Palau de la Música Catalana
Barcelona
The Palau de la Música Catalana is a concert hall in the Catalan Modernisme style. It was built between 1905 and 1908 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A home for music
The Palau was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, one of the masters of Modernisme. It was built between 1905 and 1908 as the home of the Orfeó Català, a music society founded in 1891.
The site was not chosen by chance: many members lived in the Sant Pere neighbourhood. In 1997 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Palau calls itself the only concert hall on the list.
What to look at from outside
The façade is made of red brick, with decorated columns and busts of great composers. On the corner stands Miquel Blay's group of statues dedicated to folk song.
The figures stand for ordinary people: a man of the sea, an old man, some youngsters. At the top is a large female figure; below her, Sant Jordi. The streets around are narrow: to see everything, tilt your head right back.
A hall of glass
Domènech built the palace around a frame of iron and glass, very modern for its time. So by day, the hall does not need lamps.
Inside there are statues, stained glass and decorations with patterns of plants and fruit. Great musicians such as Granados, Falla, Ravel and Stravinsky have performed here.
