Park Güell - Barcelona

Gaudí's patron, Eusebi Güell, planned a suburban "city." His property was high above Barcelona, northwest and some distance from the city. More than 60 housing plots were allocated although only two homes were built on the property. The project was radical for its time and, as a real estate project, was a failure. The Barcelona City Council bought the property in 1922 and in the following year converted it to a municipal park. Gaudí avoided leveling the grounds so that the park has a network of twisting roads which follow the contours of the land. The lowest point is the entrance, from which a double staircase leads to the hypostyle chamber, the ceiling of which serves as the floor of the huge public square. Outlying areas have imaginative viaducts and colonnades, which in their design evoke natural forms.