A demolition that didn't happen
Textile industrialist Josep Batlló bought the building in 1903 and planned to knock it down. He asked Gaudí for a new design instead, and Gaudí rebuilt the façade, the main floor and the roof.
Urban Tales › Barcelona › Casa Batlló
Casa Batlló: an old house, reborn
Casa Batlló wasn't built from scratch. Gaudí remodelled an ordinary 1875 apartment building between 1904 and 1906, and turned it into one of the most recognisable façades in the world.
AddressPasseig de Gràcia 43
Original building1875
Gaudí's remodel1904–1906
UNESCOsince 2005
Hear the Casa Batlló story, in the app's voice
A short preview. The full story plays on its own when you walk up to it with Urban Tales.
Three stories most visitors miss
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Bones and a dragon
The balconies look like masks or skulls and the pillars like bones. The scaly roof is often read as the dragon of Saint George, with the small tower and its cross as the lance.
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The Block of Discord
On this stretch of Passeig de Gràcia, three Modernista architects built side by side: Gaudí's Casa Batlló, Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Amatller and Domènech i Montaner's Casa Lleó Morera.
TipSee the façade from the opposite side of Passeig de Gràcia to take in the whole Block of Discord, then come back at dusk when it's lit. With Urban Tales running, its story plays as you reach it.
Nearby landmarks
Casa Batlló: common questions
Who built Casa Batlló?
The original building is from 1875. Antoni Gaudí remodelled it for Josep Batlló between 1904 and 1906.
Why is it called the House of Bones?
Because of the façade: the pillars look like bones and the balconies like masks or skulls.
What is the Block of Discord?
A block of Passeig de Gràcia with three Modernista houses by three different architects next to each other: Batlló, Amatller and Lleó Morera.