L'Eixample

Barcelona's "new town," its extension beyond the old city walls, actually contains a glorious grid of 18th- and 19th-century buildings, including the most vibrant examples of the moderniste movement. The famous Quadrat d'Or (Golden Triangle), an area bordered by the streets Bruc, Aribau, Aragó, and the Diagonal, has been named the world's greatest living museum of turn-of-the-20th-century architecture. Most of the key buildings are within these hundred-odd city blocks, including Gaudí's La Pedrera and the ultimate moderniste calling card, the Manzana de la Discordia . Many of these still serve their original use: luxury apartments for the city's 19th-century nouveau riche. Others are office buildings and even shops (the Passeig de Gràcia, the neighborhood's main boulevard, is the top shopping precinct). In case you were wondering, marine-colored, hexagonal tiles on the footpaths are reproductions of ones used by Gaudí for La Pedrera and the Casa Batlló.

Gaudí's Resting Place

Before you leave the Sagrada Família, make sure you pay a visit to the crypt, Gaudí's resting place. The architect spent the last days of his life on the site, living a hermitlike existence in a workroom and dedicating all of his time to the project. Funds had finally dried up, and the modernisme movement had fallen out of fashion. In general, the Sagrada Família was starting to be viewed as a monumental white elephant.

In 1926, on his way to vespers, the old man did not see the no. 30 tram hurtling down the Gran Vía. He was struck and subsequently taken to a hospital for the poor (in his disheveled state no one recognized the great architect), where he lay in agony for 3 days before dying. Fittingly, he was laid to rest under a simple tombstone in the Sagrada Família's crypt.

In contrast to the rest of the Sagrada Família, the crypt is built in neo-Gothic style. The first part of the building to be completed, it is the work of Francesc de Villar, the architect who was originally commissioned for the project until Gaudí took over (Villar quit for unknown reasons). During the "Tragic Week" of 1936, when anarchists went on an anti-clerical rampage in the city, the crypt was ransacked. The only thing left intact was Gaudí's tomb.

Doing the Moderniste Walk

As most of Barcelona's moderniste legacy is in L'Eixample neighborhood, it makes sense to see it on foot. The Centre del Modernisme at the Casa Amatller, Passeig de Gràcia 41 (tel. 93-488-01-39; Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-2pm; Metro: Gràcia; there are also branches at the Hospital Sant Pau and the Finca Güell in Pedralbes), is a one-stop information point on the movement. They have devised the "modernism route," a tour of the city's 100 most emblematic Art Nouveau buildings. You can either pick up a free map or buy a well-produced, explanatory book (12€/$15), which includes a book of coupons offering discounts of between 15% and 50% on attractions that charge admission, such as Gaudí's Casa Batlló and La Pedrera.

If you wish to explore modernisme beyond the boundaries of Barcelona, the center can also supply you with information on towns such as Reus (Gaudí's' birthplace) and Terrassa, which has an important collection of moderniste industrial buildings. Tours are also offered. (See our own recommended Walking Tour 4).

La Manzana de la Discordia

The superlative showcase of the moderniste architecture is the so-called Manzana de la Discordia (Illa de la Discordia). The "Block of Discord," which is on the Passeig de Gràcia between Consell de Cent and Aragó, consists of three works by the three master architects of the movement: Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Lluis Domènech i Montaner, and Antoni Gaudí. Although quite different from one another, they offer a coherent insight into the stylistic language of the period. The Casa Amatller houses the Centre del Modernisme an information point on the modernistas and the movement.