To go: Grácia in Barcelona

Doorways and demons

Art and artifice on every street

Design and skilled craftsmanhip in wood, stone and ironwork are all around you when you walk through the streets of the Eixample. Here is a selection of doors and entrances you can find along the way.

The many faces of the Eixample

Balconies and balustrades – part 1

A city’s soul – and that of its quarters – is made up of the people who live and work there, the places they meet, eat and have fun, of the visitors and those passing through, but also of the legacy left in its architecture. The streets of the Eixample have their own character, reflected in these images that bear the mark of the designers and architects of the second half of the 1800s, who created this new quarter combining classical and modernista aesthetics to create its distinctive style.

Here’s a wee tour of some of the sights you’ll find as you explore the streets of the quarter.

Balconies, galerías and oriel windows

Look out for more to come in future posts.

Enjoy!

Còrsega

A classic Eixample street

Named after the island of Corsica which was briefly under the Catalan sphere of influence, this street, intersected by the Diagonal at Passeig de Gràcia,

Còrsega

cuts across the Eixample, running along the lower part of Gràcia towards the Sagrada Familia. A bustling thoroughfare, it offers a plethora of shops, delicatessens, cafés and restaurants, as well as some further fine examples of Barcelona architecture.

Sightseeing

Còrsega 237, 239 (between Aribau and Muntaner) – two adjoining buildings from 1901 with impressive carved stonework entrance doorways, balconies and galerías.

look across the street and to the upper levels to view

Còrsega 224, 226 crowned with intricate stone-carved parapet decoration

Còrsega 241 (corner of Aribau) – a handsome wide-fronted xamfrà building displaying all the finest characteristics of elegant Eixample stonework architecture.

Casa Comalat

Còrsega 236 (between Aribau and Enric Granados) –

Diputació de Barcelona (corner of Rambla Catalunya) – baroque stone architecture with modernist touches – colourful ceramic tiling on balconies, roof and pinnacle.

across the Rambla is a pedestrianised section where you will find

Còrsega 298 (between Rambla Catalunya and Diagonal) – richly decorated stonework and columns

Casa Comalat (corner of the top part of Pau Claris) – a Gaudí inspired building with a chocolate box exuberance of colour and forms, finely decorated glass windows, ceramic mosaics and curved stone parapet. It is the rear of the building with the main entrance on Diagonal 442.

Enric Granados

Running parallel to Passeig de Gràcia and down from the Diagonal to the old University, this is one of the most relaxed, leafy streets of the Eixample,  largely pedestrianised with a huge variety of pavement cafés and restaurants, interesting shops and, if you´re using a bike, a pleasant and safe ride between the Diagonal and the Gran Vía with a dedicated cycle lane in both directions, free from the fumes and noise of busy traffic.

Enric Granados

Motor-free squares and gardens with children’s play areas at both top and bottom of the street and plenty of stopping opportunities along the way make Enric Granados the ideal way – especially for families – to walk or cycle between the town centre and the Diagonal.

Sightseeing

• Casa Sayrach (Diagonal 423, Corner of Enric Granados) – a must see! One of the last modernist houses to be built, its elegant stone-carved façade and richly decorated entrance lobby will charm you. It houses the classy La Dama restaurant. While you´re there, the adjoining house at Enric Granados 153 is worth having a look, especially for its lobby.

this block of the street is fully pedestrianised with benches, street cafés and a children’s play area

• Enric Granados 106 (between París and Còrsega) – this building sports some intricate stonework on its façade with a riotous overhanging stained-glass galeria.
• Enric Granados 119 (corner of Còrsega) – awarded the 1907 diploma of honour for urban buildings, this wide-fronted xanfrá edifice has impressive columns and beautifully-crafted oriel windows and galeria.
  
• Enric Granados 32, 34 (betweenValencia and Mallorca) – these two adjoining houses display the attractive features of decorated façades and Catalan ironwork balconies typical of the less flamboyant bourgeois buildings of the Eixample.
• Enric Granados 26, 24, 22  (betweenValencia and corner of Mallorca). In their own way, each of these houses represent the diverse creativity of Barcelonese architectural design, with exuberant stone-carved entrance doorways, balconies, oriel windows façades crowned with designs inspired by the modernista movement.

at the next block down you will find a small park with children’s play areas and benches.

Across the street (Aragó) you will reach the bottom section of Enric Granados with a pedestrianised area popular with local dogwalkers, with more benches and fenced-off children’s play areas, pavement cafés and a variety of restaurants.

Paris

A relatively tranquil street during the day, carrer París boasts a host of Barcelona’s best restaurants, bars and cocktail bars to spend the evening among the residents of the Eixample and further afield, who choose it as one of their favourite meeting points.

Carrer París

Running obliquely to the Diagonal and meeting it at the junction of carrer Balmes, the street is an alternative route between the upper part of the Left Eixample and Rambla Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia, with some elegant modernista and classical buildings along the way and some excellent gastronomic experiences.

Sightseeing

The main buildings of interest are located close to the Diagonal.

• París 202, 204 (between Balmes and Enric Granados) – two adjoining residential buildings with imposing
  

  París 182

  carved stone doorways and façades and inticate ironwork balconies. París 202 has a particularly colourful entrance lobby.

• París 182 (between Enric Granados and Aribau) – richly decorated stonework and carved wood entrance door with Gothic windows and parapets on its upper levels