🐉 The dragon’s gate where Gaudí first spread his wings

Hidden behind cypress trees at Avinguda de Pedralbes 7, the Pavellons de la Finca Güell mark one of Antoni Gaudí’s earliest masterpieces – and the moment his imagination began to break free of convention. Designed between 1884 and 1887 for his patron Eusebi Güell, the project transformed the entrance to Güell’s vast family estate into a mythical threshold between the everyday and the fantastic.

Two modest buildings – once a porter’s lodge and stables – stand beside a monumental wrought-iron gate depicting the dragon of the Hesperides. Its sinuous body guards the golden apples of immortality, a motif drawn from Greek myth and reinterpreted through Catalan legend. Gaudí collaborated with blacksmith Joan Oñós to forge the dragon’s outstretched wings, gleaming eyes, and coiled tail – an early sign of his lifelong fascination with symbolic craft. Around it, undulating brick walls in warm terracotta weave geometric tiles and parabolic arches into living ornament.

Inside, the stables reveal Gaudí’s growing structural genius: brick vaults arranged in catenary curves, letting air and light circulate naturally – a prelude to the organic systems he would later perfect in La Pedrera and the Sagrada Família.

💡 Interesting Facts 💡

• Built 1884–1887, the pavilions served as the grand entrance to the Güell family’s Pedralbes estate (now part of the University of Barcelona campus).
• The dragon gate symbolizes Ladon, guardian of the Garden of the Hesperides—a myth referenced in Jacint Verdaguer’s epic L’Atlàntida, one of Eusebi Güell’s favorite poems.
• The parabolic brick vaults here are among the first Gaudí ever constructed.
• Restored in 2018, the site now functions as a small museum and event venue dedicated to Gaudí’s early work.
• Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 as part of the “Works of Antoni Gaudí.”

Mini-story: When Güell’s guests arrived for the first time, they were stunned to find themselves greeted not by guards or servants – but by an iron dragon poised mid-flight. Gaudí, always amused by reactions, said the creature “protects the threshold between myth and reason.”

Look closer: The terracotta vaults hide skylights shaped like hexagons; the chimney of the stable pavilion curls like a scaled tail; and even the garden walls follow a rhythmic parabolic wave, turning masonry into melody.

Myth vs Fact: Though small in scale, the pavilions are pure Gaudí – he designed every hinge, tile, and curve. This was the laboratory where his symbolic vocabulary and engineering freedom truly began.

✈️ Travel Tips ✈️

1️⃣ Address: Avinguda de Pedralbes 7 (Les Corts district). Best light ≈ late morning for the brick relief and iron dragon glow.
2️⃣ Metro: L3 Palau Reial (5 min walk).
3️⃣ Gaudí route: Pair with Palau Güell for a full circle – his first and later collaborations with Eusebi Güell.
4️⃣ Detail hunt: Iron dragon gate, hexagonal skylights, parabolic arches, and tiled stable chimney.
5️⃣ Tickets: Entry via guided or small-group visits; check seasonal schedules on the University of Barcelona’s website.