Casa Batllo is a beautiful Catalan architectural building that was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi.Casa Batllo and Casa Mila are located in the central location of Barcelona on Passeig de Gracia, and both Antoni Gaudi’s designs amazed the local people. The building is now under the control of UNESCO World Heritage.Casa Batllo’s roof resembles the rooftop of Casa Mila, as both buildings have different chimneys and ventilation structures.Casa Batllo, also known by its other name, ‘Casa Dels Ossos’, was built with enlarged windows and a spacious landing. The building was owned by the Batllo family, and they hired Antoni Gaudi to design the building in 1904. There was already an old building, and the new one was redesigned by Antoni Gaudi. The building was a masterpiece in the art nouveau style. Similar to that of Casa Mila or La Pedrera, the straight lines in the building were avoided by the architect.Antoni Gaudi assisted, along with Josep Canaleta, Joan Rubio, and Domenec Sugranes I Gras, in the renovation project of Casa Batllo. The other name, Casa Dels Ossos, with which the Casa Batllo is well known, means the ‘house of bones’ because of the organic shapes that resembled the skeletal quality.Along with Casa Batllo, there are four other locally known buildings that have a modernist influence in their structures. Each of the buildings is unique in its own way. The blue tiles in the patio of the building attract visitors with the uniqueness it is built with. The ground floor of the building has huge windows in an oval shape that have carved stonework.The way the entire facade is designed with lots of colored stained glass and ceramic discs does not allow a single passerby to look at the building once. It has large oak doors and vaulted ceilings, as well as a wooden lift that is still in use. There are six floors in the building, and the main floor, or the main apartment, was believed to be occupied by the Batllo family.The rooftop makes it resemble the upper back of a dragon. Some others give the other facts about Casa Batllo, giving a representation of Saint George, who was a patron saint of Catalonia. He is believed to have jumped off the back of the dragon. UNESCO World Heritage took control of Casa Batllo in 2005 so that the unique architectural design of the building could be preserved.Casa Batllo Building HistoryCasa Batllo was owned by the Batllo family in 1903, and the old building was redesigned by Antoni Gaudi in 1904. It almost took two years to completely redesign the old building.In 1860, the Barcelona council started to implement their planned city idea. Cerda was the plan’s name, and Paseo De Gracia, or Passeig de Gracia, was known as the main central location built by the best Catalan architect. The richest and wealthiest families in Barcelona built their houses on this lane. In the latter half of the 1800s, there was more movement of carriers and loaded horses, while in the 1900s, people could see cars moving around the avenue.Casa Batllo was originally built in 1877 by Antoni Gaudi’s professor, Emilio Sala Cortes. When the building was built, there was no electricity in the building. It was in 1903 that Mr. Josep Batllo Casanovas, who was an industrialist in the textile industry, bought the house of bones, or Casa Del Ossos. He had many factories of his own in Barcelona and was one of the big industrialists.In 1904, he gave the contract to redesign the building to Antoni Gaudi. Antoni Gaudi was not bound by any of the restrictive designs by the owner. The new one was designed by Antoni Gaudi with the help of other designers. The entire building of Casa Batllo was renovated, from changing its facade to each and every interior part. The patio was extended and the house was most evident with no straight lines.The use of colorful ceramic disks, huge windows with carved stones, a wooden lift in the patio, and many other things made the house unique in its own right. The concept of less usage or no usage of straight lines was similar to that of Casa Mila. The construction of other buildings was also going on at the same time, along with Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Batllo project. The city of Barcelona had given them a specific time period, which was known as the ‘Bone of Contention’.The other houses built were Casa Josefina Bonet by Marcel-li Coquillat, Casa Lleó Morera by Llus Domènech i Montaner, Casa Amatller by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and Casa Mulleras by Enric Sagnier. The Batllo family lived in Casa Batllo until 1954. It was later taken over by insurance companies.In the subsequent years of 1990, the house was owned by the Bernat family. In 1995, the house was made open to the public for visitors to visit the place.In 2005, Casa Batlló became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you want to visit this iconic work of Antoni Gaudi, Modernism, then a visit to the place is a must.Casa Batllo Architecture StyleThe architectural facts about Casa Batllo are well known among the local people. The people who visit the place from around the world are amazed by the kind of work done in the house.Casa Batllo has a very unique entire facade with colorful ceramic disks used to make the building more beautiful. Casa Batllo is generally assumed to be a dream house with a lot of joy as it is filled with different bright colors. The various beautiful artworks in the house demonstrate the great influence of nature.The entire facade represents the whole world with a diverse culture, which is represented by the different colors used on the walls. It also represents boldness along with freedom. Casa Batlló is a mixture of imagination and reality that has been made using recycled objects and materials that are thought of as useless.Antoni Gaudi tried to make use of such objects by converting them into beautiful pieces of art. The main floor of the house was occupied by the Batllo family and has beautiful floral designs with an influence of modernism. The railings of the balconies appear to be in a mask shape. It is believed that the railing is made out of one iron piece, which is attached at the different points with anchors.On the noble floor of the house, a big gallery with carved stone and big windows can be seen. The service area of the house has laundry rooms along with large areas made for storage. The upper floors of the house were rented by the Batllo family in 1911. The first floor was given the other name, ‘House of Yawns’.The carved oval-shaped windows are also a great feature of the first floor. The rooftop of Casa Batlló looks like a crown and is sometimes referred to as the ‘back of the dragon’. The fifth floor of Casa Batlló was added, along with some changes made to the facade of the house. The dragon’s back and roof terrace are known as the design of the Casa Batllo.The use of colorful tiles in the house made it different from the other buildings in the lane. The chimney was polychromatic, and the roof terrace was four-crooked. The influence of Catalan modernism was clearly visible in the Casa Batllo. The loft of the house was also unique and had a Mediterranean influence. The dining room of the house is on the noble floor, along with a big courtyard.The noble floor is called the ‘heart of the house’, and Mr. Batllo’s first room is also on the same floor. His study room has an interesting mushroom-shaped fireplace. The ground floor’s entrance leads to the private entrance hall of the Batllo family. The entrance hall has an interesting modernism grid, which is a must-see for visitors.Details About Casa Batllo’s OwnerCasa Batllo was built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortes and commissioned by Llus Sala Sánchez.The house is no doubt full of imagination and creative ideas and is an emblem of eclecticism, which was very prevalent in the late 19th century. The building has six floors, along with a basement and ground floor. The garden area of the building is at the back of Casa Batlló.In 1903, Joseph Batlló bought the house and was not happy with the design of the house. So, it was redesigned by Antoni Gaudi in 1904, and it took two years to complete the renovation project.The Batlló family were well-known businessmen in Barcelona, and Josep Batlló owned the house again in 1906. Josep Batlló was a textile industry businessman who owned factories in the city. The wife of Josep Batlló, Amàlia Godó Belaunzarán, was the founder of the La Vanguardia newspaper.The house of the Batlló family was different from the other four houses in the lane and had similarities with Casa Mila, which was also built by Antoni Gaudi. Josep Batlló wanted his house to be different and chose the architect of Park Guell.They owned the house till 1954, and later insurance companies owned it. Later, in the following years of 1990, the house, Casa Batlló, was owned by the original owners, the Bernat family, and in 2005 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The Purpose Of Building Casa BatlloThe Batlló family wanted their house to be different from the houses of other houses and therefore chose Antoni Gaudi to redesign their house, which they bought in 1903.There are different interpretations of the Casa Batllo, and the rooftop is declared as the crown of the entire facade or the back of the dragon with four crooks. It also involves the theory of Saint George, who was Catalonia’s patron saint. It is believed that the saint jumped off the dragon’s back and killed the animal to save the princess. From La Sagrada Familia to Casa Batllo, it takes around 23 minutes by foot.Many other interpretations are given for the roof terrace of Casa Batlló. Because of the above interpretations, it also means the ‘house of bones’ or ‘house of the dragon’. The beautiful oil paintings of the house, such as the water lilies and many other colorful thematic artworks, make the building totally different from the rest of the buildings, as per the choice of Josep Batllo.The council of Barcelona wanted to build the planned city and wanted the central location of Passeig de Gracia lined with houses. So, the rich families of Barcelona started to build their houses on this lane with unique designs of their own. Although Antoni Gaudi never tried to explain or detail his work, he was unique in his design styling.The use of colors in the building represented happiness and joy. At the same time, it can also be considered the fantasy image of an individual, which they usually see in their dreams. So, in order to build the planned city of Barcelona with attractive and beautiful buildings, this house, Casa Batllo, was also built by Antoni Gaudi. Josep Batllo, the owner, was very happy with the type of work that was done in the house, making it closer to nature with its vibrant colors.
Casa Batllo is a beautiful Catalan architectural building that was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi.
