May God's blessing keep you always May your wishes all come true May you always do for others And let others do for you May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung May you grow up to be righteous May you grow up to be true May you always know the truth See the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous Stand upright and be strong May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift May your heart always be joyful May your song always be sung
May you stay, Forever young
I miss you, Corto.
Today, The Winsors & TheGrandma have visited Stonehenge. It was the last place where a closer friend of her, CortoMaltese,was last seen. He disappeared there, and in that moment the hero became a legend, and the legend a myth.
Before this visit,the family has studied some English grammar with May/MayNot, and talked about BobDylan and Joan Baez, who are Forever Young,and the Haitian community in London.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England,
3 km west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen
standing stones, each around 4.0 m high, 2.1 m wide, and weighing around
25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones. Inside is a
ring of smaller bluestones. Inside these are free-standing trilithons,
two bulkier vertical sarsens joined by one lintel. The whole monument,
now ruinous, is aligned towards the sunrise on the summer solstice. The
stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the densest complex of
Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred tumuli (burial mounds).
Archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was constructed from around 3000 BC to 2000 BC.
The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the
earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.
Radiocarbon dating suggests that the first bluestones were raised
between 2400 and 2200 BC, although they may have been at the site as
early as 3000 BC.
One of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom, Stonehenge is regarded as a British cultural icon.
It has been a legally protected scheduled monument since 1882, when
legislation to protect historic monuments was first successfully
introduced in Britain. The site and its surroundings were added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.
Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage; the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.
Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.
Deposits containing human bone date from as early as 3000 BC, when the
ditch and bank were first dug, and continued for at least another 500
years.
The Oxford English Dictionary cites Ælfric's tenth-century glossary, in which henge-cliff is given the meaning precipice, or stone; thus, the stanenges or Stanheng not far from Salisbury recorded by eleventh-century writers are stones supported in the air.
In 1740, William Stukeley notes: Pendulous rocks are now called henges in Yorkshire... I doubt not, Stonehenge in Saxon signifies the hanging stones. Christopher Chippindale's Stonehenge Complete gives the derivation of the name Stonehenge as coming from the Old English words stān stone, and either hencg hinge (because the stone lintels hinge on the upright stones) or hen(c)ento hang or gallows or instrument of torture (though elsewhere in his book, Chippindale cites the suspended stones etymology).
The henge
portion has given its name to a class of monuments known as henges.
Archaeologists define henges as earthworks consisting of a circular
banked enclosure with an internal ditch. As often happens in
archaeological terminology, this is a holdover from antiquarian use.
Despite being contemporary with true Neolithic henges and stone circles, Stonehenge
is in many ways atypical -for example, at more than 7.3 m tall, its
extant trilithons' lintels, held in place with mortise and tenon joints,
make it unique.
The twelfth-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), by Geoffrey of Monmouth, includes a fanciful story of how Stonehenge
was brought from Ireland with the help of the wizard Merlin. Geoffrey's
story spread widely, with variations of it appearing in adaptations of
his work, such as Wace's Norman French Roman de Brut, Layamon's Middle English Brut, and the WelshBrut y Brenhinedd.
According to the tale, the stones of Stonehenge
were healing stones, which giants had brought from Africa to Ireland.
They had been raised on Mount Killaraus to form a stone circle, known as
the Giant's Ring or Giant's Round. The fifth-century king Aurelius
Ambrosius wished to build a great memorial to the British Celtic nobles
slain by the Saxons at Salisbury. Merlin advised him to use the Giant's
Ring. The king sent Merlin and Uther Pendragon (King Arthur's father)
with 15,000 men to bring it from Ireland. They defeated an Irish army
led by Gillomanius, but were unable to move the huge stones. With
Merlin's help, they transported the stones to Britain and re-erected
them as they had stood.
Mount
Killaraus may refer to the Hill of Uisneach. Although the tale is
fiction, archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson suggests it may hold a grain of truth, as evidence suggests the Stonehenge bluestones were brought from the Waun Mawn stone circle on the Irish Sea coast of Wales.
Another
legend tells how the invading Saxon king Hengist invited British Celtic
warriors to a feast but treacherously ordered his men to massacre the
guests, killing 420 of them. Hengist erected Stonehenge on the site to show his remorse for the deed.
Today, The Grandma has been reading about Uluru, the large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia, whose ownership was returned to the local Pitjantjatjara Aboriginals on a day like today in 1985.
Uluru (Pitjantjatjara), also known as Ayers Rock, and officially gazetted as Uluru/Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia.
It is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, 335 km southwest of Alice Springs.
Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, known as the Aṉangu. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings.
Uluru is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Uluru and Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.
Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks and has been a popular destination for tourists since the late 1930s. It is also one of the most important indigenous sites in Australia.
The local Aṉangu, the Pitjantjatjara people, call the landmark Uluṟu (Pitjantjatjara). This word is a proper noun, with no further particular meaning in the Pitjantjatjara dialect, although it is used as a local family name by the senior traditional owners of Uluru.
On 19 July 1873, the surveyor William Gosse sighted the landmark and named it Ayers Rock in honour of the then Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. Since then, both names have been used.
In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed official names that consist of both the traditional Aboriginal name (in the Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and other local languages) and the English name.
On 15 December 1993, it was renamed Ayers Rock/Uluru and became the first official dual-named feature in the Northern Territory. The order of the dual names was officially reversed to Uluru/Ayers Rock on 6 November 2002 following a request from the Regional Tourism Association in Alice Springs.
The sandstone formation stands 348 m high, rising 863 m above sea level with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total perimeter of 9.4 km. Both Uluru and the nearby Kata Tjuta formation have great cultural significance for the local Aṉangu people, the traditional inhabitants of the area, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the bush, food, local flora and fauna, and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.
Uluru is also very notable for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably when it glows red at dawn and sunset.
Kata Tjuta, also called Mount Olga or the Olgas, lies 25 km west of Uluru. Special viewing areas with road access and parking have been constructed to give tourists the best views of both sites at dawn and dusk.
The Mutitjulu Arkose is believed to be of about the same age as the conglomerate at Kata Tjuta, and to have a similar origin despite the rock type being different, but it is younger than the rocks exposed to the east at Mount Conner, and unrelated to them. The strata at Uluru are nearly vertical, dipping to the south west at 85°, and have an exposed thickness of at least 2,400 m. The strata dip below the surrounding plain and no doubt extend well beyond Uluru in the subsurface, but the extent is not known.
Historically, 46 species of native mammals are known to have been living near Uluru; according to recent surveys there are currently 21.
Aṉangu acknowledge that a decrease in the number has implications for the condition and health of the landscape. Moves are supported for the reintroduction of locally extinct animals such as malleefowl, common brushtail possum, rufous hare-wallaby or mala, bilby, burrowing bettong, and the black-flanked rock-wallaby.
The mulgara is mostly restricted to the transitional sand plain area, a narrow band of country that stretches from the vicinity of Uluru to the northern boundary of the park and into Ayers Rock Resort. This area also contains the marsupial mole, woma python, and great desert skink.
The bat population of the park comprises at least seven species that depend on day roosting sites within caves and crevices of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Most of the bats forage for aerial prey within 100 m or so from the rock face. The park has a very rich reptile fauna of high conservation significance, with 73 species having been reliably recorded. Four species of frogs are abundant at the base of Uluru and Kata Tjuta following summer rains. The great desert skink is listed as vulnerable.
Aṉangu continue to hunt and gather animal species in remote areas of the park and on Aṉangu land elsewhere. Hunting is largely confined to the red kangaroo, bush turkey, emu, and lizards such as the sand goanna and perentie.
Of the 27 mammal species found in the park, six are introduced: the house mouse, camel, fox, cat, dog, and rabbit. These species are distributed throughout the park, but their densities are greatest near the rich water run-off areas of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park flora represents a large portion of plants found in Central Australia. A number of these species are considered rare and restricted in the park or the immediate region. Many rare and endemic plants are found in the park.
The growth and reproduction of plant communities rely on irregular rainfall. Some plants are able to survive fire and some are dependent on it to reproduce. Plants are an important part of Tjukurpa, and ceremonies are held for each of the major plant foods. Many plants are associated with ancestral beings.
The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's character, without any question, is the great gaps that exist between our Aboriginal brothers and sisters in terms of their health, their education, their living conditions, their incarceration rates and life expectancy. It's a great stain.
Today, The Grandma has been watching some photos about her visit to YellowstoneNationalPark some years ago with the great companion of her closest friend, Joseph de Ca'th Lon.
Yellowstone National Park was established as the world's first national park on a day like today in 1872 and The Grandma wants to remember this important event.
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States,largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho.
It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by PresidentUlysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872.
Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world.
The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially the Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular. While it represents many types of biomes, the subalpine forest is the most abundant. It is part of the SouthCentral Rockies forests ecoregion.
Although Native Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years, aside from visits by mountain men during the early-to-mid-19th century, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s.
Management and control of the park originally fell under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Interior, the first Secretary of the Interior to supervise the park being Columbus Delano. However, the U.S. Army was eventually commissioned to oversee management of Yellowstone for a 30-year period between 1886 and 1916.
In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, and researchers have examined more than a thousand archaeological sites.
Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 8,983 km2, comprising lakes, canyons, rivers, and mountain ranges.
Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-elevation lakes in North America and is centred over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. The caldera is considered a dormant volcano. It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geysers and hydrothermal features are in Yellowstone, fuelled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centrepiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone.
In 1978, Yellowstone was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened.
The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants.
Yellowstone Park is the largest and most famous megafauna location in the contiguous United States. Grizzly bears, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in this park.
The Yellowstone Park bison herd is the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park was burnt.
Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and sightseeing. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some lakes and waterfalls. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobiles.
The park contains the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, from which it takes its historical name. Near the end of the 18th century, French trappers named the river Roche Jaune, which is probably a translation of the Hidatsa name Mi tsi a-da-zi, Yellow Rock River. Later, American trappers rendered the French name in English as Yellow Stone. Although it is commonly believed that the river was named for the yellow rocks seen in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Native American name source is unclear.
The human history of the park began at least 11,000 years ago when Indians began to hunt and fish in the region.
During the construction of the post office in Gardiner, Montana, in the 1950s, an obsidian point of Clovis origin was found that dated from approximately 11,000 years ago. These Paleo-Indians, of the Clovis culture, used the significant amounts of obsidian found in the park to make cutting tools and weapons.
Arrowheads made of Yellowstone obsidian have been found as far away as the Mississippi Valley, indicating that a regular obsidian trade existed between local tribes and tribes farther east. By the time white explorers first entered the region during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805, they encountered the Nez Perce, Crow, and Shoshone tribes. While passing through present day Montana, the expedition members heard of the Yellowstone region to the south, but they did not investigate it.
In 1806, John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, left to join a
group of fur trappers. After splitting up with the other trappers in
1807, Colter passed through a portion of what later became the park,
during the winter of 1807–1808. He observed at least one geothermal area
in the northeastern section of the park, near Tower Fall.
After surviving wounds he suffered in a battle with members of the Crow and Blackfoot tribes in 1809, Colter described a place of fire and brimstone that most people dismissed as delirium; the supposedly mystical place was nicknamed Colter's Hell.
Over the next 40 years, numerous reports from mountain men and trappers told of boiling mud, steaming rivers, and petrified trees, yet most of these reports were believed at the time to be myth.
After an 1856 exploration, mountain man Jim Bridger, also believed to be the first or second European American to have seen the Great Salt Lake, reported observing boiling springs, spouting water, and a mountain of glass and yellow rock. These reports were largely ignored because Bridger was a known spinner of yarns.
In 1859, a U.S. Army Surveyor named Captain William F. Raynolds embarked on a two-year survey of the northern Rockies. After wintering in Wyoming, in May 1860, Raynolds and his party-which included naturalist Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden and guide Jim Bridger-attempted to cross the Continental Divide over Two Ocean Plateau from the Wind River drainage in northwest Wyoming.
Heavy spring snows prevented their passage, but had they been able to traverse the divide, the party would have been the first organized survey to enter the Yellowstone region. The American Civil War hampered further organized explorations until the late 1860s.
The first detailed expedition to the Yellowstone area was the Cook-Folsom-Peterson Expedition of 1869, which consisted of three privately funded explorers. The Folsom party followed the Yellowstone River to Yellowstone Lake. The members of the Folsom party kept a journal- based on the information it reported, a party of Montana residents organized the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition in 1870.
It was headed by the surveyor-general of Montana Henry Washburn, and included Nathaniel P. Langford, who later became known as National Park Langford, and a U.S. Army detachment commanded by Lt. Gustavus Doane. The expedition spent about a month exploring the region, collecting specimens and naming sites of interest.
A Montana writer and lawyer named Cornelius Hedges, who had been a member of the Washburn expedition, proposed that the region should be set aside and protected as a national park; he wrote detailed articles about his observations for the Helena Herald newspaper between 1870 and 1871. Hedges essentially restated comments made in October 1865 by acting Montana Territorial Governor Thomas Francis Meagher, who had previously commented that the region should be protected. Others made similar suggestions.
In an 1871 letter from Jay Cooke to Ferdinand V. Hayden, Cooke wrote that his friend, Congressman William D. Kelley had also suggested Congress pass a bill reserving the Great Geyser Basin as a public park forever.
In 1871, eleven years after his failed first effort, Ferdinand V. Hayden was finally able to explore the region. With government sponsorship, he returned to the region with a second, larger expedition, the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871.
He compiled a comprehensive report, including large-format photographs by William Henry Jackson and paintings by Thomas Moran. The report helped to convince the U.S. Congress to withdraw this region from public auction.
On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed The Act of Dedication law that created Yellowstone National Park.
Today, The Stones have visited The Great Mosque of
Tétouan, a spiritual place for Muslims. They have learnt more about Muslim
religion and culture. It has been an amazing interesting visit and an unforgettable experience.
The Great Mosque of Tétouan, Morocco, isthelargest mosque in the medina of Tetouan andone of the city's most beautiful historicalmonuments.
The Great Mosque was built in the early 19th century, near the city's old Jewish quarter, which was moved to its present location at the other end of the medina.
An entire 19th-century quarter bearing the mosque's name developed around the mosque. The mosque's minaret was constructed as the highest point in the medina, and is visible from long distances.
The decoration of the minaret is a good example of the continued developmentof Andalusian architecture in Morocco over a period of many centuries. Located on the Mediterranean Sea east of Tangier, Tetouan served for centuries as a major point of contact between Morocco and the Arab culture ofAndalusia on the Iberian Peninsula.
After the Reconquista –the retaking of Andalusia by the Christians of Spain–Tetouan was rebuilt by Andalusian refugees expelled by the Spanish.
In 1997, the medina of Tetouan was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as an exceptionally-well preserved historic town, displaying all the features of the high Andalusian culture.
A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. Any act of worship that follows the Islamic rules of prayer can be said to create a mosque, whether or not it takes place in a special building.
Informal and open-air places of worship are called musalla, while mosques used for communal prayer on Fridays are known as jāmiʿ.
Mosque buildings typically contain an ornamental niche (mihrab) set into the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca (qiblah), ablution facilities and minarets from which calls to prayer are issued. The pulpit (minbar), from which the Friday (jumu'ah) sermon (khutba) is delivered, was in earlier times characteristic of the central city mosque, but has since become common in smaller mosques.
Mosques typically have segregated spaces for men and women. This basic pattern of organization has assumed different forms depending on the region, period and denomination.
Mosques commonly serve as locations for prayer, Ramadan vigils, funeral services, Sufi ceremonies, marriage and business agreements, alms collection and distribution, as well as homeless shelters.
Historically, mosques were also important centers of elementary education and advanced training in religious sciences. In modern times, they have preserved their role as places of religious instruction and debate, but higher learning now generally takes place in specialised institutions.
Special importance is accorded to the Great Mosque of Mecca (centre of the hajj), the Prophet's Mosque in Medina (burial place of Muhammad) and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem (believed to be the site of Muhammad's ascent to heaven).
In the past, many mosques in the Muslim world were built over burial places of Sufi saints and other venerated figures, which has turned them into popular pilgrimage destinations.
With the spread of Islam, mosques multiplied across the Islamic world. Sometimes churches and temples were converted into mosques, which influenced Islamic architectural styles.
There's just really interesting facets of culture just swirling in Morocco. They all have slightly different colours, so it's just an inspiring place to be.
The Watsons visit La Casa del Mestre, Colònia Güell
Today, The Watsons and TheGrandma have visited the neighboured ColòniaGüell in Santa Coloma de Cervelló.
They have spent the day visiting this incredible site and learning more things about Antoni Gaudí and his influence in this textile colony, and near it, in Sant Boi Mental Hospital, where all indicates, he started his works.
The Watsons have continued their English for Sales courses surrounded by nature in this amazing and unforgettable place, a must for Antoni Gaudí'sadmirers but also for everyone who likes Architecture and History. They have revised the irregular forms of the Past Simple.
The Colònia Güell, one of the most pioneering purpose-built industrial villages of the 19th century is located in the town of Santa Coloma de Cervelló, 23 Km to the south-west of Barcelona.
Gaudí developed the architectural innovations of his later works in the church crypt, which has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The Church of Colònia Güell, in Catalan Cripta de la Colònia Güell, is an unfinished work by Antoni Gaudí. It was built as a place of worship for the people on a hillside in a manufacturing suburb in Santa Coloma de Cervelló,near Barcelona, Catalonia.
Colònia Güell was the brainchild of Count Eusebi Güell; who enlisted the help of architect Antoni Gaudí in 1898. However, work was not started until 1908, 10 years after commission. The plan for the building consisted of constructing two naves, an upper and a lower, two towers, and one forty-meter-high central dome.
In 1914, the Güell
family halted construction due to the death of Count Güell.At the time,
the lower nave was almost complete so between the years of 1915 and
1917, it was completed and readied for use.
The Watsons visit La Cripta, Colònia Güell
The Church is one of the seven properties Gaudí built near Barcelona that are Unesco WorldHeritageSites. Collectively, these sites are known as the Works ofAntoni Gaudí, and show his, exceptionalcreative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
At the age of 28, the ChurchofColònia Güell was one of several commissions Gaudí received from Count Güell in the suburb of SantaColoma de Cervelló.
To start the designing process of the church, Gaudí used his very unique process of gravity and rope, known as a funicular system. As seen in the planning of La Sagrada Família, Gaudí hung hemp ropes attached to lead-filled sacks from the ceiling. By doing this, it allowed him to reproduce the curves of the church at a 1:10 scale.
Gaudí also used canvas sheets to imitate the vaults and walls of the structure. By weighing down the ropes with lead-filled sacks, it allowed him to see the loads that would be exerted on the actual structure. To turn this hanging structure into his actual design, Gaudí photographed his model, flipped the image, and traced over it while adding some ornament and design. All that remains of the model for Church of Colònia Güell is an image in a book written by architect Josep Francesc Ráfols i Fontanals.
This method of planning led to the development of a new architectural vocabulary, such as hyberbolic paraboloids and hyperboloids, which are prominent elements in many of Gaudí's designs.
The crypt portion of the church, constructed from 1908 to 1915, was the only segment of the church that was fully completed. It was built partially below ground, due to being on a hillside, and it was designed so that it would feel like it belonged in the surrounding nature. There are pillars on the exterior of the crypt, made of many bricks, while others were made of a solid block of stone. The roof of the structure has a geometric shape that is morphed by the connecting of the various pillars.
The crypt is very dimly lit, due to it being built partially underground since the structure is on a hillside. There are however, 22 lead stained glass windows in the crypt, to let in some colorful lighting.
Although it remains unfinished, the chapel is a very important aspect of the church. The designs of the chapel is similar to that of the Sagrada Família. This is a common theme seen throughout the church, since Gaudí used it in preparation for the building of the Sagrada Família. He tested many of his ideas and theories here, since Güell gave him the liberty of being as creative as possible.
The shape of the worship area was planned in extensive detail, right down to the pews. All of the furniture in the Church was designed by Gaudí himself, and have been preserved. Very few pieces of his furniture have been saved, though some examples are still seen in the Sagrada Família and private homes.
Last August, Mayte & TheGrandma were enjoying the popular festivities of Gràcia,one of the most famous neighbourhoods of Barcelona. Both friends were visiting its main streets decorated by the own neighbours and they were enjoying beautiful performances and lots of popular activities.
The Grandma was very interested in investing. She uses to buy buildings to give them other uses, especially social ones. Mayte and TheGrandma were visiting one of the last acquisitions, the Casa Vicens, a wonderful building designed and built by Antoni Gaudí, the genius of Modernist architecture.
After visiting Casa Vicens, Mayte and The Grandma visited Park Güell,another Gaudí's work. It is a public park located on Carmel Hill that belongs to La Salut neighbourhood, in Gràcia district. Park Güell was assigned to Antoni Gaudí by Eusebi Güell, his main patron and mentor.
After some weeks of studies and big decisions, today, The Grandma has bought another building. It is located near Park Güell and she wants to transform it in a great centre to take care of the old people of Gràcia, these people who have kept popular traditions year after year despite difficulties, who explain the importance of traditions to new generations, who participate in a constant social activism and who keep the dignity of all neighbours alive against vulture funds and speculators.
The Park Güell is a public park system composed of gardens and architectonic elements located on Carmel Hill, in Barcelona, Catalonia. Carmel Hill belongs to the mountain range of Collserola -the Parc del Carmel is located on the northern face.
Park Güell is located in La Salut, a neighborhood in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. With urbanization in mind, Eusebi Güell assigned the design of the park to Antoni Gaudí, a renowned architect and the face of Catalanmodernism.
The park was built from 1900 to 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. In 1984, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site under Works of Antoni Gaudí.
Park Güell is the
reflection of Gaudí's artistic plenitude, which belongs to his
naturalist phase, first decade of the 20th century.
During this period, the
architect perfected his personal style through inspiration from organic
shapes. He put into practice a series of new structural solutions rooted
in the analysis of geometry. To that, the Catalan artist adds creative
liberty and an imaginative, ornamental creation. Starting from a sort of
baroquism, his works acquire a structural richness of forms and
volumes, free of the rational rigidity or any sort of classic premises.
Mayte visited Gràcia in Barcelona
In the design of Park Güell, Gaudí unleashed all his architectonic genius and put to practice much of his innovative structural solutions that would become the symbol of his organic style and that would culminate in the creation of the Basilica and Expiatory Church of Sagrada Família.
Güell and Gaudí conceived this park, situated within a natural park. They imagined an organized grouping of high-quality homes, decked out with all the latest technological advancements to ensure maximum comfort, finished off with an artistic touch. They also envisioned a community strongly influenced by symbolism, since, in the common elements of the park, they were trying to synthesize many of the political and religious ideals shared by patron and architect: therefore there are noticeable concepts originating from political Catalanism -especially in the entrance stairway where the Catalan countries are represented -and from Catholicism- the Monument al Calvari, originally designed to be a chapel. The mythological elements are so important: apparently Güell and Gaudí's conception of the park was also inspired by the Temple of Apollo of Delphi.
On the other hand, many
experts have tried to link the park to various symbols because of the
complex iconography that Gaudí applied to the urban project. Such
references go from political vindication to religious exaltation,
passing through mythology, history and philosophy. Specifically, many
studies claim to see references to Freemasonry, despite the deep
religious beliefs of both Gaudí and Count Güell. These references have
not been proven in the historiography of the modern architect.
The multiplicity of
symbols found in the Park Güell is, as previously mentioned, associated
to political and religious signs, with a touch of mystery according to
the preferences of that time for enigmas and puzzles.
The park was originally
part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count
Eusebi Güell, after whom the park was named. It was inspired by the
English garden city movement; hence the original English name Park, in
Catalan the name is Parc Güell.
The site was a rocky
hill with little vegetation and few trees, called MuntanyaPelada. It
already included a large country house called Larrard House or Muntaner
de Dalt House and was next to a neighbourhood of upper-class houses
called La Salut.
The
intention was to exploit the fresh air, well away from smoky factories,
and beautiful views from the site, with sixty triangular lots being
provided for luxury houses.
Count
Eusebi Güell added to the prestige of the development by moving in 1906
to live in Larrard House. Ultimately, only two houses were built,
neither designed by Gaudí.
One was intended to be a show house, but on
being completed in 1904 was put up for sale, and as no buyers came
forward, Gaudí, at Güell's suggestion, bought it with his savings and
moved in with his family and his father in 1906.
Mayte visited Gràcia in Barcelona
This house, where Gaudí lived from 1906 to 1926, was built by Francesc Berenguer in 1904. It contains original works by Gaudí and several of his collaborators. It is now the Casa Museu Gaudí, a museum, since 1963. In 1969 it was declared a historical artistic monument of national interest.
Park Güell is designed and composed to bring the peace and calm that one would expect from a park. The buildings flanking the entrance, though very original and remarkable with fantastically shaped roofs with unusual pinnacles, fit in well with the use of the park as pleasure gardens and seem relatively inconspicuous in the landscape when one considers the flamboyance of other buildings designed by Gaudí. One of these buildings houses a permanent exhibition of the Barcelona City History Museum MUHBA focused on the building itself, the park and the city.
The focal point of the park is the main terrace, surrounded by a long bench in the form of a sea serpent. The curves of the serpent bench form a number of enclaves, creating a more social atmosphere. Gaudí incorporated many motifs of Catalan nationalism, and elements from religious mysticism and ancient poetry, into the Park. Much of the design of the benches was the work not of Gaudí but of his often overlooked collaborator Josep Maria Jujol.
Roadways around the park to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures jutting out from the steep hillside or running on viaducts, with separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures. This minimized the intrusion of the roads, and Gaudí designed them using local stone in a way that integrates them closely into the landscape. His structures echo natural forms, with columns like tree trunks supporting branching vaulting under the roadway, and the curves of vaulting and alignment of sloping columns designed in a similar way to his Church of Colònia Güell so that the inverted catenary arch shapes form perfect compression structures.
The large cross at the
park's high-point offers the most complete view of Barcelona and the
bay. It is possible to view the main city in panorama, with the Sagrada
Família and the Montjuïc area visible at a distance.
The
park supports a wide variety of wildlife, notably several of the
non-native species of parrot found in the Barcelona area. Other birds
can be seen from the park, with records including short-toed eagle. The
park also supports a population of hummingbird hawk moths.
Eusebi Güell i
Bacigalupi, 1st Count of Güell (15 December 1846-8 July 1918) was a
Catalan entrepreneur who profited greatly from the industrialrevolution
in Catalonia in the late 19th century. He married Luisa Isabel Lopez y
Bru, a daughter of Antonio López y López first Marquis of Comillas, in
1871 and the couple had ten children. One of Güell's daughters, Isabel
Güell i López, became a noted composer.
Eusebi Güell & The Grandma visiting Park Güell
Güell was born in Barcelona and was the son of Joan Güell i Ferrer, a wealthy industrialist from Torredembarra who had amassed considerable riches during his stay in Cuba and thanks to the numerous activities established at his return in Barcelona. His mother, Francesca Bacigalupi i Dolcer, was a member of an ancient merchant family from Genoa who had moved to Catalonia in the late 18th century.
Güell
took over his father's business, which was predominantly in textiles,
and added to the family's wealth. Güell met the young architect, AntoniGaudí, following a visit to the World Fair held in Paris in 1878. The pair become
lifelong friends and associates and found that they had mutual
interests, including religion, both were devout Catholics.
Güell became a Mediciesque patron to architect Antoni Gaudí. Their many
collaborations began at the start of Gaudí's career, when Güell saw
Gaudí as the man who could provide him with uniquely designed buildings.
Among
Güell's early commissions for the aspiring architect were the BodegaGüell (winery) at Garraf, the Pavellons Güell de Pedralbes and Park
Güell which was originally the Güell family home and only later
bequeathed to the state.
In 1890, Güell moved his textile factory from Sants to Santa Coloma de Cervello, north of Barcelona. There he established a worker's colony along the lines of the British worker's colonies which had been built in the late nineteenth century. The colony or village at Santa Coloma, now known as Colonia Güell, was built with high socialist ideals; homes with larger than average rooms, wide windows and good ventilation so that the textile workers and their families could enjoy comfortable living conditions. The village was to be relatively self-contained and included shops, cafes, a theatre, library and a school (only for boys).
In 1890, Gaudí was commissioned to build a church and crypt on the hill overlooking the village. However, Güell ran into financial difficulties and the project was eventually abandoned. In spite of its unfinished status, the work is a masterpiece and demonstrates many of Gaudí's signature architectural devices including catenary arches and tessellated finishes. The village, which is still fully operational boasts many fine examples of modernist architecture.
Reportedly on one occasion Gaudí said to Güell, Sometimes I think we are the only people who like this architecture. Güell replied, I don't like your architecture, I respect it.
In 1900, Güell bought land in Gràcia, Barcelona and employed Gaudí to build an estate for the rich. At that time, the area was considered to be remote and the project failed to realize commercial success. Only two houses were built. In 1923, the Güell family gave the land to the city, as Park Güell.
Eusebi Güell died in his house in Park Güell in 1918.
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