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Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau

Barcelona · Spain

Background

World Heritage since
1997
Type of site
Cultural
Palau built
1905–1908

These are two of the finest contributions to Barcelona's architecture by the Catalan Art Nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. UNESCO calls the Palau de la Música Catalana an exuberant steel-framed structure full of light and space, decorated by many of the leading designers of the day, and the Hospital de Sant Pau equally bold in design and decoration while perfectly adapted to the needs of the sick.

The Palau was built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a choral society founded in 1891 at the heart of the Catalan cultural revival, and inaugurated on 9 February 1908, paid for largely by the society with help from the city's industrialists.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 1891The Orfeó Català choral society is founded
  2. 1902Work begins on the Hospital de Sant Pau
  3. 1908The Palau de la Música is inaugurated on 9 February
  4. 1997Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Palau Concert Hall
    The stained-glass skylight and the mosaic muses around the stage.
  2. 2
    Palau Facade
    Mosaic columns and sculpture on the corner in Sant Pere.
  3. 3
    Sant Pau Pavilions
    The tiled pavilions in gardens, linked by tunnels, up the avenue from the Sagrada Família.
  4. 4
    Sant Pau Administration Building
    The main entrance block with its mosaics and tower.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Tour or Concert
The Palau is seen on a guided tour or, better, at a concert in the hall.
Pair with the Sagrada Família
The GoGo guide walks up the avenue from Gaudí's basilica to Sant Pau's pavilions in one morning.
Bags on La Rambla
The GoGo guide: keep an eye on bags on La Rambla and the metro.
Late Dinners
Most places in El Born fill after 9 pm.

Montaner's Two Masterpieces

From the GoGo Barcelona guide · Open the Barcelona Guide ›

  1. 09:00
    Inside the Sagrada Família90 min
    Gaudí's basilica.
  2. 11:00
    Sant Pau's Art Nouveau Pavilions1 hr
    The hospital up the avenue.
  3. 15:00
    Palau de la Música Catalana1 hr
    The modernist concert hall.
  4. 16:30
    Santa Maria del Mar45 min
    The Gothic church of El Born.
  5. 20:30
    Tapas Crawl in El Born2 hrs
    Late tapas.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Oct (70 mm), driest Jun (27 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
The Works of Antoni Gaudí are across the city; Tarraco's Roman ruins are 83 km away and Poblet 91 km.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 804 · Wikipedia: Palau de la Música Catalana · GoGo Barcelona guide · UNESCO listing