Barcelona: The Guell Colony

The Guell Colony is one of Antoni Gaudi’s Modernista works in Barcelona. His works have received worldwide acclaim and are one of the primary draws for visitors to the city. The Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and Casa Batlló are three of the most head-turning and emblematic buildings. But what about the other Gaudi’s buildings? The Guell Colony gives you not only the opportunity of discovering one of his least known sites but an amazing experience of visiting an entire Modernista town!

The Guell Colony by Gaudi: the hidden treasure of Barcelona

Eusebi Güell is best remembered as Gaudi’s benefactor. However, he was also the owner of many modernista buildings and sites like Park Güell (check out our Modernista Tour of Barcelona), the Güell Palace (check out our Pedralbes tour) or the Güell wine cellar.

Guell Colony construction began in 1890. The idea arose in order to create a place for employees to live and work that was protected and isolated from the social conflicts going on in Barcelona at the time. That’s why Güell ordered the construction of a new factory and housing for all his workers just outside of Barcelona. Guell’s idea was extremely progressive for the time. For example, he offered improved working conditions and even nurseries and schools for the children. While the factory was shut down in the 1970s, it is still spectacular to walk around the area. It is easy to imagine people living and working in the town, surrounded with modernista houses and community centers.

The Guell Colony Walking Tour

The Spanish Touch offers you the possibility of taking a guided tour of the Guell Colony starting from your hotel in Barcelona in which you can:

• Walk through the industrial colony and see where the workers lived. Furthermore, visit the various administrative buildings, the school, the library, doctor’s office and even where the Güells themselves lived.
• Next, visit the old textile factory. Nowadays you can’t visit the interior of the building (it has been converted into a business center) but you can still visit the outside.
• Finally, visit the Crypt, an unfinished work of Antoni Gaudi and part of the colony’s church. In fact, Gaudi himself talked of the crypt as a model for his masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia.
• What’s more, if you come on Saturday, you can enjoy the ‘Mercat de Pagès’ (farmer’s market). We will show you the local gastronomy and a very local and authentic town market.