🏡 The architect’s refuge amid the mosaics

Tucked within Park Güell’s hillside gardens stands the pink, gingerbread-like house where Antoni Gaudí lived for nearly twenty years. Designed in 1904 by architect Francesc Berenguer (Gaudí’s close collaborator) as a show home for the failed garden-city project, the house ended up sheltering the master himself. When buyers failed to appear, the promoter Eusebi Güell offered it for sale – Gaudí purchased it in 1906 and lived there with his father and his niece Rosa Egea Gaudí until his final move to the Sagrada Família workshops in 1925. After his death in 1926, the house passed through private owners until 1963, when it opened as the Casa Museu Gaudí, curated by the Friends of the Gaudí Museum Association.

🏰 Casa Museu Gaudí:

• The house was originally built as a show house for the Park Güell residential project, intended to attract wealthy buyers to the new garden city development.
• Although the house was not directly designed by Gaudí himself, the interior reflects Gaudí’s aesthetic philosophy and contains furniture and decorative elements created by him – furniture, ironwork, and doors shaped by Gaudí’s own hand, rescued from Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, and other commissions.
• The building features soft pastel tones, elegant Modernisme ornamentation, and carefully designed interiors emphasizing harmony between architecture, nature, and daily life.
• Today, the house serves as a museum dedicated to Gaudí’s personal belongings, furniture designs, drawings, and historical documents, offering visitors a unique perspective on the architect beyond his monumental projects.

💡 Interesting Facts 💡

• Though often attributed to Gaudí, the house was designed by his assistant Francesc Berenguer i Mestres, since Gaudí lacked a building permit at the time.
• Gaudí lived here with his father and niece; both passed away within the house.
• The garden hosts wrought-iron crosses, benches, and sculpted details echoing his larger works in miniature.
• The pink hue is original, restored according to historic pigments used by Gaudí’s workshop.

Mini-story: When Gaudí moved in, he brought little more than a prayer book, his sketches, and a few plants. Neighbors described him as a gentle presence, walking the garden paths in quiet reflection at dawn.

Look closer: The parabolic arches of the porch prefigure La Pedrera; the furniture in the bedroom and oratory shows his ergonomic intuition decades before modern design would catch up.

Myth vs Fact: Though it bears his name, Gaudí didn’t design the house himself – it was a test-home for Park Güell’s intended residents. Yet every corner speaks his language of craft, faith, and simplicity.

✈️ Travel Tips ✈️

1️⃣ Address: Park Güell, Carrer d’Olot s/n (Gràcia / El Carmel). Inside the Monumental Zone.
2️⃣ Metro: L3 Lesseps or Vallcarca (+15 min uphill walk); Bus 24 stops near main gate.
3️⃣ Tickets: Separate from Park Güell entry; combo passes available online.
4️⃣ Highlights: Gaudí’s bedroom, hand-carved chairs, wrought-iron headboards, and garden sculptures.
5️⃣ Timing: Early morning or late afternoon for quiet views over the park.