The church is imposing and beautifully carved, with four spires rising into the sky, making it a proud symbol of Barcelona. It is a church that the people of France have called peculiar. Spain's greatest architect Andoni Gaudi gave her the framework of life. The four spires, the flora and fauna shaped decorations and the use of colored pottery are rarely seen anywhere else. Construction of this church began in 1882, but it remained unfinished for more than a century. Gaudi made the effect that the walls are not vertical and the corners are not at right angles. Combined with the ghostly balcony design and romantic colored stonework, it is no wonder that people call Gaudi an architectural genius. From Plaza Catalunya to Tamako Hosokawa Boulevard, there is a famous shopping street lined with many buildings representing the Art Nouveau movement, two of which were designed by Gaudi: the Batello and the Pedreira. Dai's highly bohemian imagination gave these buildings unique and passionate qualities.
These buildings are representative of Gaudí's surrealist architectural style, along with his design of the Parque del Quirre, now listed by UNESCO as an important cultural heritage site for humanity. Barcelona deserves the title of City of Art. Picasso, Miró, Dali and other masters of modern art were born here. There are two Picasso museums in the world, one in Paris and the other at 15 Rua de Moncada. It is a beautiful mansion built in the 15th century with a quiet courtyard and elaborately decorated rooms. It was once Picasso's apartment as a teenager, and the museum has a collection of more than 700 of his paintings, from which it is easy to see his solid and rigorous painting skills.
Early Picasso is very different from his later surrealism and abstraction. It should be said that one should know Picasso from Barcelona. In addition, Barcelona's Center for Contemporary Art has one of the world's richest collections of works by the great painter Miro, with more than 200 of his sculptures, watercolors and other works of art there. All you do in Barcelona is stroll down Lambratt Street and the Marina Dam. The tree-lined, spacious Lamblat Street is a lovely pedestrian street that follows the enchanting charm of the old flower market. The street is lined with uniquely decorated flower stores, book markets, stores and restaurants, and there are great photo backdrops everywhere. Strolling through the streets, passing tourists of all nationalities, watching street performers paint themselves black and white and dress up as warriors, puppets, politicians or clowns is a vivid memory. A 60-meter-high monument to Columbus stands on this street to commemorate his return from his first expedition to America in 1492.
Barcelona was the first to hear him officially announce and describe a strange new world. The Sagrada Familia Cathedral in the center of Barcelona is the culmination of Gaudi's life's work and the symbol of Barcelona. We will surely remember the transcendent beauty of the Sagrada Familia's cornucopia of spires standing dreamily in a haze of fog whenever the image of the Olympic Games theme appeared on television, accompanied by solemn and melodious singing, when Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games. The church, which has been in operation for more than 100 years, is still under construction. It began in 1884 and is expected to be completed in 2050. It was Gaudi who designed the Basilica of the Holy Family.
The cathedral displays a singular romance that attracts all eyes in the city. Rather than being mesmerized by anxiety and irritation over this towering half-built project, generations of Barcelonians waited calmly and patiently. Gaudi's death in 1926, and the destruction of the plaster model of the church he had left behind, aroused even more curiosity, and more energetic architects with a sense of a mission to make amends.
More than two decades before he designed Mira's apartment, Gaudi took on the task of continuing the construction of the Church of the Holy Family. According to the original design, it was a Gothic church. It was placed in the center of the city with the hope that it would become an icon and spiritual anchor for Barcelona. In order to live up to the expectations, Gaudi carefully designed and built it from the beginning. The subsequent success of the Mira Apartments brought him fame and gave him enough confidence to turn the church into a personalized dream song. He kept pushing and revising the model. The higher the church was built, the stronger Gaudi's personal impression became. The towering square towers became hollow round towers, 18 of them in a ****!
The Sagrada Familia church before us, with its spires standing side by side, is tall and upright, its top decorated with colorful mosaics. It's a romantic sight we never see in Gothic churches or in the English Parliament. The Church of the Holy Family is a Gothic apparition that stimulates eyes and brains accustomed to tradition. The stunning building still looks like this! Under the spire there is a huge pointed arch and round window familiar to us. We were about to give it a heartfelt compliment, but we were immediately mesmerized by the oddly shaped decorations that surrounded it. The tiny, grotesque decorations dangled down like stalactites, and the pure Gothic layout was swallowed up by the individuality of these decorations.
Gaudi said he symbolized the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus on three sides of the church. The eighteen circular spires represent his twelve followers, four missionaries and the Virgin Mary, with the tallest one in the middle symbolizing Jesus. He also points out again and again the meaning of the strange geometric shapes, sculptures and reliefs. We don't have to pay too much attention to his explanations; it's just an excuse for Gaudi to show his passion and personality. In the Mira Residence, we see a sculptural building. In contrast, the Church of the Holy Family looks like a mysterious alien thing. Gaudi's extraordinary imagination was at work here. Unfortunately, until his death, the construction of the church was far from complete, and its mystery was further enhanced by the fact that religious services had to be held in the magnificent walled city that Gaudi designed with a blue sky overhead, as if it were a ruin. The Sagrada Familia has become a symbol of Barcelona. People love it and are proud of it, putting its image on postcards, toys, handkerchiefs, hairpins and brooches.
Like the Mira apartment, the mysterious and eerie mood of the Sagrada Familia Church reveals the simple and naive flavor of folk art, which does not pursue the luxury and nobility of Italian and French architecture, so people say that Gaudi's architecture is only suitable for Barcelona, and will lose its elegance if it leaves the special environment of this city. In fact, in the West, there are many examples of building a church with centuries of effort. Pisa Cathedral took 221 years, Amiens Cathedral 190 years, Milan Cathedral 100 years, Florence Cathedral 200 years, Ulm Cathedral took 115 years to complete, and both Westminster Cathedral and Cologne Cathedral took 500 years.
There are examples of this in China. It took more than 60 years to excavate the Yungang Grottoes, more than 400 years to build the Longmen Grottoes, and more than 900 years to accomplish the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang. Almost all temples have undergone repeated destruction, repeated construction, repeated expansion and contraction. Modern people, accustomed to changing a little each year and a lot in three years from the same year, do not have the patience to wait for the short wall studs and the unaffordable roof purlins, much less tolerate Michelangelo and Raphael painting the unfinished domes for ten days and a half months. They couldn't stop Donatello and Bernini from insisting on destroying nearly finished sculptures because of the slightest difference. Adequate funding, motor-assisted, prefabricated assemblies of modern technology don't slow down construction, but today's construction workers really don't appreciate the emotional commitment and faithful labor of the ancient craftsmen. Once piety is distilled, faith is transformed into fiber, and this is not ingenuity, it is ingenuity. Such a building becomes an ancient building during the construction process, and it must be a famous building after completion.
Hundreds of years later, the successor's design can still be harmonized with the previous style and can still be linked to the earlier project. The reason is that it bridges generations. Sincerity is both genuine and sincere. With such sincerity, the furrows between the old and the young are leveled, the differences between the modern and the past are dissolved, and the lines between religion and art are blurred. El Park In 1900, Earl El commissioned Gaudi to design what was then a middle-class suburban residential neighborhood in the northern suburbs of Barcelona. The plan for this residential area was not realized, but a park, Guell Park, was built, and at the entrance to the park there are two small buildings designed by Gaudi for offices. Upon entering the garden, a large, uniquely shaped staircase leads to a multi-columned hall, followed by an ancient Greek theater. The grand staircase continues to the roof terrace above the multi-columned hall. The platform is wide, about 30 meters wide and deep, and is surrounded by low walls and chairs.
It is a great place for visitors to have fun, meet, walk and dance. The architecture of Ju'er Park is a masterpiece of the mature period of Gaudi's creative career, fully reflecting his aesthetic ideas. The roofs of the two small buildings at the entrance of the park are also full of small towers and protuberances. They are strangely shaped. Their appearance consists of a mosaic of broken porcelain tiles in white, threadbare, brown, blue, green, orange and other colors, with peculiar patterns. Upon entering the garden, a large, unusually shaped staircase leads one to a multi-column hall. The columns of the multi-column hall are regularly shaped and organized, which is not uncommon in Gaudi's works. Behind the hall is the theater, and the dog steps up to the roof terrace of the multi-column hall. The platform is surrounded by low walls and chairs and is a place for swimming, partying and dancing. The low wall around the roof winds and twists, and colorful tiles are pasted on the wall, forming a strange and inexplicable pattern, like a bent and curled python. The terrace wall snaked and twisted like a curved wax python.
The overlapping buildings of Kiku-er Park fully demonstrate the architect's unique aesthetic interest. Opening hours: Summer: 10:00-21:00; Winter: 10:00-16:00; Location and transportation: Get off the subway and follow the street signs to get there. Plaza Catalunya (Plaza Catalunya) Plaza Catalunya (Plaza Catalunya) is located in the center of Barcelona, connecting the old town and the expansion area. It is also the starting point of the city's main streets, la rambla and gracia. The beautiful square is paved with green lawn, there is a beautiful stone statue of the goddess of meditation, looks peaceful and dignified: flying beads jumping jade fountain has a variety of waves, like a crystal palace. On weekends and holidays, this place is crowded and busy. Various kinds of vendors, selling colorful balloons, ice cream, playing with wandering entertainers, attract children and adults. Flocks of pigeons strolling around the plaza and lawns seem to be enjoying life more than the busy tourists.
Like all of Europe's famous squares, the Plaza de Catalunya isn't big and doesn't have the classic, continuous urban design of a Venetian square. It is simply a square formed by the intersection of several streets with some elaborate sculptures and fountains. It represents more of a symbol of history and humanity, where people from all over the world gather to watch the pigeons. Plaza Catalunya is also the city's shopping, entertainment and transportation center. The square is surrounded by high-rise buildings of all grades, stores, restaurants and bars. The bus, train and metro stations are located here, as well as the largest information desk of the Barcelona Tourist Board. Next to it are the famous shopping centers of England. Despite its long history, the interior of England's shopping center, like all shopping centers, is not very different from the lower floors and the Orient Ocean.
But from the 5th floor onwards you get into the essence, which is a wide range of gifts and handicrafts that can only be bought in Barcelona. The Barcelona souvenirs in the Mall of Britain are all made in Spain and the more expensive ones are handmade and worth buying. Columbus Memorial ColumnThe Columbus Memorial Column was designed by Rafael Archie. It is located in the middle of the Esplanade, at the end of Avenida Ramblas and where the left and right sides of the Esplanade meet.
Built for the 1888 Universal Exposition, at the top of the 60-meter-high tower stands the spirited statue of Columbus, pointing in the direction of the New World, surrounded at its base by eight huge black lions. The full-body statue of Columbus at the top of the column is made of cast iron melted from the cannons in front of the Monte Deco Castle. It is the largest statue of Columbus in the world. Next to the Memorial Harbor is moored a replica of the schooner Santa Maria, which Columbus sailed on during his first sailing expedition.
The ship is 25 meters long, 8 meters wide at its widest point and weighs 90 tons. Columbus, a dangerous man who opened up maritime supremacy for Spain, was truly loved by the Spaniards. The tower is equipped with an elevator that leads to an observation deck at the top of the column for visitors to ascend and enjoy the view. Columbus was an Italian navigator. Born in Genoa, Italy and died in Valladolid, Spain. Engaged in sailing all his life. Moved to Portugal and Spain. I believe the earth is spherical and I believe India and China could sail west from Europe to the east.
With the support of the King of Spain, he made four voyages (1492 ~ 1493, 1493 ~ 1496, 1498 ~ 1500, 1502 ~ 1504). It opened a transatlantic route to the United States. It has reached the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, Dominica, Trinidad and other islands. It first landed on the southern coast of the Gulf of Parilla in the Americas. Examined the coastline of Honduras in Central America, more than 2,000 kilometers of the Gulf of Darién; Understood the Isthmus of Panama; Discovered and exploited the change in wind direction in the Atlantic Ocean where the wind blows east at low latitudes and west at high latitudes. It proved the correctness of the theory of the Earth's sphere. It facilitated the connection between the old world and the new.
He mistook the new continent he reached for India and called the natives Indians. 492 August 3, Columbus was dispatched by the King of Spain with a letter of state to the monarch of India and the Emperor of China, led three 100-ton sailing ships, sailed out of the Atlantic Ocean from the Spanish port of Barros, Johan Young, and headed due west. After 70 days and nights of arduous sailing, he finally found land in the early morning hours of October 12, 1492 . Columbus thought he had reached India. It was later learned that Columbus landed on this land, which belonged to today's Bahamas in the Caribbean Sea of Central America, and which he then named San Salvador. on March 15, 1993, Columbus returned to Spain.
After that, he sailed west three times, landing on many coasts of the Americas. Until his death in 1506, he thought he had reached India. Later, an Italian scholar named Amerigo, after more expeditions, learned that these places Columbus had reached were not India, but an unknown new continent. Columbus had discovered the New World. However, the continent was named after the person who proved it was new: America. Later, various whispers arose about who first discovered America. The conclusion that Columbus discovered the New World is unquestionable. This is because at that time people throughout the Old World of Eurasia and Africa did not know that there was this continent on the other side of the Atlantic.
As for who reached the Americas first, that's another question, since the Native Americans themselves had migrated from Asia in ancient times. It is also quite possible that the first people from China and Oceania sailed to the Americas, but none of this changes the fact that Columbus discovered the New World. Columbus' voyage was the beginning of the age of navigation. The opening of new routes changed the course of world history. It shifted the route of overseas trade from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast. From then on, the West finally emerged from the darkness of the Middle Ages and began to rise in the world with an unstoppable momentum, and in the following centuries, achieved maritime hegemony. A brand new industrial civilization has become the mainstream of world economic development.
The 11,000-square-meter Casa de la Mira is the most mature work of Gaudi's implementation of naturalism. From the inside to the outside, the entire structure is free of angles, and the absence of straight lines creates a sense of infinite spatial flow. Nicknamed La Pedrera by the people of Barcelona because of its milky white stone, the exterior of the Casa de la Mira is an incredible white, wavy building with intricately carved iron balconies, gilded with luxury and sophistication. Gaudi's admirable mastery of cast iron can be fully exploited.
Because Mira's house is situated on a corner, Gaudi tried to save space in every way possible. First, the exterior of the building is stone slabs that look heavy but are actually very thin; two patios were designed, and the floor plan of the house was turned into a donut shape so that each house could be lighted from both sides, and all the spaces in the house could be connected to each other, saving not only space on the walkways, but also space down to the last centimeter.
It should have been a bold, scientific and avant-garde design, then and today. In addition to the appealing appearance, when you get on the roof, a dozen or so novel and avant-garde alien hackers will stand on it, as if traveling through time and space, presenting a smiling world of the future. In fact, these are exhaust pipes or water towers, but Gaudi used to beautify them and turn them into a beautiful leisure place, and one has to be in awe of Gaudi's rich imagination once again. Even today, nearly a hundred years later, they are still just as avant-garde and dazzling! However, Mira's house, built in 1906-1910, had an ill fate.
While it was originally the mansion of an industrial magnate, it was later reduced to a casino, and at one point turned into cram schools and sublet apartments.
After its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, it was purchased by the Catalunya Art Center in 1986 for RMB 900 million, and then renovated for RMB 1 billion to bring back its beauty.