Gaudí Outside Barcelona – Colònia Güell

Señor Güell was Gaudí’s best customer and it may be because of his support that Gaudí is the famous historical character he is today in Barcelona. Parque Güell, Palacio Güell, Finca Güell…all of these were Gaudí-Güell projects and all of them are in Barcelona’s center.

While it has taken me four years to see all of the Gaudí buildings in the city (I move slowly), the motivated Gaudí sightseer could cover most of these monuments in a week. When you’re finished with the Gaudí architecture in the city and still hunger for more of his wacky buildings, it’s time to head to Colònia Güell in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, just outside Barcelona.

Colònia stands for colony or settlement. Much like the textile mills set up in the southern United States or the timber camps in the west, Güell, a savvy businessman, set up Colònia Güell in what was then the countryside in Catalonia. His business was also textiles, and his plan was pretty ingenious. It was simple: build a village with a factory, a church, a bar, a store, a couple of schools and housing and then give the housing to his workers. By building a village which was centered around Güell’s textile mill, he solved many employee issues and achieved a greater control over his workers.

Of course, back in 1900 it was not such a bad deal for one’s boss to give them spacious digs and childcare (run by the nuns) in the countryside and so reportedly Güell’s employees who lived in Colònia Güell were happy and not inclined to complain. That’s how the story goes…but I have a hard time believing it, and the colony in many ways smacks of slave-like conditions.

These days Colònia Güell is a village with a ghost-town feel where normal people live in the homes which once belonged to the Güell empire. A visit to the village is incredibly interesting and a bit creepy and after I walked around for a bit I decided that no way no how would I move to Colònia Güell. But wait…this post is supposed to be about Gaudí!

They say that to be a village there are three essential elements needed: a store, a bar and a church. Well Gaudí took care of the latter in Güell’s factory town and though unfinished, the bit of the church that stands in the colony on a bit of a hill is considered one of Gaudí’s masterpieces.

In 1908 construction on the church began, but by 1914 building ceased. This was because Güell had retired and his son had taken the reins, who was not as much for supporting the arts as his father was. Also, Gaudí was working on the Sagrada Familia by this time, and the huge project (also unfinished) took most of his energy. It is believed that many of the architectural styles that Gaudí ended up using to design the Sagrada Familia were first tested out on the colony’s small church. Though Gaudí always denied this, most architects agree that Colònia Güell was a lab for Gaudí to test his ideas outside of the city center spotlight.

Today the colony’s church is open for business. There is a priest in living in the back, and when I was there they were setting up for a wedding. The best way to visit this fabulous building is by tour and I strongly recommend BGB Tours and guide Josep M. Romero Marti.

More:

Gaudí Beyond the City Tour

www.BarcelonaGuideBureau.com

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