Discover one of Antoni Gaudi’s most enduring creations on this tour of Parc Güell north of Barcelona city center, and take a walk through a century of art. Start at Carmel Hill north of Gracia, and enter the public park that Gaudi built over a century ago. See the fantastic mosaic tiles of the salamander statue (“El Drac”) at the park entrance as an example of Gaudi’s typical motifs. The origins of the park date back to 1900, when Barcelona was becoming a cosmopolitan metropolis. The engineer Ildefons Cerdà studied the problems faced by a growing city in depth, and the needs of Barcelona as it expanded rapidly throughout the 2nd half of the century. The Universal Exhibition of 1888 searched for a new artistic language and urban representation. The main architectural features of Parc Güell are based on the Art Nouveau, an art movement that began in Glasgow and spread across Europe to Brussels and on to Barcelona. Using old construction techniques, such as Catalan vault (also known as “timbrel” vault), as well as craft styles and the potential of iron, Barcelona’s Modernisme movement was born. Walk through the park on the wooded hill, and see some of Gaudi’s typical styles. Along with mosaic tiles, find sinuous benches, twisted stonework, and the Sala Hipóstila (Doric Temple). Enjoy breathtaking panoramas of the city below, and marvel at columns that bend like giant trees.