Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona

About the Palau de la Música Catalana

The Palau was built for the Orfeó Català choral society, founded in the late 19th century to revive Catalan folk song. It was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, a leading Catalan modernista architect and a contemporary of Gaudí. Work ran from 1905 to 1908, funded by the whole city.

Domènech wanted a hall full of light that felt like a garden: the walls are almost entirely glass, and flowers, leaves and figures appear on practically every column and balcony. In 1997 the Palau and the same architect's Hospital de Sant Pau were added to the UNESCO list. Concerts still fill the hall, from classical to jazz and flamenco.

Inside the Palau

The star is the skylight in the centre of the ceiling: a huge inverted drop of coloured glass like a sun, ringed by women's faces forming a choir. By day light pours through it and the side windows, and the hall seems to glow from within.

The stage is framed by muses whose bodies are mosaic on the wall while their heads and arms emerge as sculpture, as if stepping out of it. On either side are sculptural groups with busts of composers and figures from folk legend. The foyer columns are covered in flowery mosaic, and even the lamps and railings take the shape of plants.

What to see at the Palau

• The skylight — the inverted glass 'sun'.
• The stage muses — half mosaic, half sculpture.
• The façade — mosaic columns and the folk song sculpture.
• The foyer — flowered columns and glass walls.
• Sala Lluís Millet — the choir's chamber hall.
• A concert — the best way to hear the acoustics.

The façade and the neighbourhood

The Palau stands on a cramped street in Sant Pere, so the façade is hard to take in at once. Stand at the corner: above the entrance is Miquel Blay's sculpture group of Catalan folk song, and higher up a mosaic of the choir. The first-floor columns are clad in coloured tiles, each with its own pattern.

In the 2000s a new glass wing was added with a small square and café, handy for a coffee before the tour. From here it's five minutes to Plaça de Catalunya and the Gothic Quarter, and to the Santa Caterina market with its wavy mosaic roof.

Tips for your visit

The best time for a tour is a sunny day around noon, when the skylight glows brightest. Photos are usually allowed on the tour but not during concerts. There's no evening dress code, though many people dress up.

For a cheaper concert, choose choir performances or chamber programmes: tickets cost less and the hall is just the same. Balcony seats give the best view of the skylight and stage together. Before a concert, have dinner in the neighbouring El Born district.

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How to do it right

• Book the tour ahead online.
• The skylight glows at sunny noon.
• A concert lets you hear the hall.
• See the façade from the corner.

Questions