General Information
Casa Milà is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Barcelona. It is situated in Eixample, and similar to many other buildings in that district, it was designed by Antoni Gaudí in modernist style. The house was finished in 1912 and it was Gaudi’s last project before the Sagrada Familia and his death.
It was built for the Mila family, actually it is the source of its name. Its nickname,“La Pedrera” comes from citizens of Barcelona because at the beginning they were not very enthusiastic about the unusual construction. The meaning of this name is “The Quarry”. Later, due to its extraordinary and colourful design, it has become one of the city’s icons. Nevertheless, it is still known by many people as “La Pedrera”.
Casa Milà is full of the characteristics of Gaudi’s style. This means – a lot of imagination and colour. The world’s famous architect usually used motifs related to the Catalan culture and to Christianity. At the same time, he was also strongly influenced by the nature. Like other works of Gaudí, Casa Milà is a brilliant combination of these themes.
Similar to many other constructions in Eixample, Casa Milà has two inner courtyards. It has eight floors from which the first one served as the residence of the Mila family.
Today the building is open for tourists. There is a museum inside, where you can admire exhibitions related to Gaudi’s work and style. Moreover, you can enjoy some amusing small shows and can participate in Gaudi’s Pedrera: The Origins, which is an interesting night show (for additional information – Visit Casa Milà at night). It is worth to check the building’s roof, where you can see the whole Eixample from a bird’s eye view. The chimneys of the building are also very unique, they are similar to scary monsters. When Gaudi designed them, he was inspired by the gothic architecture.