House of Mila was the most recent work of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, dedicated to secular buildings. After completing this project, he devoted himself entirely to the creation of the Sagrada Familia. And, although the Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia overshadows all other works with its grandeur, the Mila House still deserves the attention of tourists.
CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
In the 1900s, Passeig de Gràcia was the center of high life in Spanish society. The street with the best restaurants, theaters and shops attracted the attention of a wealthy couple: Pere Mila y Camps and his wife Rosaria Segimon y Artells. They entrusted the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi to create an extraordinary building in which apartments and offices would be rented out.
The construction of Casa Mila began in 1906. It was accompanied by many legal and economic problems and in the end almost bankrupted the customer. The fact is that the Mila family ordered the construction work to begin before they could legalize it. The height of the building was slightly higher than the allowable one, and one of the columns, due to its shape, protruded onto the sidewalk by 50 centimeters. All these problems were constantly attracted to the site by law enforcement agencies. Another serious test was the Gaudi conflict with the customers and with the authorities associated with the sculpture of Our Lady. Neither Pere Mila nor the government wanted to use her image as one of the main sculptures. Gaudí was so angry that he wanted to quit the project, but after talking with the priest he returned to work and in 1912 rented the house to a married couple. Despite all the problems, the Catalan authorities are now receiving significant income from this facility.
The original name of the building in Spanish sounds like Casa Milà (Casa Mila), in honor of the customer. But the inhabitants of Barcelona did not immediately adopt the extravagant and innovative look of the building, which stood out too much from the usual residential buildings of the city. The gray-beige shades of the materials used and the undulating curves of the facade were associated with roughly cut stones by people, so the building was nicknamed La Pedrera (Quarry). Over time, the artistic value of the building was recognized, but the popular name still remains the second name of the House of Mila.
In 1984, La Pedrera becomes the first building of the 20th century to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Currently, the building is used for many purposes: as a tourist site, a place for exhibitions and conferences, office space for various organizations. But with all this, it still performs the function of a residential building.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING
Mila's house conveys the image of rocks washed by the seas, and the metal balcony gratings resemble algae. The interior layout does not contain load-bearing walls, and all partitions are movable, so that residents can plan the apartment to their liking. Even the chimneys are picturesque sculptures.
Gaudi looked confidently to the future, and his ideas were clearly ahead of their time. In the underground space, a spacious garage for motor vehicles was designed and built, and elevators were foreseen from the very beginning. True, they appeared after Gaudi.
The Casa Mila project is characterized by extreme precision and thoughtfulness: patios create the ideal air temperature and sufficient lighting in the premises at any time of the year. There are windows in almost every room.
TOURS
The excursion program can be conducted both individually and for groups of more than 10 people. Tours are conducted in Spanish, English, Russian and other languages. Even Catalan and Spanish sign languages are provided. There are day and night excursions.
In Casa Mile, you can visit an apartment on the fourth floor, which conveys the most accurate atmosphere of the Catalan bourgeoisie of the twentieth century. In the apartment on the sixth floor, you can see the style of the 1920s. In addition, a terrace and an attic are available for visiting. On the mezzanine is a museum dedicated to the work of Gaudí. For current timetables and prices for different ticket categories, visit La Pedrera's official website.
How to get there
House Mila is located at: Passeig de Gracia 92, Barcelona, España. To reach it, you can take the metro to Diagonal station on the green line (L3) or blue line (L5). The nearest bus stop is called Provença and is served by buses 7, 16, 17, 22, 24, and 28.
