The Block of Discord is a small segment of the Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona. It is sometimes called the "Quarter of Dissent", or "Apple of Discord". The word "quarter", of course, is an exaggeration, since it concern just 3 houses standing close to each other. However, if you come here, you have to walk along the entire Avenue of Gracia to admire the Catalan architecture.
So, the quarter of Discord is three houses that were built by three famous Catalan architects close to each other. All of them were built in the art Nouveau style, at the very beginning of the 20th century, but each architect has added his own elements to this style, supplemented it with his own ideas.
Thus, when we talk about the "Apple of discord" we remember the Greek legend when the Goddess of Discord, who was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, threw an Apple on the table with the word "most beautiful" written on it. After that, the three goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite argued for who should give the Apple. Everyone knows how that story ended.
The first block of Discord were built Casa Amatller (designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch). After that, the house of Battlo (architect Antonio Gaudi) was built. Around this time, the Casa Lleó Morera (architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner) was built. The variety of forms and details of the art Nouveau style here impresses even non-specialists.
The Amattler House was reconstructed in 1898. Architect Josep Puig-I-Cadafalch together with a group of artists and decorators created a step house in the Flemish Gothic style, but the decoration are made in the art Nouveau style.
The House of Battlo was created in 1904. There are no straight lines on the facade or in the interior. The outlines of the curved lines resemble the shape of a dragon. When decorating the exterior decor, the famous trencadis style was used, which creates a special play of light and shadow.
The Casa Lleó Morera is separated from the house of Amattler by two other houses. It was built by architect architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. It is larger in size, which allowed the architect to create larger-scale ornaments and large balconies. There is a corner rotunda. The art Nouveau style in the Casa Lleó Morera is complemented by complex ornaments and knotting.
