Casa Vicens, House museum in Vila de Gràcia, Spain
Casa Vicens is a residence with brick walls decorated in yellow and green ceramic tiles, palm motifs, and three facades featuring Moorish-style arches. The building spans three floors plus a basement level with rooms displaying elements from the late 19th century.
In 1883 the wealthy factory owner Manuel Vicens hired young architect Antoni Gaudí to design this summer house, marking Gaudí's first major commission in Barcelona. The project already showed the architect's willingness to experiment with color and shape that would define his entire career.
The house displays the fingerprints of local craftspeople, especially visible in the elaborate ceramic tiles and decorative patterns throughout its rooms. This work emerged from a dialogue between Moorish forms and Catalan traditions of tile-making that visitors can see in every corner.
The house can be comfortably explored on foot through multiple floors connected by stairs, and visitors can choose between guided tours or self-guided walks. Sturdy shoes help since there are many steps and different levels to navigate.
Yellow flowers that grew on the original site inspired Gaudí when designing the signature colors of the ceramic work. This botanical influence shows how the architect wove his surroundings into his artistic vision.
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