Casa Amatller

Casa Amatller is a historic residential and commercial building on Barcelona's famous Passeig de Gràcia, originally built in 1875. The house owes its cultural and historical significance to an elaborate remodel carried out between 1898 and 1900 in the Catalan Modernisme style by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The building sits right next door to Antoni Gaudí's Casa Batlló and, together with several other neighboring houses, forms the well-known ensemble known as the "Block of Discord." The renovation was commissioned by Antoni Amatller i Costa, a wealthy chocolate manufacturer who bought the plain apartment building and had it transformed into a luxurious residence, expressing the growing self-confidence of Catalonia's middle class at the time.

The facade's architecture is marked by a horizontal asymmetry and a three-part structure, with each section rising to a different height. The ground floor is made of austere-looking, undecorated Montjuïc stone, brightened by a sculptural group depicting the dragon slayer Sant Jordi. The residential floors above are framed by a square facade decorated with ocher sgraffito that deliberately recalls a bar of chocolate. This symmetry is broken up by a large neo-Gothic bay window on the piano nobile and by smaller balconies. Animal sculptures at the windows allude to the former owner's hobbies, while the top floor has a Flemish-style gable adorned with tiles that hints at the initial of the family name.

Inside, you'll find an impressive blend of Modernista and Andalusian influences. The spacious ground-floor foyer was originally designed so that the owner could drive his car straight into a private garage equipped with a rotating floor plate. From here, an imposing staircase leads through a light well to the piano nobile. The rooms of this main apartment feature elaborate ceiling decoration, historic chandeliers, wallpaper, and wood wall paneling. The technical fittings of the era are also remarkable: the lamps were connected to both electricity and gas so that they could be switched over instantly during power outages. The original furnishings have been largely preserved, as the owner's daughter made hardly any changes after his death and lived in the house until her own passing.

Today, Casa Amatller is a lively place for culture and discovery. Since 2015, the piano nobile has been open to visitors as a museum apartment restored to its 1900 appearance. Here you can experience the historic atmosphere and admire the carefully restored rooms with their artful details. On the ground floor, a café and museum shop on the left sell the Amatller family's traditional chocolate, while on the right you'll find the flagship store of the venerable jeweler Bagués-Masriera. The upper floors house the foundation dedicated to preserving the building and researching Hispanic art. The building is a protected landmark and is considered an important testament to the era of Catalan Modernisme.