The History Of The Güell Pavilions In 1 Minute

Not the first thing that springs to mind when most people hear the word ‘Güell’ in Barcelona, the Güell Pavilions are among Antoni Gaudí’s lesser-known creations: a complex of buildings located in the Pedralbes neighbourhood of the city. Despite this, they are an important part of the legacy of this brilliant architect, whose name is synonymous with the vanguard of Catalan Modernism.
The Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí is one of the most famous figures of Barcelona’s architectural history, responsible for the design of many of the city’s most emblematic landmarks, including the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, and Park Güell. In fact, the name Güell is that of Count Eusebi Güell, a local entrepreneur who became Gaudí’s patron for a number of years and backed the construction of a number of Gaudí’s monuments — the most famous of which is the eponymous park located on the outskirts of the city. Count Güell owned a holiday home in an area of the small town of Sarrià, now a part of Barcelona, which was built by the architect Joan Martorell i Montells, who had been one of Gaudí’s teachers. But Güell was eager for the building to be renovated, and he asked Gaudí to oversee its design. Gaudí worked on the building from 1884 until 1887.