Eixample (right)
Barcelona´s 19th century Eixample district is the birthplace of the Modernism movement where Antoni Gaudi is considered the leader. When looking to experience Barcelona´s world renowned reputation for leading 19th century architecture, this area is king. With all the Gaudi sites within reach like the grand and impressive famous Sagrada familia, the two famous Gaudi houses of La Perdera and Manzana de la Discordia, the sprawling Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, you´ll spend hours rambling along and looking upwards. This grid-patterned area was created in the 19th century to accommodate the overflowing population from old Barcelona; luckily this coincided with Barcelona’s golden age of architecture.. Gaudí, Puig I Cadafalch, Domènech I Montaner were employed by the wealthy to build townhouses, each one more daring than the last…
The Eixample district is divided in two, the Eixample Dreta (right side) and Eixample Esquerra (left side), this divide is marked by Passeig de Gracia, a highly sophisticated shopping street…..
A large part of the Eixample’s attraction includes all the shops, restaurants, cafes and bars to be found… Passeig de Gracias alone will keep any visitor entertained for hours, but all the side streets are full of great stores, theatres, cafes with people everywhere, shopping, relaxing and enjoying an aperitif with friends and family…
EIXAMPLE DRETA (RIGHT)
This area of the Eixample came first and is full of fabulous Modernista works, such as Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, Puig I Cadafalch’s Casa Amatller and Domènech i Muntaner`s Lleó Morera famously referred to as the Manzana de la Discordia…..
To the east of the city centre we can find another massive, towering example of Gaudí’s creativity, the Sagrada Familia; still under construction and will most likely continue to be so for a long time to come … it is full of symbolism and meaning. This amazing creation never disappoints as visitors to Barcelona are awed by it’s imagery and beauty time and time again….
One building which also warrants a mention is the Hospital de Sant Pau, still a functioning hospital to this day and it is probably the most complex example of Modernist architecture….
The Eixmaple dreta is rife with museums such as Fundavió Antoni Tàpies, Museo Egipci de Barcelona and the Fundació Francisco Goddia;
Other buildings of interest include the Palau Macaya, the tiled Mercat de la Concepció, the egg-topped Plaçá de Braus Monumantal and Barcelona’s last active bullring ….