Casa Batlló, Modernista apartment building on Passeig de Gràcia, Eixample, Barcelona, Spain
Casa Batlló is a modernist residential building in the Dreta de l'Eixample neighborhood on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona. The exterior walls show curved stone shapes with colorful glass mosaics and ceramic tiles that shift from orange to blue tones.
A textile industrialist acquired the classical building in 1903 and commissioned Gaudí to transform it between 1904 and 1906. The work completely changed the structure and made it one of the most famous examples of Catalan architecture.
The residence takes its name from its first occupant, and the facade appears as a living creature through its bone-shaped columns and dragon-scale roof. Visitors today come to experience the organic forms and natural light that flows through the entire interior.
The main floor now serves as a museum space covering 700 square meters (7,500 square feet). Access is available daily from 9 AM to 9 PM, with early visits on weekdays often less crowded.
Gaudí moved the four-armed cross on the roof from the left side to the centre so it would not clash with the stepped gable of the neighbouring Casa Amatller, a gesture of respect toward its architect Puig i Cadafalch. The roof itself was first sketched as an irregular dome before becoming the dragon-back vault.
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