The Casa Battlo is a famous masterpiece of the architect Gaudi, which always attracts a large number of tourists. It is located in the Quarter of Discord in Barcelona. The house has almost no straight lines, not only on the facades, but also in the interior. The plastic style of Gaudi`s architecture is quite difficult to compare with other well-known styles.
A tenement house on this site was built in 1877, and textile manufacturer Joseph Battlo purchased it in 1903. The neighboring Amatller House was already beautifully decorated and distinguished by a mix of different styles. With the order for a large-scale reconstruction of the house, he applied to Antonio Gaudi.
As an option, he even considered completely demolishing the house and building a new one in its place. Gaudi at that time was working on the creation of Park Guell, but he accepted the order, and decided not to demolish the house, but significantly rebuild it.
Gaudi completely rebuilt both facades, the exterior and the courtyard side. Curved lines are present everywhere, and their outlines resemble the shape of a dragon. The well-known trencadis style was used to decorate the exterior, and the specific outlines of the balconies of the House of Battlo are sometimes called the "House of Bones".
The style of the building`s architecture and decoration can be called modern, but it is more than just modern. The play of light and shadow in the trencadis style, along with the curved plastic of all the lines, create a very special image. Inside the house, a large living room really impresses. Thanks to the large windows, there is a lot of light and air. Ceiling resembles the waves of the sea.
On the upper floors, Gaudi applied his favorite style of creating light structures using parabolic arches. Using the construction of the bones of the snake`s spine, it dispensed with beams, and made strong and light arches. Many things, which the genius of Gaudi was brought to architecture, has already been realized by nature.
