes, and twenty-eight landscapes. Most of them are oil paintings on canvas. Only a few are signed and dated, showing they were painted before the house was built.
Here are some of the paintings you can see:
- Landscape
- Marine
- Village
- Male portrait
- Barn
- Customs scene
- Street of a village
- View of a village
- Trees
- Interior
- Garden
- Unknown portrait
See also
In Spanish: Casa Vicens para niños
- List of Modernisme buildings in Barcelona
