A weekend walk in Barcelona1

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Metropola coastei estice a Peninsulei Iberice este al doilea oraş important al Spaniei şi capitală a Catalaniei

Barcelona is the capital and the most populous city of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid.

Lion at the base of Columbus monument

The Casa Lleó Morera is a building designed by noted modernisme architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1850 – 1923), located at Passeig de Gràcia 35 in the Eixample district of Barcelona.

In 1902 Francesca Morera assigned Lluís Domènech i Montaner to remodel ancient "casa Rocamora", built in 1864. She died in 1904, and the building was named after her son, Albert Lleó i Morera.

The building is located on the corner of Carrer del Consell de Cent, and is one of the three important buildings of Barcelona's Illa de la Discòrdia ("Block of Discord"), and it is the only one building of the block awarded Barcelona's town council's Arts Building Annual Award (Concurso anual de edificios artísticos), obtained in 1906

The façade and ground floor of the building were decorated with big and varied modernist ornaments, with some outstanding sculptures by Eusebi Arnau surrounding the entrance, which represented two couples of feminine figures holding vases. Those sculptures were installed on double pairs of columns made of pink marble, and under the gallery of the first floor, other feminine heads could be found.

The building has been considered one of the best examples of modernisme architecture, but Noucentisme supporters performed several modifications to the original structure. In 1943, Raimon Duran i Reynals signed a refurbishing project for the gound floor, designed by Francisco Ferrer Bartolomé according to an assignment by Loewe so as to open a store.

Interior of Barcelona's Casa Lleó Morera covered gallery (1st floor). The stained glass was made by Antoni Rigalt i Blanch, the picture was taken by Baldomer Gili Roig (2nd from the right)

The project for Loewe store included the disappearance of the modernist windows and the ground floor feminine modernist plant boxes made by Eusebi Arnau, which were destroyed on the sidewalk using picks. The building caretaker later recovered the feminine heads, which were sold to Salvador Dalí, who installed them in Figuere's Teatre-Museu Dalí's patio

In the mid-80s of the 20th century, architect Òscar Tusquets was commissioned to restore the building. The pinnacles and the tempietto at the top of the structure, severely damaged by machine guns during the Spanish civil war were restored, and the ground floor damage was partially recovered.

The building underwent another restoration process in 1992, and was bought by Grupo Núñez y Navarro in 2006, responsible of another restoration operation. Since 2007 the building is part of the Art Nouveau European Route.

In April 2012 finished the most recent restoration project, focused on the ground floor. Several elements such as the carriage entrance, several columns and mosaics were recovered.

Main Floor Saloon by

Gaspar Homar, conserved at

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

The Antigua Casa Figueras

One of the joys of wandering the streets of Barcelona is to suddenly stumble upon gorgeous art nouveau buildings sitting smack in the middle of nondescript shop fronts. The Antigua Casa Figueras is one such gem.

Located halfway down the Rambla, this former pasta factory, The Antigua Casa Figueras, was built in 1820 and decorated by modernist artist Antoni Ros i Guell in 1902.

Occupied since 1986 by a branch of the Pasteleria Escriba, the Casa Figueres is as elaborately decorated as some of the decadent creations of fourth generation pastry artist, Christian Escriba

This beautiful arch was built for the 1888 Universal Exposition

Santa Maria de la Bonanova church

One of the oldest and most important parishes in the northern end of the city of Barcelona is nowadays often referred to simply as “La Bonanova”, in part because it has changed quite a bit since it was first founded, sometime before the 10th century

Saints Gervasius and Protasius (Sants Gervasi i Protasi, in Catalan) were twin brothers and early Christian martyrs, killed in Milan during the persecutions of the Emperor Nero or of Marcus Aurelius, depending on the book of saints you happen to be reading. Their relics were later enshrined in Milan by St. Ambrose, in a ceremony written about by St. Augustine in his “Confessions”.

Their resulting popularity helped spread devotion to them through Lombardy, Gaul, and eventually to Catalonia

Santa Maria de la Bonanova church

Església de Sants Gervasi i Protasi i de La Mare de Déu de la Bonanova

Colegio La Salle de la Bonanova is a school located in Barcelona

Barcelona (Sant Gervasi) CosmoCaixa (Asil Empar de Santa Llúcia)

Barcelona (Sant Gervasi) Cosmo Caixa (Asil Empar de Santa Llúcia)

Santa Maria de la

Bonanova church

(Sants Gervasi)

Built in 1910 by Joan Josep Hervàs i Arizmendi, Casa Pérez Samanillo located at Diagonal Ave. 502-504

Hotel Porta Fira and Montjuïc. The Montjuic Communications Tower by Santiago Calatrava was built to transmit television coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics Games in Barcelona

Hotel Santos Porta Fira**** Barcelona: 4-star Hotel located in L'Hospitalet, near the airport of Barcelona.

Hotel Hesperia Tower &

Convention Center

Hotel Hesperia Tower & Convention Center

Barcelona from my window

Hesperia is not just a luxury hotel. Is an experience. The beauty of the rooms and the breathtaking landscapes that you can see from the windows are amazing.

La Barceloneta is a neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona

The Església de Betlem - The Church

of Bethlehem is a rare

example of a baroque church in Barcelona

and is located at La Rambla, 107 with the main entrance at Carrer del Carme, 2.

It is worth remembering that Catalonia was the site of Jesuit founder Ignatius de Loyola's revelation at Montserrat in 1522 and he subsequently spent the next few months in nearby Manresa creating the underlying concepts of the Society of Jesus so it is not surprising that Barcelona should be considered a centre of the Counter-Reformation.

Rambla dels Estudis -

Església de Betlem

(Bethlehem Church) 1680 -

Interior destroyed

during Spanish Civil War 1936

In 1936 at the start of the Spanish Civil War, Betlem was burned by Anarchists, causing the vaulting to collapse and all of the interior decoration to be destroyed.

This is considered by most architectural historians to be among the greatest of the city’s losses during the Civil War as the Església de Betlem was possibly Barcelona's most ornately decorated church.

Rambla dels Estudis - Església de Betlem (Bethlehem Church) 1680

One of the distinguishing traits of Passeig de Gracia are these modernist lamp posts on both sides of the street. Unlike gas street lighting installed in 1852, these lamp posts with benches date back from 1906 and were designed by Pere Falqués. There are 31 in all and were restored in the 80's during a remodeling campaign in the city.

Text: InternetPictures: Internet & Daniela IacobCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Mi querida España - Cecilia