Restoration completed on facade of Gaudí's Casa Batlló

From May 23, visitors to the Catalan architect's modernist masterpiece can enjoy a free audio guide detailing the conservation process

Image of the restoration of Gaudí's Casa Batlló in March 2019 (by Casa Batlló)
Image of the restoration of Gaudí's Casa Batlló in March 2019 (by Casa Batlló) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

May 16, 2019 11:41 AM

Casa Batlló is one of Barcelona's main tourist attractions, and now Antoni Gaudí's modernist building is looking better than ever with the completion of the work to restore its facade.

In fact from May 23, visitors to Gaudí's masterpiece on Passeig de Gràcia in the city center can take advantage of a free audio guide explaining the restoration process.

In all, it took some four months -from January to May- to complete the work on the house that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005.

The head of the restoration project, Xavier Villanueva, described the work that involved experts from seven different craft guilds as "meticulous."

Five different materials

The restoration was particularly complex, as the elaborate facade is made of five materials (stone, iron, ceramic, glass and wood), each one requiring its own conservation treatment.

Over 25,000 people have already had a look at the work as part of the "Skywalk" visit, allowing visitors to see the restoration process close-up at a height of 30 meters.

In 2018, Casa Batlló was ranked sixth in the Travellers' Choice Awards among the top 10 tourist attractions in Spain, given every year by the Tripadvisor travel website.

A magnificent example of Gaudí's unique and highly original architectural style, the Casa Batlló building receives around a million visits every year.