By Raúl Oliver and Albert Zayuelas
We believe that the Palau de la Música is one of the finest buildings in the world and a place that is worth visiting. We think that this structure is perfect and and that is why we have chosen to write about it. Furthermore, it is the only Modernista concert hall that has been declared part of the World Heritage by UNESCO.
El Palau de la Música, an auditorium located in the neighborhood of Sant Pere in Barcelona, was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1905. It is famous for its spectacular structures.
This building is the headquarters of the Orfeó Català, a prestigious institution founded in 1891 to further Catalan music and culture. Accordingly, the building’s decoration features the quatre barres (from the Catalan coat of arms). Inside the concert hall, on one side of the stage, there is a sculpture depicting the Ride of the Walkiries' and, on the other, the figure of Beethoven, sculpted by Pau Gargallo and Dídac Massana. There is a splendid central stained-glass skylight in the roof, designed by Rigalt and Granell. The façade is made of red brick and decorated with mosaics by Lluís Bru. The Palau de la Música Catalana organizes daily guided tours around the Modernista concert hall and, less frequently, the Lluís Millet Hall and the Chamber Music Hall.
