Restoration rejuvenates iconic Gaudi house in Barcelona
Barcelona's UNESCO-listed Casa Batllo, a modernist architectural masterpiece by Sagrada Familia designer Antoni Gaudi, unveiled a multimillion-euro restoration Thursday that brings its rear facade and courtyard back to life.
Previous refurbishments, changes of owner and the turbulent period marked by Spain's 1936-1939 civil war had taken their toll on the unique building completed in 1906.
A team of architects, historians and artisans spent more than a year repairing the bright mosaics and restoring the original cream-coloured hue to the blackened curvy balcony bars.
The result is "the most similar to 1906 that we have been able to achieve with today's technology", Xavier Villanueva, the chief architect and official in charge of the works, told AFP.
In the courtyard, the pergola replicates a parabola shape and more than 85,000 pieces make up the paving, "hand made one by one, as it was originally", Villanueva said.
The painstaking task meant the team "carried out a lot of analyses in several university laboratories, many prospections, we have lots of documentary information", he said.
The restoration cost 3.5 million euros ($4 million), according to Casa Batllo, which is in a fashionable neighbourhood of Barcelona frequented by the city's bourgeoisie and wealthy industrialists in the early 20th century.
A UNESCO-listed site since 2005, Casa Batllo welcomed 1.9 million visitors last year, making it one of the most popular attractions in a city known as a global tourism magnet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Restoration rejuvenates iconic Gaudi house in Barcelona
Barcelona's UNESCO-listed Casa Batllo, a modernist architectural masterpiece by Sagrada Familia designer Antoni Gaudi, unveiled a multimillion-euro restoration Thursday that brings its rear facade and courtyard back to life. Previous refurbishments, changes of owner and the turbulent period marked by Spain's 1936-1939 civil war had taken their toll on the unique building completed in 1906. A team of architects, historians and artisans spent more than a year repairing the bright mosaics and restoring the original cream-coloured hue to the blackened curvy balcony bars. The result is "the most similar to 1906 that we have been able to achieve with today's technology", Xavier Villanueva, the chief architect and official in charge of the works, told AFP. In the courtyard, the pergola replicates a parabola shape and more than 85,000 pieces make up the paving, "hand made one by one, as it was originally", Villanueva said. The painstaking task meant the team "carried out a lot of analyses in several university laboratories, many prospections, we have lots of documentary information", he said. The restoration cost 3.5 million euros ($4 million), according to Casa Batllo, which is in a fashionable neighbourhood of Barcelona frequented by the city's bourgeoisie and wealthy industrialists in the early 20th century. A UNESCO-listed site since 2005, Casa Batllo welcomed 1.9 million visitors last year, making it one of the most popular attractions in a city known as a global tourism magnet.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
BTN Newsbreak 18/06/2025
OVERTOURISM PROTESTS There are massive protests going on across Europe right now about overtourism. This is the Louvre, home of the Mona Lisa, and this is the line to get in. Yeah, last year the museum saw 8.7 million visitors more than the buildings designed to hold! And on Monday, the Louvre was shut as its workers went on strike, protesting how busy it gets. Right now, similar protests are happening right across Europe including in Lisbon and in Barcelona. Protests against overtourism aren't a new thing. They actually happen quite a bit over in Europe, with locals concerned about tourisms impacts on the environment, overcrowding and misbehaviour from tourists. Over in Spain, locals have actually been protesting for a while now. Their signature protest move? Squirting tourists with water guns. Some cities have bought in entry fees and visitor caps to help with the problem. TIKTOK EXTENSION Time is running out for TikTok to find a buyer in the United States. The social media platform is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, which was forced to either shut down, or sell TikTok to a US-based company last year. President Donald Trump has already pushed back the deadline for TikTok to find a buyer, twice, and now the White House says Mr Trump will extend it for a third time, giving TikTok another 90 days to sort things out. YOOROOK WALK FOR TRUTH Thousands of people have walked to Victorian Parliament to mark the end of something called the Walk for Truth. They were led by Gunditjmara Kerrupmara traditional owner Travis Lovett, who is the deputy chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. That's a 4 year Aboriginal-led inquiry, and is actually Victoria's longest ever state run royal commission. Since 2021, the inquiry has been tasked with creating an official record of the history of colonisation in Victoria and its ongoing impact of First Nations People. To raise awareness of the report, Commissioner Lovett has walked 500km from his traditional country near Portland all the way to Melbourne where he has been joined by thousands of different people along the way. MOON PLANTS Ever dreamt of living on the moon and growing your own plants up there in a nice little garden? Well, some Aussie scientists are trying to figure out how to do just that. If we ever want to see if plants can grow on the moon, we have to get them there first. So to test whether plants can handle the journey up there, an Aussie company called 'Lunaria One' have been working with Aussie scientists to develop a bio-module, basically, a tiny space greenhouse that's designed to keep plants and seeds warm and hydrated while on a 380,000 kilometre journey to the moon. But why go through all this effort? There are big plans to build a permanent base on the moon, but to do that we're going to have to find a way to grow our own food. If all goes to plant, ahem, I mean plan, we could see plants heading to moon around April next year. AI-POWERED AIRCRAFT Now would you trust AI to fly you around? A new type of driverless flying aircraft, powered by AI, has taken to the skies at the Paris Air Show. It kind of looks like a mix between a plane and a helicopter, it can take off vertically, meaning it doesn't need a runway. It also doesn't need a pilot. According to the company behind it, it's best at doing short 15 to 20 minute trips and takes just 15 minutes to charge.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Scary detail in picture as furious Spanish locals unleash on tourists
A scary detail has emerged in images of the anti-tourism protests that unfolded in Europe. One woman was pictured holding up an axe as furious protesters crowded tourists dining outside at a restaurant in Palma, a resort city on the popular Spanish island of Majorca. Police were called to stand guard between the shouting protesters and the diners. The chaos was part of a huge protest day happening across cities in Spain, Italy and Portugal on June 15. Some locals feel foreigners are turning their cities into playgrounds while they are left behind with a housing crisis, rising rents and environmental impacts. In Barcelona, protesters blasted water guns, let off smoke, and slapped stickers on shop fronts and hotels telling tourists to go home. They also taped the entrance of a popular youth hostel. The Balearic Islands Government vice-president Antoni Costa called the behaviour seen in Palma as 'unacceptable' on a local radio station, The Sun reported. But he insisted the angry group only made up a small minority of the Balearic people. Mr Costa said: 'This type of behaviour is not acceptable. This government condemns and rejects the actions of a small minority of people who rebuked tourists who were relaxing on a terrace having a drink or eating.' He added: 'Abandoning tourism would be madness. We're a tourist economy and we're proud to be so. 'I think people are deluding themselves if they think that in the Balearic Islands it's possible to do mostly other things than tourism. 'What guarantees the future of tourism is to taking into account the social and environmental sustainability factor. Looking the other way is not the right way to go. 'We must implement policies that allow us to move from an economy that basically grows in volume to an economy that grows in value.' Ahead of the big day of protests, a group on the island held up a double-decker sightseeing bus, let off flares and hung a banner from the bus. A social media video showed a protester saying they disrupted the tour to denounce tourism and invite everyone to the protest the following day. The June 15 protests — which also took place in San Sebastián, Minorca, Ibiza, Malaga, Granada, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Milan, Venice and Lisbon — followed a meeting of a coalition of activists called the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification in Barcelona in April. Organisers had said the goal was not to attack or hate on tourists, rather draw attention to the toll mass tourism is taking on their cities, however tourists definitely ended up in the firing line. The problem with mass tourism Popular destinations across the world have been desperately trying to find new ways to cope with a massive boom in tourism post-Covid and avoid the trend dubbed 'overtourism'. New taxes and fees have been introduced, caps have been put on visitor numbers, and new hotels and short-term rentals have been banned. It's not just in Europe either. Japan has urged Australians to explore the country beyond the typical tourist hotspots as visitor numbers reach record highs. About 920,000 Australians visited Japan in 2024, setting a new record. This year we're expected to break the one million mark for the first time. And Japan's advice echoed that of Indonesia in 2023, which pleaded with Aussies to explore more of the country beyond Bali. Speaking to ahead of the fresh wave of protests, Intrepid Travel's Australian managing director Brett Mitchell said he understood the frustrations of people living in these tourist hotspots and getting the balance right was a real issue that needed to be dealt with. The Melbourne-born global company is vocal about the need for a sustainable tourism industry that benefits communities and travellers. Mr Mitchell said it was on everyone, including government, tour operators, cruise lines and airlines, to get around the table and work on solutions for responsible destination management. 'The reality is tourism is not going to slow down, it's a mega trend and it's only going to become bigger and bigger, and if the issue is not addressed it's going to get worse and worse every year,' he said. While tourism is vital to the local economies of these destinations — and more generally, in bringing the world together — Mr Mitchell said at peak times locals were being 'pushed out' or having their 'whole lifestyle completely turned on its head'. 'As a traveller, I think there's a lot of things we can do,' he said. 'Travelling in smaller groups; we always believe there's always a much better experience for locals and also you as a traveller. 'Look at the off seasons or shoulder seasons; it's another really good way to try and avoid crowds. 'Getting off the beaten track; yes go and see these amazing iconic tourist spots but get there early and then move on and go and see other alternative areas and destinations. 'And then we really believe in trying to spend locally, so really try and do your research and make sure the money on the ground when you're spending it in these countries is going to locally owned businesses and supply chains.' Foreigner crackdowns across the globe Countries across the world are continuing to crack down on foreigners. Donald Trump's 'enhanced vetting' for arrivals at US airports appears to be getting the most attention, but there is plenty more happening elsewhere. Italy has changed its citizenship laws, making it significantly harder for Australians (and other foreigners) to get a passport by descent. You can no longer get citizenship if your great-grandparents were born there, it has to be a parent or grandparent. Venice is doubling its entry free for day-trippers this season and expanding the days it applies to. The fee, first introduced a year ago, was 5 euros ($9) and is now 10 euros ($18) for any visitors who don't book more than four days in advance. Spain has ended its 'golden visa' that allowed non-EU citizens to get residency by buying property worth more than 500,000 euros, which closes off a pathway to Spanish citizenship. Meanwhile, the city of Malaga has prohibited new holiday rental properties in 43 neighbourhoods for three years and a court has backed Barcelona's ban on short-term holiday rentals from 2028. The island of Ibiza is now allowing no more than two cruises to be docked at the same time. The UK began requiring Australians, and a bunch of other countries who were previously exempt, to complete an application and pay a fee to enter. The EU will do the same but has delayed implementing the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system for 30 European countries multiple times, with the latest timeline indicating late 2026. Scotland 's capital Edinburgh has revealed next year it will join a number of cities now charging a tourist tax on overnight accommodation. A 5 per cent charge will be added. In Japan, the latest plan for hotspot Kyoto is to raise the historical city's accommodation tax tenfold — from 200-1000 yen ($2 to $11) per night, depending on the price of the lodging, to between 2000 and 10,000 yen ($22 to $115) per night. Meanwhile, the mandatory fee for hiking Mount Fuji has doubled to 4000 yen ($46) per person for the peak season this year. A fee and requirement to book a limited spot was first introduced last year. Nepal has also hiked the permit fee to summit Mount Everest during peak season by 36 per cent. It will now cost $US15,000 ($25,150), up from $US11,000 ($18,450). Last year, notable changes in holiday hotspots included Bali introducing a $15 fee to enter the wildly popular Indonesian island, Greece introducing a cap on visitor numbers to the famed Acropolis in Athens, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands banning new hotels from being built.
