Sometimes the best things are right in front of you. You just need to look up.
On the ground floor, this building looks like other buildings in the neighborhood and is occupied by ordinary shops. Only when looking up would you notice the unique modernist design, ornate windows, towers with steep conical roofs, and the ceramic panels depicting the owners for whom the houses here were built.
Casa de les Punxes was designed by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and built in 1905. It was made to look like one building but actually comprises three houses, one for each sister of Bartomeu Terradas Brutau, a fútbol player for FC Barcelona. Even back then, some people got wealthy from playing sports!
The facade of each house is crowned with a ceramic panel depicting the respective sister. There is also a fourth panel depicting St. George, the patron saint of Catalonia who, according to legend, slayed a powerful dragon that was terrorizing villagers.
Inside Casa de les Punxes is a museum where you can walk through the building. The first part of the tour goes room by room through an immersive audiovisual experience where you learn about the legend of St. George. I thought the visuals were done well. The tour then continues through a couple rooms where you can see some of the original materials used in the interior design. Finally, you make your way up to the roof and up each individual tower, where you're treated to a nice view of the surrounding neighborhood and interactive displays detailing the history of the building's design and construction.
The wife and I enjoyed our visit, and our admission was covered by the Barcelona Pass. As a bonus, this place was not very busy; at one point we had the whole roof to ourselves. This was a stark contrast to the crowd-filled Gaudí buildings that we visited the same day. read more