Barcelona, a city where architecture breathes history and avant-garde, offered the world another priceless gift in 2025. This time, it is Casa Batlló, one of the most recognizable works of Antoni Gaudí, which has finally revealed one of its greatest secrets. After an extensive and meticulous restoration, the public was, for the first time in over a century, introduced to the building’s rear façade and inner courtyard—a space the maestro himself designed as a secluded oasis for the Batlló family back in 1906. Long hidden from view and altered by time, this corner has been restored to its original appearance, offering a fresh perspective on the genius of Catalan modernism.
A Return to Origins: The Monumental Work of Restorers
The project to restore the authentic appearance of this space became a real challenge for the team of specialists. An investment of 3.5 million euros enabled unprecedented work in terms of scale. This was not just a restoration, but a true archaeological immersion into Gaudí’s original design. The experts used the most advanced technologies, including 3D scanning and photogrammetry, to faithfully recreate the original color palette and missing details. Simultaneously, a meticulous stratigraphic analysis of the paint and plaster layers was carried out, revealing the history of façade changes over the decades. The work took place both on the site itself and in Barcelona’s best artisan workshops. Dozens of craftsmen—ceramists, glaziers, blacksmiths, and carpenters—recreated each element by hand, using early 20th-century techniques, from the smallest tile to the supporting structures. Previous partial interventions in the 1950s and 1990s only maintained the building’s condition, but the current project, completed at the end of 2024, became the first comprehensive restoration that has returned the site’s true soul.
A vertical garden frozen in stone and glass
The result exceeded all expectations. The courtyard and rear façade were revealed to the public just as Gaudí envisioned them—a blooming vertical garden. This metaphor permeates the entire space. The façade symbolizes a climbing plant, perhaps a bougainvillea, whose tendril-like patterns weave their way up the walls and intertwine at the top. The wavy lines of the cast iron balconies evoke flexible branches, creating a sense of a living, breathing substance. The centerpiece of the restored patio is the reconstructed heather pergola, under whose shade the Batlló family once relaxed. The walls and balconies once again burst with the vibrant colors of the trencadís mosaic, while the floor is covered with 85,000 pieces of Nolla’s unique hand-laid mosaic. Every inch of this space is a tribute to craftsmanship and proof that the legacy of Modernism continues to live and inspire.
Gaudí’s surprising discoveries and engineering insights
The restoration work led to many astonishing discoveries that once again confirmed Gaudí’s status as an experimental architect ahead of his time. One of the most remarkable surprises was the unveiling of a unique load-bearing structure in the balconies. Gaudí used an innovative spiral design made of brick and metal for that era, which not only provided strength but also served as an independent decorative element. This engineering solution, previously hidden under layers of later repairs, demonstrates the architect’s incredible boldness and ingenuity—his ability to combine aesthetics and functionality within a unified design language. The restoration of this hidden corner symbolically coincided with the twentieth anniversary of Casa Batlló’s inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list, adding special significance to the event.
A new chapter in Barcelona’s history
The opening of the Casa Batlló’s backyard is more than just an extension of the tourist route. It marks the return of a piece of Barcelona’s cultural identity, offering a chance to experience the most intimate, almost family-like, side of Gaudí’s genius. Now, visitors from around the world can see the building as its very first residents did—feeling the harmony and tranquility the architect sought to create in the heart of the bustling city. This project enriches the heritage of the Catalan capital and offers an entirely new perspective on one of its main symbols, reaffirming the universal and enduring value of Antoni Gaudí’s genius.
