Palau Güell

Palau means palace, but Palau Güell is not a palace - it is the mansion of the wealthy Güell family. This mansion was designed by Antoni Gaudi, so it looks unusual. I've visited many old mansions in Europe, and I think that this one is amongst the most special ones. The design combines so many different elements together that it's a little difficult to put it into a specific category. To best summarise the design, I would say it's the Gaudi style. And it also looks quite different from other Gaudi's architectural designs.

The first part I visited was the basement, which was used by the Güell family as the horse stable. There was not much to see here, so I quickly went up.

Soon I arrived at the entrance to the mansion. When I saw the stairs and the gate, I felt it odd. The marble stairs, walls, and columns looked modern, but the window which I could see through the gate looked somewhat medieval. And the carpet looked a little Arabic.

When I finished walking up the stairs and got into the gate, I was surprised to find that the hall was so small and dark. The marble ceilings, walls, and floors were so dark that I felt a little bit scared. I thought, if I had been a member of the Güell family, I might have refused to live in such a building. There wasn't much to see here in the hall, so I went up the next stairs. The carpet on the stairs was the same as the one before.

At the end of the stairs was a hall as dark. There were medieval-looking windows as well. A simple-looking light was on, but the hall was still dim. The wooden floor looked modern. When I looked up, I could see some decorations that had a Gaudi style. The audio guide told me that Gaudi's design made this hall look larger than it actually was. I looked around and thought that maybe it was the big window that made the hall look larger.

Beside the hall wasa corridor that led to a pink hall and the dark dining room. Of course the pink hall looked a little better than the dark marbles, but the pink was so strong and made my eye tingle. The decorations of the dining room looked exquisite, especially the ceiling, but the chairs looked medieval and uncomfortable.

I then visited the main hall. It was the biggest hall in the mansion, but it was as dark as other parts of the mansion. There were religious paintings hanging on the walls, and there was a big splendid niche, which used to hold a religious statue (not there any longer).

On the upper floor, everything seemed brighter. But still, there was an odd air of the Middle Ages. Still, I thought I would have hated to stay there if I had been a member of the Güell family.

At last, I got to the roof. Yes, the roof is always open to tourists, because on it are some typical Gaudi's chimneys. In contrast to what are inside the building, these chimneys are in bright colours. 

In summary, there are some beautiful and novel details inside the mansion, but on the whole, it's so dark, and the medieval elements really make me uncomfortable. Although I don't want to stay in such a building, I find it unique and interesting. Therefore, I recommend it to every tourist.

A small tip: This attraction closes at 5.30pm every day, and it takes about two hours to browse all parts of the building, so it's better to start your visit before 3.30pm.