Built betwen 1900 and 1914, after Gaudí's plans, on the hill of El Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Park Güell is even today one of the largest architectural works in south Europe. Inspired by the English garden city movement it was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, which included a large country house (Larrard House or Muntaner de Dalt House), next to a neighborhood of upper class houses called La Salut (The Health). Park Güell is the reflection of Gaudí’s artistic plenitude, which belongs to his naturalist phase (first decade of the 20th century).
Count Güell moved in 1906 in Larrard House, and Gaudí itself lived betwen 1906 and 1926, with his family and his father, in a house which initially was intended to be a show house (La Torre Rosa - since 1963 Gaudí House Museum). It has been converted into a municipal garden in 1922. The buildings flanking the entrance, though very original and remarkable with fantastically shaped roofs with unusual pinnacles, fit in well with the use of the park as pleasure gardens. The focal point of the park is the main terrace (in the postcard), surrounded by a long bench in the form of a sea serpent, which create a more social atmosphere.
Gaudí incorporated into the Park many motifs of Catalan nationalism, and elements from religious mysticism. Roadways around the park to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures jutting out from the steep hillside or running on viaducts, with separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures. Designed and composed to bring the peace and calm that one would expect from a park, it supports a wide variety of wildlife, notably several of the non-native species of parrot.
Park Güell is a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 1984, as part of the Works of Antoni Gaudí, about which I wrote here.
About the stamps
The first stamp, depicting San Cristóbal de La Laguna, is part of a series dedicated to the World Heritage Sites (Patrimonio mundial de la humanidad), about which I wrote here. The second stamp, depicting the painting Perfil con Fondo Azul, is part of the series Arte Contemporáneo - Manolo Valdés (Contemporary Art - Manolo Valdés), about which I wrote here.
References
Park Güell - Wikipedia
Park Güell - Your Travel Guide to Park Güell
Sender: Fabienne (direct swap)
Sent from Madrid (Spain), on 25.09.2012
Photo: Pere Vivas
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